Kiera Woods

Com1020

10/15/14

Professor Breijak

     Drugs being legalized have been a popular topic in today’s society. Back in 1970, Gore Vidal had a very similar idea. He wrote an article that was featured in “The New York Times,” explaining the reason why drugs should be legalized and that people should be able to pay money for them. There was things he mentioned in his article that I somewhat agreed with. His argument included invoked stasis claims, history, and his personal opinion.

     Vidal’s main point was that there is a way to possibly stop drug addiction. His way was to make all drugs available, sell them at a cost, and label each drug with a description of the good and the bad effects it has on the person. I agreed with his point when he said, “Forbidding people things they like or think they might enjoy only makes them want those things all the more,” which is true especially when things are illegal. People just get that suspense that they are doing something bad and it makes them feel good. An example that Vidal uses to support his argument is the Prohibition, a period in the United States’ when alcohol was banned. This was an effective resemblance stasis. During this time, alcohol utilization increased significantly. In addition to use increasing, crime groups established themselves to smuggle alcohol into the country. Alcohol brought illegally into the country caused a fast hike in prices. As a result, thousands of deaths happened. Just like he said people are going to do what they want regardless of the law.

     In contrast to Vidal’s article, Don’t Legalize Drugs, by Theodore Dalrymple, he was all for keeping drugs illegal because of things that may happen, like an increase in crimes and a decrease in the work area. He made a good claim stating how the present illegality of drugs is the cause of the criminality surrounding their distribution. Likewise, it is the illegality of stealing cars that creates car thieves. Things being illegal are the reason for crime of that particular thing. But that’s going back on what he saying in the article about how they shouldn’t legalize drugs. The making of huge sums of money by drug dealing will cause a decrease in the work area, that real work will seem pointless. Dalrymple also mentions that drug dealers will turn toward younger and younger children. But, the parents could control that situation in my opinion.

     In conclusion, both Vidal and Dalrymple made valid points for their arguments. Vidal does want drugs to be legal because people are going to do what they want to do regardless. Dalrymple doesn’t want drugs to become illegal because of the economic effect it will cause. I agree with the fact that we don’t want drugs to become legal because we don’t want children to get involved but either way people are going to do what they choose.