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     Another of the vices that needs to be legalized is the recreational use of illicit drugs. To some it is very difficult to rationalize the notion of legalizing the use of what are currently illicit drugs. To understand this, it is truly necessary to open one’s mind and let the truth come in. It is also necessary to understand the need for compromise and tolerance in an effort to make more perfect our entire living condition. There are a great many people from all walks of life that practice self-medication. We collectively accept an individual’s right to take an aspirin or cough medicine, or any other drug purchased from the drug store. The same principles that are the foundation of this acceptance apply to an individual’s right to utilize other drugs as well. Mental health is considered an important element of one’s overall well-being. Recreational drug use does provide some individuals with the capacity to relax and explore themselves. If this activity is helpful and satisfying to them, it is a contributing factor to their mental well-being.  

     Our society claims to be after a “Drug-free America.” However, we all know that drugs like aspirin and other medicines have a positive effect on society when used properly and not abuse. So too the use of what are now illicit drugs can have a beneficial affect upon our society if they are not abused. The pursuit of a Drug-free America is hypocrisy in action. One of the largest industries in the American economic picture is the pharmaceutical industry. So too, it has been estimated that 98% of the human population will have taken some form of drug before their death is reached. Being truthful, what is being sought by some members of our society is an “Illicit Drug-free America.” The drugs we are trying to do away with are judged to be negative for a segment of our society based upon the behavior of individuals that abuse them. The mature use of these given substances can have a positive affect upon the individual using them. If that individual positively functions within the parameters of society and they are not harming or violating another, then that person should be allowed to do whatever peaceful thing satisfies them. If we were truly seeking to protect our society from harm and violation, our nation would be focusing closer on the drug companies that are flooding our society with drugs that are, at least, just as harmful. Take a focused look at a commercial for one of these new drugs. For the sake of example, say it is advertised as a way to get rid of a hangnail. Yet, the side effects are stomach cramps, diarrhea, and nausea, along with possible liver and kidney damage. It seems these drugs are being allowed to go to market before the research on them is complete. It is as though lobbyists have secured a loophole that allows these drugs to be marketed before exhausting all possibilities to make them completely safe. The loophole seems to be that as long as consumers are made aware of the possible side effects, these companies are allowed to market the drug and consumers “proceed at your own risk.” 

     The bigger questions are, “Why have the drug companies not been required to modify the drug so that they do not cause those side effects?” “What damage to the body is being done, such that the body responds to the ingestion of these drugs with the side effects mentioned?” Why are these questions not being asked and answered? The American public is not paying close enough attention because of the complexities of their day-to-day existence. For the drug producers, it is time consuming and costly to completely research all the effects of a drug. If in the end the drug is found to be harmful, then the expense of the research is lost.  

If the FDA, drug companies, and the medical establishment are allowed to medicate us while knowing they could be harming us, why then can’t we self-medicate if we so choose, knowing whatever risks are faced? We must face the hypocrisies we live by and apply our faculties such that we use all the elements of existence to aid and enhance our lives. Such a change to our social systems would mean that each of us must accept the responsibility to produce the correct, right(eous), positive behavior. Our nation must not seek to restrict our liberties by legislating our personal choices. We have dominion over the elements around us and we should be allowed to use them enhance the moments of our lives if we so choose. By denying individuals the right to exercise personal freedom and self-control, the social system is placing stress upon those that makeup the fabric of society. This is a contributing factor to the tensions within our society, whether or not individuals and/or the collective can face the truth long enough to admit it.

     It is contrary to the positive state of society to imply that a responsible, knowledgeable individual cannot make the choice to self-medicate with what are currently illicit drugs. People who have earned great community respect with their positive actions are forced to indulge themselves in secret and risk criminal charges if they are caught. All the while society is routinely self-medicating with so-called “over-the-counter” drugs. If an individual’s daily life is composed of positive, moral, and ethical actions, what right does the society that benefits from those actions have to not allow that individual to use earthly chemicals to create stimulation and satisfaction within their own body in their personal time for the purposes of relaxation and recreation? This should be permitted, especially in a society so heavily dependent upon chemical ingestion as a means of survival. Individuals should be trusted to use illicit drugs for relaxation and recreation responsibly, just as they are trusted to use over-the-counter and prescription drugs.

