by Jake Dalton

Created on: May 03, 2009

In 2008, according to the Office of National Drug Control website, 19.4% of all 12th graders in US high schools have reported using marijuana in the past month, 32.4% in the past year, and 42.6% have used in their lifetime. Granted, these facts are not always accurate due to the fact that marijuana is still an illegal drug in the United States, and the fact the only survey they present is on high school students (because the drug traffickers are out to sell drugs to our kids), they still do make a point. Drug prevention is a concept that is out of to our date and a perpetual failure that wastes millions of American tax dollars every year. Much of the Drug Enforcement Administration's focus is on the trafficking of drugs and preventing it. But the statistics show that their efforts to prevent are not successful. So how do we effectively end drug trafficking?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /

>
The more traditional way of thinking implies harsher penalties and laws, but after years of doing just that, nothing has changed. All that these new laws and penalties have caused is smarter drug traffickers, who develop new ways to work around the laws to make a very handsome profit. These laws even go against human nature to seek out things that are pleasurable to the body, such as food and sex. This has made it apparent to many American citizens that there should be a new method to handling this problem. One of these new ideas is the legalization and regulation of drugs in the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />United States.
The only way to effectively and efficiently end drug trafficking is the legalization, regulation, and education of illegal drugs in the United States. If it is not a crime, it is not a problem. Legalization will allow for businesses to legitimately sell these substances for profit. With money in the hand of legitimate businesses instead of drug traffickers, this profit can be taxed and will bring in millions more in tax dollars every year, as well as save millions of tax dollars every year that is spent on drug enforcement. Even the products can be taxed, just like how it currently is with alcohol and tobacco.
Regulation is a big part of the end to drug trafficking. If use of illegal drugs was not regulated, then there would be no way for the government to tax these products. Regulation would also allow that only the adult population would be allowed to legally

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>