Hejazi-Far1

Shayan Hejazi-Far
23 October 2015
ENG1010 5:30 pm
The Benefits of Legalization
Would you be willing to break the law to save your sons life? Angela Brown of
Minnesota had to do just this to prevent further damage and excel her sons recovery from brain
trauma. Angela Brown illegally smuggled medical cannabis oils into a Minnesota hospital, and
even with a miracle recovery, shes being charged with a two-year sentence in prison. Our laws
should not be preventing the saving of a life.
In William Bennetts essay Should Drugs Be Legalized? he refutes four main points to
his audience. His first point, legalization of drugs will take the profit out of drugs, is heavily
refuted with the backing that the government will not take the profit out of drugs, but will share
the profit with criminals. He states that this will only lower the street value of drugs while still
allowing a huge opening for criminals. He follows with his second argument on the black
market. William Bennett believes the legalization of drugs will allow criminals to buy drugs such
as cocaine legally, then making the cocaine into cheaper alternatives such as crack. Criminals
will then turn around and sell these cheaper alternatives by taking out a middle man. William
Bennetts third point revolves around an increase in crime rates. He believes drugs induce a
violent characteristic not as visually obvious in individuals before drug use. His final argument is
backed by the theory that drug use should not be legal because individuals using drugs are
harming everyone around them. He refutes drug use being a choice with an interview on an exaddict. Former cocaine addicts states, you will do all these things writing checks, borrowing
money, stealing, lying things that are totally against everything you have ever believed in.

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(Page 61) Although William Bennett produces some strong points against the legalization of
drugs, he is one-sided and biased. I agree that drug use will most likely increase with
legalization, but he is overlooking the benefits of medical marijuana, and he incorrectly assumes
that the black market will be eliminated with the legalization of drugs. Furthermore, violence is
not created with drugs; violence is embedded in a human before substance abuse.
A violent person is violent with or without drugs. You cannot blame the object for things
that are committed by the operator. Blame needs to be placed where it is deserved. The
connection between drugs and violence is embedded in many reports and media with the hope of
drug banishment. They do not mention that these this so called drug violence was violence far
before drugs were a component. The media will use drugs against criminals at whatever means
necessary. America is always looking for anyone to blame but us. We refuse to believe that a
human can be evil and violent without the help of drugs or alcohol. Wake up America! Evil is
flowing through every street in this nation. Besides small crime drug violence, I am not
oblivious to the obvious drug lords and cartels. These are real drug violent perpetrators. These
crimes committed by drug lords are not induced by the drug itself, but by the money being made
and lost through illegal trade. This can be eliminated with the legalization of drugs.
The legalization of drugs will eliminate the illegal market of drugs. With the legalization
of drugs, nobody is going to risk bringing drugs over borders from Mexico or Canada when they
can walk to their local pharmacy and obtain the same thing. Cocaine for example is produced
100% pure cocaine when first made. By the time the drug arrives in the users hand in America, it
is estimated to be only 40% pure cocaine. With FDA watch over and in house production, the
drugs being sold in America legally would be 100% pure; thus, preventing dangerous side effects
being consumed through cutting. Some of the hazardous things being put in drugs include:

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pesticides, creatine, oregano, caffeine, poisons, etc. The list goes on and on. With the option of
pure drugs available, users would cater to the US sold drugs and would leave cartels and drug
lords with no product. With drugs being sold through the government, studies could increase, tax
money could be made, and black market casualties would decrease significantly. Prohibition of
anything has always resulted in an increase of crime. We cannot force the people do anything,
knowledge and success are earned with choice and consistent failure.
Lastly, medical marijuana can save countless lives. Cannabis oil the is leading medicine
in epilepsy and seizures. There are no known reported deaths from marijuana use. One of the
leading prescriptions for marijuana is insomnia. The leading prescription in the US for insomnia
right now is Ambien. Ambien is countlessly more addictive and more dangerous than THC.
Ambien is prescribed as a short-term medication. When Ambien is used for more than four
weeks it cannot alter your sleep patterns and distort your short-term memory, yet doctors will
continue to prescribe this medication for years. Marijuana can serve many purposes including:
memory retention, insomnia, bulimia, pain reducer, anti-inflammatory, HIV treatment, antidepressant, and countless more. The drug can be made into foods, oils, pills, and teas as an
alternative to smoking; therefore, inflicting little if no damage to the human body. THC inflicts
the CB1 receptor in the brain, kidneys, lung, and liver, activating pain reducers. THC is not
flooding the human system like other drugs, but rather initiating a response to these conditions. If
a drug can save a life, it should not be a prison bearing crime to consume it.
We, as the people and as the voting citizens of this country need to wake up and realize
that drugs are not bad. The people using the drugs may be bad, but choices are always choices.
Backing the legalization of drugs does not mean that everyone will turn into drug addicts;
however, it does mean that they can be used where they are necessary. Bringing a better and safer

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alternative to street drugs will disable the black market in America, and bring down the cartel
killings with it. Black markets are a direct result of prohibition, and can be brought back down
with the legalization of drugs. Finally, anything that can save a life without bringing harm to
others in its consumption should not be illegal. With the legalization of THC, Angela Browns
son could have been saved without sentencing a caring mother to prison. Although William
Bennett produces some strong points against the legalization of drugs, he is one-sided and
biased. I agree that drug use will most likely increase with legalization, but he is overlooking the
benefits of medical marijuana, and he incorrectly assumes that the black market will be
eliminated with the legalization of drugs. Furthermore, violence is not created with drugs;
violence is embedded in a human before substance abuse. Its going to take a whole society
backing to bring the legalization of drugs, but if we all come together, it can be so. We need to
stop blaming the drugs, the alcohol, the system, etc. and start taking blame into our own hands.
Everyone in this country is capable of choice; so, lets re-root what our country stands for and
bring choice back into the states.