I accept as true the statement, "Drugs don't kill people, people who use drugs kill themselves." In reference to the implied objective reality of drugs, drugs are "motionless, timeless, undefined, non-perceived, and inanimate until we provide a motive for their use." It is not until we create motives and provide drugs with meaning that we cause damage to the individual. I hold true that, "Bad things can happen with drugs, but good things also happen to people who use drugs." Take for instance, the student who begins to abuse amphetamines to study for midterms. By using a drug, such as cocaine, the student is able to stay awake longer, therefore spending more time studying. Their grades greatly improve. This is a clear example of the "bad things happen clause." I intend to draw upon Szasz and the Katiovich and Wieting article to support my views on the above two statements. In regard to the comparison of drugs and guns indexed as evil, I will discuss the possibilities of their potential usefulness as well.
Drugs tend to become known as the true evil or "killer". In all actuality the drug itself, left alone, does not kill the person. There must be a causal force behind the drug for damage to occur to the person. Addiction and dependency come into play. Once a person tries a drug, they may want to experience the euphoric pleasures associated with the drugs" affects again and again. Therefore, the individual must repeat the action of ingestion. The individual has control whether to misuse the drug or not. Szasz argues that despite all the rhetoric to the contrary, no one is, or can be killed by an illegal drug. "If a person dies as a result of using a drug, it is because he chose to do something risky.".
Do drugs cause crime, or is it our governments" way of controlling our communities? Many people blame drugs for every problem in our society, but are drugs the real evil? No one person can answer that question.