Legalize how far, if at all?

[vakkotaur]

I've been pondering writing this entry, or one like it, for a while. An entry about drugs, except I kept realizing I only have two data points, really, and those seem to disagree.

While there is plenty of literature on the subject of the 'War On Drugs' there is nothing that seems to really enlighten with an "Aha! Yes, *THAT* is the way to handle things!" conclusion.

The range is from those who claim that all chemicals illegal now should be, and perhaps even a few more, to those who call for legality of every chemical (save for outright toxins, such as nerve agents and such). Each side actually does have its points. On the "Keep 'em illegal" side, all chemicals can be misused. On the "Legalize 'em all" side, there is personal freedom and responsibility and if you misuse something it is (or should be) your damn fault for doing that. In between, and there is such a place, though it seems unpopulated - perhaps only because nobody there is as loud, there is a possibility of a middle road. Ah, but just where to build that road?

I can see some things truly should be off-limits. That those who first made methcathinone abandoned it as being too dangerous for medical use says something, for example. The chemicals, for the most part, have an effect of intoxication, thus leading to problems (which already exist) of operating 'under the influence.' And would legalization lead to increased (ab)use? "Hey, it's legal, so it must be okay." The major benefit of legalization seems to be to remove money, and hopefully crime, from the production and distribution. I can see the advantage of that - but I can also see a cost in more (ab)users acting more publicly.

My two conflicting data points: I have met, in my past, a few folks who used illegal drugs. Two stand out. I'll simply call them User1 and User2. I went to High School with User1 and his friends. The two of us lived not too far apart (maybe as far as a mile - in the country, that's close and it was a short bicycle ride) and so I saw him often after school, on weekends, and in the Summer. When I first met him he was already smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol and expressed an interest in marijuana, at least. Also, when I first met him he was as average as average could get, at least as far as schoolwork. His report card was straight Cs with two exceptions, a B and D that balanced. He, through his other friends, did eventually try and kept on using marijuana. And other things. One friend of his went as far as sniffing gasoline, or so it was said. User1 was a habitual user and his grades reflected it. He showed me what may have been his last report card. All Fs save one D, as I recall. A GPA of 0.0-something. The last time I talked to him - and it was the last - he said he was speeding. That was I didn't want to see him again. Last I heard, which was years ago now, he had married a girl he got pregnant -- someone he once said he'd have nothing to do with.

User2 I met in college. In fact, he was my roommate for a while. He smoked (but not in our room, I made it very clear that would Not Happen, Or Else) and he drank alcohol. He was probably alcoholic. As he explained it, "I don't have to have the first drink, but once I have it, I have to have the next one." He told me his "Theory of Drinking" which was if you were going to drink any more than a light buzz, get good and drunk. That way, his reasoning went, when you went to bed you'd fall asleep instantly rather than watching the room spin. He smoked marijuana, so he told me (and I had no reason not to believe him about that). This he did on Friday or Saturday nights with his RPG buddies and such. I don't recall him ever acting odd or saying he did anything during the week. He did take his studies seriously. Also, he had seen some folks one night who tried LSD and that scared him. I recall him saying there was no way he'd try that as it messed a person up. "You can tell 'em ANYTHING and they'll act like it's profound. The sky is blue. Two plus two is five. Anything. And they'll go 'Yeah....'"

Knowing of User1 and User2, one would think perhaps that the problem is 'addictive personality' or such, yet it was User2 who was alcoholic, or had the tendencies, that managed use better.

Oh, and since you may be wondering, no, I didn't try marijuana, smoked or otherwise. This was by my choice, not lack of opportunity, and even User1 and his friends respected that choice, amazing as that is. I was not pressured.

This all leaves me wondering, which path would be the best to follow for a drug policy? The only conclusion I can come to is not a very satisfying one: I simply don't know.