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instead of spending billions trying to suppress it.
In addition to taking money away from underground drug markets, legalization would make drug culture safer. Violence associated with drug exchanges would lessen and the safety of drug use would improve. Most drug violence occurs in the exchange of drugs, either between sellers and buyers, or between rival dealers (Boaz). When drug deals become problematic, disputes are solved with violence. In the legal world, we see similar problems being settled in court, a method that the drug world would adopt with legalization, leading to less drug violence and safer atmospheres in areas normally associated with illegal drug sales.

Drug safety does not refer only to violence. Many users accidentally purchase low quality drugs that are not as pure a substance, which can lead to overdosing or death. Others will use contaminated needles, contributing to the spread of HIV/AIDS. With legalization, drug production would be controlled for safer drug use. Governments could implement drug safety tests and set legal restraints on product quality. Furthermore, clean needles could be sold at local stores to reduce the use of contaminated needles. In Hong Kong, clean needles are available in drug stores, and as of 1987, there have been no reported cases of AIDS from contaminated needles (Cussen). British Columbia recently opened the first Safe Injection Site, a place to inject drugs safely that has already shown a decrease in contaminated needle usage ("Safe drug-injection sites reduce HIV spread"). This forward move is only the first step. With drug legalization, the safety of drug use would continue to increase, and drug overdoses, deaths, and the spread of HIV/AIDS through contaminated needles would become a faint memory in society's mind.
Most importantly, besides stifling the economy and causing unnecessary violence, prohibition allows the government to decide what society considers morally right. Consenting adults should be able to decide what they deem morally acceptable. Some may think that legalization means condoning drug use, but this is not the case. Governments do not condone smoking, nor do they encourage irresponsible alcohol consumption. The same views that apply to tobacco and alcohol would apply to drugs. Legalization would mean taking the liberalist view to give people the opportunity to do as they choose, providing it does not harm others. Since drug use harms only oneself, the option should be left to the user

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