     Drugs have been utilized by humankind since the beginning of its existence. There are cultures, past and present, within which psycho-active substance use is an acceptable part of the system of living. The method of ingesting them varies according to the form of the drug itself. Tobacco and cocaine have been found in the mummies of ancient Egypt. The oldest books of the Arab culture contain mention of the poppy plant. Extracts from the poppy plant have been used on almost every continent. Use of an LSD-like drug produced by Amazonian Indians from a mixture of jungle vines and leaves dates back to prehistoric times. A very similar concoction is now made into a tea and its use is said to give individuals access to the divine in a way that strengthens community cohesion and social bonding. It is now in use in modern urban Brazilian communities that are equally comparable to middle-America. There is a Christian Church referred to as the “UDV” present in many Brazilian cities. As a part of the congregation’s ritual, they drink this tea twice a month. After each member drinks the tea, these individuals take a seat and remain in the church for up to 4 hours. Some talk, some listen, some close their eyes and some stare. In the end, this psychedelic drug leads each user on a journey within themselves that answers the questions they have on how to become more perfect individuals. During the period between the rituals, these “revelations” give these individuals a clearer picture of what they need to do to become better doctors, lawyers, teachers, husbands, wives, and parents. Because of their use of this psychedelic drug, they drink no alcohol and use no other drugs. Some doctors outside of their culture who have studied these people believe that this mixture can be made into a vaccine that will eliminate drug addictions.

     In America, at around the turn of the century, one of the leading aspirin products sold to the public contained heroin. Cocaine was once hailed as a miracle drug. Physicians prescribed it for the treatment of exhaustion, depression, and morphine addiction. It was an ingredient in many patented medicines. Some wines and soda pops had either coca leaves or cocaine as an ingredient. LSD was originally found to have useful qualities related to psychotherapy when administered in small doses. It was being formulated into a way to treat addictions. It was also found to enhance the creativity of individuals with Ph.D.’s that were being studied as a part of a research project. LSD became harmful when it started making its way into society in a way that allowed it to be abused. The fact that it caused harm when it was abused did not erase the facts of its usefulness. Yet, because of the limited understanding that the human species has of itself and its abilities, the powers that be took the easiest way out. That was to disregard the clinical evidence that this substance, when used properly, held potentially profound advantages for human application. Instead, it was outlawed. There has been an effort underway to have the FDA allow LSD to again be legal to administer and/or used in a controlled setting.  

     In an Associated Press news article run in November of 1996, it was reported that the United States government itself supplies Marijuana to eight people under the government’s long-standing “compassionate use” program, paid for with taxpayer’s dollars. According to the article, this program was started in the 1970s and was reportedly run by the same health and drug agencies that condemn Marijuana as part of the national drug policy. Involved in this program were the Department of Health and Human Services, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the Drug Enforcement Agency. At the time, the government crop was located on a 7.5-acre pot farm at the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Mississippi. The cost of that program was $200,000 per year.  

While the our government spends billions of dollars waging its war on drugs, government agents purchase close to 1,750 kilos of coca leaves per year for a cocaine production plant in Maywood, NJ. The plant produces two products, cocaine and the extract that goes into the making of Coca-Cola. The making of the cocaine is done under the direction of several federal agencies. It is sold to hospitals where it is generally used as an anesthetic. What is the major point to recognize from this? It is the fact that our government having supplied United States citizens and companies with an illicit drug has set a precedent. It is unrealistic to maintain the belief that illicit drug use has a negative impact upon human existence and that our social system cannot effectively dispense these substances.  

