There are organizations, some of whose members are in law enforcement, who want drugs ... hard drugs … to be legalized. LEAP (Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) is one of the leading groups in the attempt to legalize drugs. Their comments are in italics, my response in regular type.
      At their website, LEAP states the facts about how the DEA has been enlarged to include more personnel and a larger budget. They go on to say … In fact, our current drug policies are a dismal failure. Drugs are more potent, less expensive, and more accessible than ever. Legalizing drug use will in no way change these conditions. If people want potent drugs, any control on the legal production of less potent drugs will only push the manufacture of the more potent ones further underground. Being legal means those selling the drugs can be taxed which should mean the price goes up; however, I don’t see dealers ever filing the proper tax forms. And anyone who thinks legalizing drugs will make them less accessible, think about all of the drugs currently on the street which are legal drugs (controlled by being by prescription only) being used in improper ways.
      LEAP states the only way to decrease the instances of death, disease, crime, abuse and addiction is to legalize and regulate all drugs. By eliminating the black market drug trade, the multitude of harms caused by drugs would be drastically reduced. Continuing the War on Drugs effectively continues the cycle of crime, drug abuse and addiction. Legalizing drug use isn’t going to stop abuse or addiction to drugs which are dangerous to people’s health. All we have to do is look at the death and destruction caused by the consumption of alcohol. The only reason the statistics for drug enforcement will go down is because there’s no need to arrest people for something legal. None of this will put a stop to the broken homes, crimes caused by people on drugs, and deaths from overdoses.
      In order to reduce the instances of death, disease, crime and addiction, we must implement a system of legalized regulation, putting drug cartels out of business and treating drug addiction as a health issue rather than a legal problem. Drugs are “big business”. Legalizing drugs won’t get rid of the drug cartels, it only changes the “ownership” to the government. And is legalizing the manufacture and sell of hard drugs dealing with addiction as a health issue? All that’s happening here is you’re giving people even greater access to the substance of their addiction. Current laws don’t prevent people from seeking help for their addictions, they do that themselves.
      One of LEAP’s goals is to restore the public's respect for law enforcement, which has been greatly diminished by its involvement in imposing drug prohibition. This is new to me. The only people I’ve encountered who have no respect for law enforcement because most of them are opposed to legalizing drugs are the people selling or using the drugs.
      LEAP believes that a system of regulation and control of production and distribution will be far more effective and ethical than one of prohibition. What’s the minimum age limit for use? Who are going to be the manufacturers and what exactly are the guidelines for where, how much, and at what potency the drugs be made? Who will be licensed to sell the drugs? What are the punishments for people who make or sell the drugs without the requisite permits? While the repeal of prohibition against alcohol had, to an extent, a positive effect, legalizing drugs won’t do the same … unless people think the “drug lords” in other countries are going to give up so easily on their multimillion dollar a year businesses. The same goes for the “little guys” here in this country.
      I know everyone has probably already taken sides on this issue, but I don’t see the legalization of drugs as having a positive effect. It’s up to everyone to make up their own mind. If drugs are legalized, just remember I predicted “doom and gloom” so if LEAP and other organizations get their way and things work out for the worst I can say “I told you so”.