People can sit around all day talking about how bad drugs, cigarettes and drinking is. They can also try restricting these things all they want... the bottom line is this: Humans are humans and will use these things no matter how much they are restricted.Thats like someone saying that the best form of contraception is abstinence. Sure, in theory it looks good... but the reality of the matter is that people will have sex no matter what restrictions are placed on them.
The best solution to these kinds of problems is to bring them out in the open and try to create a system that helps prevent the secondary problems associated with them. Suppression only creates more problems.
You're totally right. There are so many illegal activities that humans engage in that can be handled this way:
Men are always going to beat their wives. No matter how many people come forward with proof of how destructive it is, it's going to happen and has always happened; So what we really need to do is recognize that it won't be stopped by the threat of jail time, legalize it, and throw our money into better wound care for abused wives and better counseling for orphans of mothers murdered by their spouses.
Sara! They already support their habbit with welfare!!!! And they spend so much money on drugs they have nothing left to feed themselves!
Crazy, I know these people are out there. I know there are people who use the system right now to feed their habit. It happens, I get it. I do not, however, want to set up a system where it is now TOTALLY FINE TO DO SO! At least under the present system, a certain percentage of people WILL be caught, and will receive punishment for their actions.
I will concede that there is a case for the legalization of recreational marijuana. But as for the highly addictive, hard core, non-recreational drugs (show me a recreational crack addict) I just can't buy into the theory that says "It's already happening, we might as well make it OK."