Studies of Illegal Drug Users and Legalization Issues
By: Lance Winslow
If we legalized drugs many fear that there would be more drug users and thus more drug abusers and therefore more drug addicts. It makes sense that drug use would increase if we legalize drugs. In fact it probably would, but that would be temporarily most experts agree. Some say it could rise as much as 25% for the first four to five years and then level off and return back to the current level of illegal drug users.
This topic was brought up recently in an online think tank and one think tank guest visitor who would not give his or he real name and who was more familiar with this subject having been or is currently a heavy drug user stated:
“Studies have shown that drug abuse does not increase when drugs are legal, because people who choose to do drugs aren’t worried about legality. They are risk takers and that is why they try drugs in the first place. The same things that make individuals more prone to trying drugs also makes them more willing to put themselves in risky situations to obtain the drugs, and many of the characteristics we attribute to drug abusers are not effects of the drugs but actually the reason those individuals started doing drugs in the first place. Yes, people may do riskier things to obtain drugs, but most people who try drugs are already doing risky things.â€
Although the drug user think tank guest brings up some interesting points and contentions worthy of debate and perhaps consideration these comments and statements were immediately challenged by a non-drug user think tanker who stated matter of factly:
“I see so you are quoting studies probably made by druggies in academia to coax the public, courts and representative politicians to make drugs legal? And then you interpret this data using your mind which has been subjected to years of drug use and then you have the tenacity to purport this hokum on an Online Think Tank Website in order to get the world to serve your will so you can continue to do drugs without repercussion from the law? Denial my friend you are in denial. Just say no, dummy didn’t you hear? You
You can see how pretentious this argument can become in the debate over whether illegal drugs should be legalized and the argument for doing so based on research and study of social issues in first world nations. Perhaps you have thoughts on this subject matter and would like to make input. If not this is a serious issue and I hope you will consider this in 2006.
Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/