Drug Legalization
Pros
Most of the arguments for legalization of drugs are based on the pragmatic realities that it is difficult or impossible to legislate morality. Drug use has always been part of society and even though it may not be socially desirable there are many benefits that can be gained through legalization. One primary benefit is definitely financial. In a study by the Cato Institute, the report estimates that drug legalization would reduce government expenditure about $41.3 billion annually; roughly $25.7 billion of this savings would accrue to state and local governments, and roughly $15.6 billion to the federal government; about $8.7 billion of the savings would result from legalization of marijuana, $20 billion from legalization of cocaine and heroin, and $12.6 billion from legalization of all other drugs (Miron & Waldock, 2010).
There are many other benefits beyond money as well. The United States has an expensive and dysfunctional prison system that has been shown to be ineffective on many levels. Legalization has the potential to drastically reduce the prison population which would save the tax payers money. Regulating the substances would also reduce the public. The "war on drugs" and the related spending has been so unpopular that President Obama was actually the first president who stopped referring to the criminalization of people for drug charges as the "War on Drugs."
Cons
There are many arguments that are made against the legalization of drugs. Marijuana legalization has been on the forefront of the controversy since it is not as damaging as other drugs and it has been shown to have health benefits for some conditions. However, the Rand Corp. said it believes that marijuana use could double in California if legalization passes due to dramatically reduced prices and increased social acceptance -- which, in turn, might increase various health risks, including increased heart rate, anxiety as well as incidents of drug-impaired driving (Ghosh, 2010).
Making drugs more accepted and available in society will likely have the greatest impacts on the roads. It has been argued that the legalization policies will result in an increase in impaired driving and traffic fatalities. Studies of marijuana's effects show that the drug can slow decision-making, decrease peripheral vision and impede multitasking, all of which are critical driving skills (Lowy, 2014). Some have argued that people who are under the influence of marijuana typically drive…