     Drug Enforcement Agency administrative law judge was quoted as having declared back in 1988 that, Marijuana is possibly “one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man.” Cannabis or Marijuana use has not been shown to be the factor of a single death and there continues to be mounting evidence of the medical benefits of the use of this plant. Marijuana has been shown to help people with glaucoma, AIDS, cancer, and other terminal illnesses. It helps glaucoma patients by helping to relieve the pressure in their eyes. It helps AIDS suffers by enhancing their appetite, thereby helping them fight weight loss and the weakness that results from the disease. Cancer patients are helped because Marijuana use counters the waves of nausea that result from chemotherapy. It has also been shown to help those with multiple sclerosis, arthritis, and other pains. It has been reported by both doctors and nurses that cannabis eases pain, relaxes muscles, and reduces anxiety. In Britain, there is widespread support that includes top doctors and nurses there, for Cannabis to be available on prescription. In October of 2002, it was reported that citizens in Nevada had organized a group called the Nevadans for Responsible law Enforcement. One of their goals was campaigning for the decriminalization of Marijuana use by responsible adults. This group was not made up of hippies and dope-heads. These were otherwise law-abiding citizens that believed responsible adult individuals should not continue to go to jail for wanting to relax with a bit of Marijuana after a hard day at the office. The University of Nevada conducted a study of the financial benefits of such a move. It found that the State would reap $28 million dollars a year in tax revenue alone.  

     Outlawing the use of a substance is not the answer as is evidenced by human history. Alcohol use was banned by Prohibition in 1919. The 18th amendment to the Constitution, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, and use of alcohol, had the same effect on alcohol distribution and use that our current stance on illicit drug use has had. Both created huge profits for those who dispense these products via the black market, while being the catalyst for large organized-crime elements to be established. Some 14 years later, after much consideration, pressure, and having wasted millions on the enforcement of Prohibition, it was repealed. What’s more, it has now been found that moderate alcohol consumption decreases the risk of death by as much as 20 percent. This knowledge resulted from a study by the American Cancer Society that is considered the biggest study of alcohol’s effects on health ever conducted. The problems associated with alcohol consumption are the result of abuse, not use. Likewise, the destructive behavior attributed to illicit drug use is actually committed by those individuals that abuse these illicit substances.  

     The drug war in America is not what it seems. There is a lot of rhetoric associated with the effort of eliminating illicit drug use in our society. If this country truly wanted to stop the influx of these substances across our borders, it has the resources and the ability to do so. It could be accomplished in much the same way as when this country placed a blockade around Cuba. There could be such a thing done along our coastal areas. There would be a necessary increase in Manpower needed, but this could come from any number of sources, because we truly do have the resources. We have DEA agents on the ground in other countries, while the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard roam the skies and the seas. U.S. Customs agents staff our borders, and we have the manpower of the U.S. Army and the National Guard at our disposal. Yet, all kinds of drugs come across our borders and abuse remains a problem for our country. It has been estimated that there is over $100 million dollars spent per day on the American war on drugs. Yet, with all the taxpayer dollars being spent, there still has been little or no impact made on the availability or quality of any of illicit drugs.

     Some of the revenue from legalization should be used to fund the implementation of educational programs that effectively explain the impact of the use of any and all drugs, not only those deemed not right(eous). These programs should provide individuals with an understanding that will have them make responsible choices related to their lives. People should be shown that during the time that many illicit drugs are being abused, the abuser’s life is stagnate and in peril. In addition to the physical dangers, there is usually no forward progression toward the betterment of the abuser’s well-being or their living condition. Once the period of drug abuse is over, the body must then recuperate. This again produces a considerable period where there is no forward progression of that person’s life. In a competitive society such as our own, an individual not doing positive things will quickly fall behind others who are growing beyond the level the stagnant one has attained. Allowing this behavior to get out of control, one may never be able to produce a stable level of comfort for themselves. This ultimately leads to the stagnant one to becoming a liability for society. This is one of the realities of drug abuse, and it should be expressed within social awareness programs that need funding to be produced.

     A study done by Rand, a California research organization, found that one dollars worth of drug treatment is worth seven dollars spent on the most successful law-enforcement efforts to curb the use of cocaine. They advocate cutting twenty-five percent of the federal, State and local money spent on combating cocaine producers and the like, and instead spending the funds on the treatment of drug abusers. To aid in the treatment of drug abusers, some of the funds reaped from the legalization program could be used to build residential rehabilitation centers. These centers work better than outpatient care facilities because they remove the abuser from the environment where the abuse takes place. Not only are we then helping the drug abuser, but also, building these rehab centers creates construction jobs. Support staffing also creates a source of employment. The reasons for taking a realistic approach to deal with the realities of drug use and abuse is not only because it is better for those that use these substances, it is better for the whole of society. By taking control of this situation we reduce crime, welfare costs, healthcare costs, and the costs associated with the legal system. It is time for another approach to this social problem. One that takes the truths we have come to know of into consideration, and is formulated from the lessons of set precedents.  

