Response to "Drugs"

In the essay “Drugs,” Gore Vidal made numerous points on the benefits of legalizing all drugs. He argued that by taking away the monetary incentives from drug pushers,  such as the Mafia and the Latin American cartels, that the problems associated with drug users will simply disappear. However, there is an implicit assumption that seems to be erroneous: the crimes associated with drug use are only to acquire money for the drugs. People on drugs, have impaired judgement and are more likely to make poor decisions often endangering the safety of Americans. One of the liberties guaranteed in the Constitution is the right to pursue happiness with the caveat that it does not impinge upon others the rights of others . Allowing rampant drug use violates these rights. The government should not give up all attempts to prevent drug usage.

One solution that has been fairly effective is the Netherland’s drug policy. It categorizes drugs into two categories: soft drugs and hard drugs. For soft drugs, such as marijuana, the government does not target individual users. It targets the distributors. For hard drugs, such as heroin, both possession and intent to distribute are punished. The cultural emphasis that drug addiction or usage is a disease rather than a sinful act allows individuals to be treated instead of punished. Of the European countries, the Netherlands has one of the lowest percentage of drug users and the lowest percentage of crime related to drug use. Their system is not perfect, but it provides a better solution to the current way Americans deal with drugs.