Drugs

In contrast to today's society where drugs are illegal there is not much difference. We have the same type of violent crime and gang control as in the twenties, and people continue to use drugs. Countries where alcohol is considered a normal part of life, such as Greece and Italy, have low occurrences of alcoholism.
             However, where alcohol is looked upon as a moral problem, such as the United States or Finland, alcoholism is uncontrollable. Since drugs are considered the demon here in America, citizens use as a method of rebelling as well as out of curiosity of 4 what the big deal is. Contrary to popular belief, using a drug for its euphoric effect is not a bad thing and dates back historically to the beginning of time. Hundreds of tests have been conducted on addicts and the result is that the setting and mind set are the reasons for addiction. What should be done is to build a cultural setting of more tolerance and less guilt. Legalizing drugs is a viable alternative to the current policy on drugs in America. If the government would legalize and regulate drugs a substantial industry and tax income would result. The jail overcrowding problem would be reduced by fifty percent in some estimates and violent crime would decline. Of course there are those who believe that legalization will turn our whole country into drug addicts. There is no evidence to support this. Making something illegal only creates a taboo, which people challenge and break because they know it's wrong. .
             The government should not be allowed to prosecute non-violent offenders for consensual crimes committed in their own homes, thus complying with the U.S. Constitution. It seems the government is saying one thing and doing another. If such a negative attitude of drugs is really what the country wants why then drugs should not be glamorized by celebrities and politicians. Perhaps the criminal justice system wants to keep collecting fines and politician's kickbacks for building new prisons.