     Colombia’s Constitutional Court struck down laws against the use and possession of small amounts of cocaine, Marijuana, hashish, and hallucinogens. Realistically speaking, how can one honestly expect to eliminate cocaine when countries like Columbia exist? This country relies on the coca plant to provide an economic base. It is also a major part of the culture there. To eliminate this plant as a major crop realistically, one must first recognize the truth of these circumstances. These individuals have a right to their own cultural nature. Taking our war on drugs to their nation has profound cultural implications. In addition, these people are farmers, a very special element of our species. Their crop has a vast market. To immediately eliminate the crop is truly not right(eous) for many reasons. An effective approach would be to allow the production and sale of this crop during a transitional period. Over this period, the profits from these sales could be utilized to stabilize the country, allow the culture to become more progressive, and make better the living conditions there. Our government could buy the cocaine directly from the Colombians (at a substantially reduced cost) and dispense it through pharmaceutical channels. While this is going on, other alternative crops can be introduced to the region. Over time, the culture there may or may not continue to revolve around the coca plant. This is truly not for Americans to decide. The country’s economic dependence could be shifted from the reliance on coca plants to crops that are more useful. Under such a plan, cocaine production would be under control. As well, world hunger would be helped to become a thing of the past.

     It is time for America to rethink its stance on illicit drug use. Prohibition has not worked. Our future as a productive nation of free individuals depends upon our constructively dealing with the problems that threaten to erode the foundation these United States were built upon. What we need to do now is apply what has been learned from human history as well as what currently is working in other countries. Italy, Spain, and Holland generally ignore the use of small amounts of drugs. Holland, with its liberal drug policy, has 60% less drug use than does the United States. In a newspaper article dated Sept. 4, 1996, it told of what was happening in Bussum, Netherlands, a small town near Amsterdam. This town, in an effort to keep Marijuana smokers off the street and away from hard drug dealers, decided to take control of the Marijuana trade by going in the business and selling it themselves. Marijuana is sold legally elsewhere in the Netherlands in privately own coffee shops. In the Netherlands, they make a distinction between soft drugs and hard drugs. Marijuana is considered a soft drug because it is less addictive than a hard drug like cocaine or heroin. Canada’s stance on Marijuana use has led to the opening of a restaurant in Vancouver called the “Cannabis Café.” Marijuana smoking takes place right in the restaurant. Switzerland has a heroin maintenance program that has been successful in reducing the crime related to this particular drug’s abuse. In addition, relative to precedents that have already been set, let us not forget that England once sold opium to China as a part of the trade between the two countries. Britain’s control of Hong Kong was the result of an opium war fought over the 1839 confiscation and burning of the British shipments of opium by the Chinese authorities. America and France were also involved in the trade of opium with China.

     Many knowledgeable and respected people within our society agree it is time for our nation to look for more realistic alternatives for dealing with substance abuse. A former Surgeon General agrees with many others that we can reduce the crime rate by legalizing drug use. She estimated that “60 percent of most of our violent crimes are associated with alcohol and drug abuse.” Then there is the minister at the church the Clintons attended while Bill Clinton was President. The reverend said that legalizing drug use would “make a safer environment for all of us” and “I’m not encouraging recreational use of drugs, (but) all society needs to reexamine the economic base for our use of drugs.”

     Former Republican Governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson, spoke in April of 2001 at the NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) 2001 conference. He gave a very compelling speech regarding the legalization of illicit drugs. One of the points that he made was that there are surprisingly around 8,000 deaths per year from cocaine and heroin abuse. This is low when viewed in comparison to the 100,000 or so deaths from “legal” prescription drug abuse. He pointed out that it is drug prohibition that is responsible for most drug (overdose) deaths. Also, that the most harmful drugs in our society are tobacco and alcohol. Both of which are legal. Cigarettes have been shown to be one of the most addictive products ever used. However, because the distribution of this product is legal, there is little or no crime associated with obtaining them. The Governor, like many others, believes this nation needs to focus on establishing what Governor Johnson labeled a “Harm Reduction Policy.”  

