By Vaughn Hoisington | USA

Over the years there have been many attempts to legalize drugs; some focusing just on medically prescribed purposes, while other attempts have proposed specific areas where drug use would be legal and even complete legalization. The limited legalization proposals may seem to be nice propositions to consider when it comes to the topic of drug legalization, but they bring forth the problem of where drug legalization would be stopped. This complication sheds light on another obstacle for those in support of complete drug legalization. If as many people supported drug use for those without medical conditions as they did for those with medical conditions, then every form of drug use would be legal.

The currently proposed solutions by government officials are too limited, and some are just too idiotic. Seattle has previously made news for their proposed idea of safe consumption sites “where individuals can inject and smoke hard drugs under medical supervision.” This would involve an apartment, storefront, or even shipping container to be purchased along with the hiring of a medical staff. Although it may attain its goal of lowering the amount of deaths by drug overdoses, this could lead to people driving home under the influence of drugs since it is only legal to take drugs at the approved sites, and it would require taxpayer dollars. If there’s one way to make anti-drug individuals hate drugs, even more, make them pay for others to use narcotics.

The answer to the first problem is not to stop drug legalization, or to make it legal under very specific circumstances, but to permit drug use entirely. This extends the personal freedom of drug use to everyone, instead of limiting it to those specified in past proposals.

Many people are anti-drug because they have lost a loved one to drug overdoses and substance abuse. I don’t expect many of those who have experienced this atrocity to ever support the idea of complete drug legalization. The solution for substance abuse is for addicts to be strongly advised to visit rehab centers and to overcome the predicament with the help of their loved ones. This is a much more advisable solution than being sent to prison for 87.2 months, which was the average sentence for drug offenses in 2006.

The illegality of a non-violent crime is a restriction of personal liberties. Drug legalization doesn’t mean that everyone has to have a supportive opinion of drug use, it means that people should be allowed to form their own opinion of the matter and have the ability to partake in whatever they believe is right.