Drugs

You can catch up on Netflix.

Arguably one of my favorite shows of all time, Breaking Bad has at long last come to an end. There won't be any spoilers in this blog post, but I thought I would take this opportunity to share my thoughts on the drug war.

To start things off, I am not an advocate of recreational drugs. With that said, I do believe that a lot of the problems with these drugs are overblown. I can't comment on all drugs (in fact I do think heroine and meth are very dangerous), but I cannot think of a single reason why marijuana should be illegal over alcohol. I personally don't smoke marijuana because my lungs are very sensitive (main reason I don't smoke tobacco either), but I do enjoy a good cocktail and am willing to enjoy them until I get a tad tipsy.

The plant that struck fear in a generation!

I think the only reason why it's still illegal is purely cultural. I would be surprised if it is still illegal in twenty years. There has been a lot of negative programming against marijuana, and the people subjected to it are still mostly in charge. I do sense that a changing tide is coming with more and more prominent people advocating for the legalization of marijuana.

Heck, California's medical marijuana laws are already kind of a joke. This is just another argument for state's rights. If marijuana was up to the states, I'd be willing to bet it would be legalized much faster and would be a huge tax boon. Prohibition of alcohol proved to be futile. The best way to discourage anything is by taxing it.

I also wonder if there is a false idea propagated by messages of legalizing marijuana using the language of "legalize drugs" as in all drugs. Philosophically, I am not entirely opposed to this notion, but politically, marijuana is a much easier sell than all of the ones that are particularly harmful. However, I think if drugs weren't illegal, then people addicted to them might be less afraid to seek out help. Legalizing drugs would also eliminate or drastically reduce the crime associated with drugs. Instead of resolving a business dispute in a gang fire fight, it could be resolved in court.