     A most comprehensive analysis of the illicit drug situation in America can be found in piece published by Rolling Stone Magazine, issue #681, dated May 5, 1994. It was a special issue entitled, “Drugs in America: The Phony War, The Real Crisis.” Inside was a series of articles done on the different issues and perspectives related to illicit drugs and the war against them. There is a piece within the editorial section of the article that I think sums up the reality of drug use/abuse, and America’s “war” against it. It stated, “What it all adds up to is a contemporary variant of the Crusades; a war to purge America of illicit drugs and any one who makes, sells, or uses them. Forget compromise. Forget tolerance. In addition, for that matter, forget any attempt at cost-benefiting analysis. Forget as well the fact that virtually all societies in the history of human civilization have used psychoactive substances, whether it’s Marijuana or wine...” 

     For many reasons, our current approaches to dealing with the problems that result from drug abuse in this nation are not geared toward any realistically achievable goal. If success is to be had, the goal of an endeavor must be attainable. The elimination of illicit drug use is not an attainable goal. So we must make compromises and be tolerant to achieve harmony within our society. Many of the ideas and programs that are suggested here are already in practice in Europe and other countries. They have yielded effective, positive results. It is our attitudes about right and wrong, as well as our lack of personal responsibility as adults of a civilized society that must be dealt with if we are to correct what is not right about our living conditions here in America. Quoting the Rolling Stones expose’ again, these ideas are “already happening in many European cities.” None of it is revolutionary. In fact, quite the opposite, virtually everything that is proposed by these writings can be considered evolutionary. The Rolling Stones expose’ goes on to say that, “Any good non-prohibitionist drug policy has to contain three central ingredients. First, possession of small amounts of any drug for personal use has to be legal. Second, there have to be legal means by which adults can obtain drugs of certified quality, purity and quantity. These can vary from State to State and town to town, with the Food and Drug Administration playing a supervisory role in controlling quality, providing information and assuring truth in advertising. And third, citizens have to be empowered in their decisions about drugs.”

     One of the most compelling works written on the subject of the legalization of certain illicit drugs is by a professor of Criminology from the University of Missouri. This person was also with the Los Angeles Police Department in the 1980s. The title of the book is “After Prohibition: An adult Approach to Drug Policies in the 21st Century.” While he started his police career believing in the strict enforcement of drug laws, by the end of his stay with the LAPD his views had changed. At first, he supported the drug war and believed that enforcing the existing drug laws should be a top priority. His beliefs changed soon after he got close enough to the circumstances to experience the truth. He saw that because jail space was being filled with non-violent drug offenders, violent criminals were allowed to remain amongst us. He saw that the drug war had no affect on the availability of drugs. It did not affect the price of drugs. Nor did it affect the usage rates. As well, the horrid impact upon the lives associated with chronic abuse continued to rise. Eventually, he concluded from his experiences that the United States should legalize illicit drugs. Taking a quote from his book, he “started to view most people involved with drugs either as broken souls who made self-destructive choices, or as harmless people who indulged their appetites in moderation, (but) not as crooks who needed to be punished.” He accepted the truth that adults make poor choices. He also recognized that our nation cannot use the “force of law” to protect adults from the consequences of their choices. A very strong declaration regarding our nation’s drug policy within this book is, “In a free society, negative consequences befall people who use their freedom to do foolish things. Victimless, self-destructive behavior is its own punishment, (and) not the business of the legal system.”

