Should Drugs be

Legalized?
 FIRST: FREEDOM

1. Taking drugs is an individual's choice.

2.Those who want to use drugs do so even if

they are illegal.

3. State like dictatorship.

 Others unhealthy habits are not prohibited
If you are going to punish drug users simply because it is unhealthy
then you need to punish…
1. Mac Donals and Burger King fast food 2. Not exercising

Fatty foods
There are other products such as alcohol and tobacco; ridiculous
reality shows, Internet addiction… also cause damage and are legal.
Internet addiction
Second: The prohibition didn’t
work and doesn’t work
¿Do you remember?
1. The underworld became big business in
the United States when alcohol was
prohibited.

2.Legalizing drugs would eliminate

this huge income source from
under organized crime.

3. Resources used in the fight against

drugs could be used in education.
And what is the worst aspect of this prohibition?

Generations of young people have

been introduced to criminality
What are the effects of the Prohibition of
Drugs after 40 years plus of prohibition?

1. More crime than ever before!

2. More anti social behaviour than ever before!

3. More addicts than ever before!

4. More drug related deaths than ever before!

5. More addicts than ever before!

Opium production in Afghanistan, 1980-2005.
Based on United Nations data
Third: The Drug War
isn't working

The official number of deaths attributed to

organized crime-related violence in 2010
(15.273) was almost six times higher than
the total in 2007.
The solution to the War on Drugs is so obvious :
Legalization . But, How?

1. Classify drugs

2. Legaly age

3. Treat Addiction as an illness

4. Make it illegal for anyone to supply drugs to minors

5. Tax drugs will be used training in schools,
medical/pharmaceutical

6. Impose harsh penalties (large fines, community

service and imprisonment) on anyone who causes
harm to anyone else while under the influence of
drugs

7. Re-education and community service (a

substantial amount of it-like 2 years)
8. Legalization should be done in steps.

9. For new drugs we need to provide

users with good information so they
don’t kill themselves.
 Leaders call for legalizing drugs

Open Letter to UN Secretary General

Kofi Annan, June 1, 1998

The War on Drugs Is a Failure

 Fourth: Legalizing Drugs Will
Reduce organized Crime
1. Drug trafficking is a millionaire business

2. It puts production and sales in control of governments

instead of guerrillas and dealers.

3. Drug legalization would free up police resources to fight

non-drug related crimes against people and property.

4.The Drug-related crime goes away if the business is legitimized

5. Availability to minors
 Fifth: Legal drugs would be safer.
Legalization is a consumer protection
issue.
1. Today's drug consumer literally doesn't know what he's buying.

2. Use could be monitored by medical professionals depending

upon the drug. 

3. Guaranteed levels of purity

4. Pharmaceutical prescription: EVERY TIME YOU USE IT…

 Excise Taxes on Drugs
1.Would decrease supply of the drug ( excise tax is an additional
cost of production)

2. Level of tax should be correlated with the drug’s harmful

public health effects

3. Decrease in supply caused by excise tax causes an increase in

drug’s price and a decrease in its use

4. Revenues from excise tax could be earmarked for treatment

and education programs
 Sixht: Legalization would
stabilize foreign countries and
make them safer for residents and
travelers.
1. Reduce corruption of officials.

2. Legalizing drugs would make our streets and homes safer.

3.Unclog the court system.

4. End prison overcrowding.

 Legalization of Other Victimless Crimes

1. Economic analysis of legalization of drugs can

also be applied to other so-called victimless crimes
• Prostitution???????????????????????????????????????
• Robbery, burglary, …

2. Equilibrium quantity would undoubtedly

increase with legalization, but regulation and
taxation for regulatory purposes might well be
more efficient than prohibition

• But social issues related to legalization may outweigh economic

issues
 Regulation through Economic Policies
Economists who favor drug legalization or
decriminalization often argue:

– Greater percentage of government expenditures

on drug-related programs should be directed
toward demand-side treatment and education
programs

– System of excise taxes (tax applied to purchase

of a specific good or service) can be levied on
legal drugs
 Sixth:Legalization would slow the
spread of AIDS and other diseases.

1. Legalizing drugs would eliminate the

motivation to restrict the sale of hypodermic
needles
 Harvard economics professor Jeffrey

Jeffrey Miron on CNN discussing Marijuana Legalization

Legalize Drugs to Save Our Lives
 PROBLEM

what are all of the drug cartels and

other organized crime groups going
to do when drugs are legalized?