Persuasive Essay: Why Drugs Should Be Legal?

Growing up as a child, I remember being told time and time again, “Drugs are bad” by teachers and parents. As a child, I listened to these authority figures without question; without fully understanding the reasoning behind this statement. As I matured, I observed marijuana almost glamorized by the mainstream media sources. These sources of media depicted people enjoying the “high” they received from the drug, making it seem more pleasurable than harmful. I began questioning, what is the allure this drug has to cause people to go against the law? After having my own experience with the drug and its effects, I have a difficult time understanding just why exactly this drug is illegal throughout the world. Since the drug came into general use
I think the real question should be, why not? Why exactly was marijuana made illegal in the first place? It is certainly not illegal for the health concerns, if that were the case alcohol and tobacco products would be illegal as well. The fact is that we live in the land of the free, yet we are continuously restricted on what we can and cannot do by politicians. One of the basic principles our country was founded on was the freedom of choice. If that freedom of choice is indulging in vices such as alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana that may be considered detrimental to our health, that should be a decision we make as individuals and ours alone. Think about alcohol for a minute. Alcohol is a substance that we are accustomed to, and is associated with parties, celebrations, and relaxation. What else is alcohol associated with? How about drunk driving and the deaths of thousands every year. Now think about marijuana. Pot has a reputation to be something that is taboo, and associated with sin by the religious. But how many people a year are killed every year by partaking in the recreational use of marijuana? A tenth of the total of alcohol related deaths. The government adheres to a strict policy and administers jail time to anyone caught in possession of the substance. Should someone be imprisoned for a beer? The fact is that there are substances made legal that have far worse repercussions for their use than marijuana.
They say that the use of marijuana is harmful to one’s health and through the gateway theory it leads to the use of harder drugs. We are not saying that this viewpoint is entirely wrong; any inhalation of a substance is detrimental to one’s health, and yes, it sometimes does lead to other usage of drugs. The flaw in this viewpoint is that there are many legal drugs out there; caffeine, tobacco products, prescription or over-the-counter medications, etcetera. If one is to say that smoking marijuana leads to the use of cocaine or the abuse of prescription drugs, the one must also say that alcohol does the same thing. Also, it is argued that the distribution of marijuana by state dispensaries infringes on the thought that it is the state’s responsibility to protect its citizens from unhealthy substances. This is illogical due to the studies that have been carried out that prove processed tobacco’s health hazards are substantially higher when compared to the health hazards of marijuana. Citizens have the right to make their own decisions and to be responsible enough to take care of themselves based on their own beliefs. Another thought against legalization it that the use of marijuana clouds a person’s logical decision making and is addictive. After looking over numerous websites and academic articles, I am yet