“Drugs like heroin and cocaine are not dangerous because they are illegal; they are illegal because they are dangerous” (Finsterbucsh, 3). Legalization proposals vary from making marihuana cigarettes as tobacco cigarettes to establish an open and free market for drugs. Legalization is a serious issue in society that people will face if they approve drugs. Although government may believe that legalizing drugs will cause no more harm, surely legalization of drugs will make the situation worse for society because it will bring significant bad health, increase children addiction, and crime problems.
The first reason for not legalizing drugs is the consequences of health. Drug use negatively impacts respiratory systems, memory, mood, judgment, heart rate, coordination, problem-solving, anxiety, psychosis, and learning. Drugs will be more addictive to people and potent. If marihuana become legal, consumers are more likely to be attracted to more dangerous drugs. Drugs effect almost all parts of human’s body. They may be short term, long term or permanent.
“ A study published in the journal of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology in 2012 found that one in 10 young people who use marihuana will go on to become addicted. Pot smoking puts the user at risk of psychosis, changes in the anatomy of the brain, and damage to the heart and lungs. It retards maturation and impairs learning, memory and judgment- no small matters during the adolescent years”. (Rosenthal, 5). These means that once you become addictive to drugs you are putting at risk your health, people who use drugs damage their brains and have horrible consequences.
Drugs definitely put human health physical and psychological at risk. Another reason for not legalizing drugs is that legalization of drugs will lead to increased child use and increased levels of addiction. Legalization will make drugs more accessible to children. Youth are going to suffer the consequences because they are more likely to be influence by other groups of people and not make good decisions about what is right and what is wrong. Drug legalization would affect children and adolescents in a quick way because they will think that drugs are normal as cigarettes and alcohol.
Children will be more attracted to become addicted and start consuming other drugs. Even teachers, doctors and lawyers will use drugs because it is normal for society and will teach children to do the same. Children in this age are not enough maturate to understand, and it will be hard for parents to prohibit consuming drugs. “It’s a bad message to kids,” said Calvina Fay, executive director of Drug Free America Foundation, noting that there is even grass-roots opposition to legalization south of the border. “This is not what moms and dads and grandmas (in Mexico) want for their children.
They recognize that drug use is harmful to families. “(Fay, 16). This means that legalizing drugs are harmful and people should consider the idea of not legalizing because children are going to suffer the consequences in the future they will be more addictive to worse drugs. In addition, legalizing drugs will make violence worse and society will be put at risk. Drugs can put a greater number of drugs addicts in the streets, not all able to control themselves, which has a direct impact on assaults, houses robbery, violations, traffic accidents and child abuse.
Drugs use always makes a person do things they normally wouldn’t do, but under the influence of drugs, they do. Legalizing drugs is not the way to get rid of drugs. “In the 2004 Survey of Inmates in the state and federal correctional facilities, 32 percent of state prisoners and 26 percent of federal prisoners said they had committed their current offense while under the influence of drugs”. (Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA], 2009). This means that people who are using drugs are more likely to commit crime.
Drugs will increase users in the street committing crimes with their drug packet. “Researchers found that marijuana was the most popular drug used by men who’d been arrested in all the cities, 86 percent of the men found to have at least one drug in their bloodstreams. ” (Hotakaine, 2013 Par5). “Scientific studies support the connection between drug use and crime. Drug users are not only harming themselves, they are harming anyone who may have the misfortune of crossing their path. Dr.
Mitchell Rosenthal, head of Phoenix House, a major drug treatment center, has pointed out that, “There are a substantial number of abusers who cross the line from permissible self-destruction to becoming “driven” people who are out of control and put others in danger of their risk-taking, violence, abuse, or HIV infection. ” Surely if drugs became legal, violence is going to increase highly it will be dangerous to be outside in the streets Even thought legalization supporters claim that drugs may be helpful in medicine, definitely drug use causes more damage than benefits and it’s extremely dangerous for society because causes death.
Drugs not only have negative consequences for those who use but, they also affect people around them, especially those in their environment: it destroys family and relationships. However, some of these “drugs” choices have led to the death of thousands of lives. That sounds pretty violent and serious. “About 570,000 people die annually due to drug use. That breaks down to about 440,000 from disease related to tobacco, 85,000 due to alcohol, and 20,000 due to illicit (illegal) drugs, and 20,000 due to prescription drug abuse. ” (National Institute of Drug Abuse Par, 7).
This incidence shows that, far from being drug consumer, drugs are destroying human lives. Powerful antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs approved only for use in adults are suspected of harming in some cases killing. (Bailey 30). In the final analysis, if drugs are legalized, our society would be affected by health issues, children addiction and violence. Drugs are growing faster and on a larger scale. It is important to take a moment to understand what is happening, what happened and what might happen to not leave our children in a world where life is dangerous, and where it is impossible to socialize healthily.
People should consider not legalizing drugs because society will be put in risk if drugs become legal. Works cited Boyum, David, and Mark A. R. Kleiman. “Breaking the Drug-Crime Link. ” Public Interest No. 152. Summer 2003: 19-38. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Nov 2013. Finsterbusch, Kurt. 2010. Taking Sides. Dubuque, Iowa: McGraw Hill. McLean, Jesse, and David Bruser. “Adult Drugs Blamed in Kids’ Deaths. ” Toronto Star. 08 Dec 2012: A. 1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Nov 2013. Wagner, Dennis. “Drugs: New Law, Same Issues. ” Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ). 10 Jan 2010: A. 1. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Nov 2013.