     We need to stop demonizing illicit-drug users and remind ourselves that these individuals are both citizens and human beings. We need to stop filling our prisons with petty dealers and unlucky users and focus our criminal justice resources on those who commit violent and predatory crimes. We need to stop believing that abstinence is the sole solution to the problems of drug abuse. There are advantages to the legalization of what are now illicit drugs. This legalization would generate an incredible amount of revenue for use in making our nation’s living conditions more perfect. With those funds, our social system could provide adequate rehabilitative support services and facilities for drug abusers. We could expand school curriculums to include programs that better educate our youth on matters of health and instructions related to becoming productive citizens. We could build more recreation and activity centers to give our youth safe havens, while providing constructive outlets for their energy and time. Some of those funds could be steered toward our healthcare system to strengthen its ability to make healthy our nation’s citizenry. This legalization gives our nation a better opportunity to protect our citizenry from the criminal happenings brought about by chronic drug abuse. Because of regulated distribution, there is an increased opportunity to monitor and control both the arena of usage and the behavior of the abuser. The legalization of illicit drug use is the only clear-cut way to eliminate drug abuse. As well as providing the necessary funds to provide for adequate and lasting recovery, it will remove some of the stigma attached to being addicted to a drug. This will create a more receptive and supportive environment for the addict to seek help in. This can truly lead to the full elimination of drug abuse. The problems of our society are specifically the result of drug abuse, not drug use.

     Once our nation has made these vices legal, how does this help to restore order to our system of living? Many say that gambling establishments exploit gamblers. Many say that prostitutes exploit their customers, and vise versa. Many say that drug dealers exploit drug users. This all may very well be true. However, the truth is that there are those within our social system that want to use and exploit. As well, there are those that want to be used and exploited. Are we to afford these citizens less liberty because of their victimless activities? In a broad sense, vice legalization will allow a more natural development of the elements we currently have within our society. The people that comprise these segments of our society will not be there because they were forced to be there. Gamblers will be such because they will have chosen that lifestyle. Prostitutes will be such because they will have chosen that lifestyle. Drug users will be such because they will have chosen that lifestyle. In creating a more perfect union, we have to create a society where all our needs and desires are reasonably met. Within this context, each of us must be compromising and tolerant of the needs and desires of those around us.

     The legalization of vices is a part of a program of change that includes a strong commitment to right(eous)ness. If we do not make this commitment as individuals, our citizenry will not be armed to endure the tribulations of change. If that change is difficult, it must not deter us from our pursuit of a positive outcome for our action. If we are to reap success from these evolutionary changes to our social system, we must make all of these changes. We cannot legalize this vice and not that one. We cannot institute a nationalized healthcare system and not follow through with the other nationalizing or legalizing. Each and every one of these changes to our social system, instituted alone or with another one, would not have the overall effectiveness as would occur if all these radical changes were instituted together. Each of us must embrace what is true of positive action and positive outcome, of asset assessment and management, and of the need for an American Infrastructure Revitalization Program that includes limited nationalization and the legalization of vices. These undertakings will lead our nation to create utopian living conditions, i.e. a more perfect union. 

     To create a more perfect union, we the people must effect change to our social system. To do this, each of us must exercise our power as a United States citizen. Each of us must vote. Each of us must monitor our elected officials. Each of us must make our individual and collective desires known to those that administer our social system. According to a UN report published in the early 90’s, the central issue of our time is what is called “peoples participation.” The overwhelming majority of the world’s people do not actively take part in the administrative events that shape their lives. However, according to the UN, there is good news on the horizon. Reality is forcing open many new windows of opportunity. The organization urges changes in priorities and approaches to emphasize the human aspect of human development. For example, ideas related to security must stress the security of people, not just nations. It is shameful that there are 8 times as many soldiers in poor nations as there are doctors, noted a top UN official. The report also emphasized that the world’s nations must invest in human infrastructure like education, family planning, basic social services and the like, as well as in roads, electrical power, and other parts of the physical infrastructure. In addition, this UN report warns new forms of international cooperation must be developed that focus directly on the needs of people rather than on the preference of nations. Poverty is becoming internationalized without our knowing it. It travels across borders without a passport and threatens the disintegration of societies. This is the real threat to the world.

     Our government is currently going through the process of being re-structured and modified for security reasons. We the people are not fully aware of, nor are we actively participating in the creation of the agenda this reorganization is based on. We the people must stand up and do what is necessary to maintain our personal liberty. Part of this is accomplished by acting in a responsible, positive manner. By allowing governing bodies to legislate our behavior, we are in effect, allowing them to control one of the most precious gifts each of us has. This gift is our personal time. Each of us must recognize our responsibility to help make this country a better place. This is accomplished by all of us, we the people, becoming involved in the system of our society the way our forefathers intended.

THE LEGALIZATION OF RECREATIONAL DRUG USE

copyrighted 2002

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