Do YOU support legalization?

[Comrade Grumpy]

83. I don't think anyone argues drug use can have negative effects on the individual and society.

Drug are a two-edged sword, and I include prescription drugs, illicit drugs, and alcohol and tobacco. They all have their beneficial aspects and their detrimental ones.

Opioid pain medications (and heroin) can relieve the pain; they can also addict or kill you.

Stimulants (Ritalin, amphetamines, cocaine) can help you work or study; they can also addict you or weird you out.

Alcohol can loosen inhibitions and relax you; it can also turn you into a drunk and make you drive poorly.

Marijuana can relax you; it can also become the center of your life, but it isn't going to kill you.

The question then becomes: What policies do we craft that acknowledge the beneficial uses of drugs while reducing the overall harm to society and the individual? I would argue that our current prohibitionist policies, especially regarding marijuana, create more harm than they prevent:

1. They don't stop people from smoking marijuana.
2. They create black market profits than benefit criminals, not society.
3. They make criminals out of people who simply want to use a relatively innocuous substance.
5. They chip away ever more at our rights and freedoms in the vain pursuit of total abstinence.

Let's put the ball back in your court: Show me the evidence that marijuana prohibition does not do more harm than good.