"First it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now, the magnificent Whitney Houston. I'd like every person in this room to campaign to legalize drugs."
"Let's legalize drugs like they did in Amsterdam," said Bennett, who battled drug addiction in the late 70s. "No one's hiding or sneaking around corners to get it. They go to a doctor to get it."I was taught to respect my elders so I won't repeat the first sentiment that crosses my mind about Mr. Bennett's statement but I can't help but wonder if we are truly that naive? I suppose for the sake of science I should explore this concept even though I consider it nothing more than a waste of time. So let's think about it for a moment.
In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit I've heard this sentiment before and personally I find it to be an incredibly simplistic answer to a ridiculously complicated problem but I'll play along for now.
So start by examining several of our vices....
Prohibition was repealed in 1933 (that statement is only true for the United States of America) so alcohol has consistently been legal in this country for almost eighty years yet alcohol addiction is alive and well. Legalizing it made it easier to purchase and possibly cheaper but did nothing to quench our thirst for it. Believe it or not, I live in a dry county where the sale of alcohol is prohibited by retail stores (yes, Virginia, they still exist even in the 21st century). Basically prohibiting alcohol sales in Benton County has taken valuable tax dollars from this county and filtered them into the neighboring counties where the border areas are lined with liquor stores. Legalizing alcohol hasn't reduced the rate of addiction at all, or at least not enough to be measurable.
Tobacco is and always has been legal yet thousands of people are still addicted to nicotine. You can't even say legalization has held the cost down since our government imposed a sin tax on cigarettes which skyrocketed the cost of a pack of smokes to somewhere in the neighborhood of $5.00. And over the last decade we've even made it illegal to light up in nearly every public venue in America yet thousands of smokers are still willing to trudge outside in rain, snow, sleet or fog for a few minutes alone with Joe Camel.
There are many things that are were once illegal but legalizing it hasn't stopped any of us from indulging. Casinos, horse and dog tracks, sports betting, OTBs...all legal and all addictive. For that matter we eat and feed our children crap we know is bad for us but it doesn't stop us from doing it. Just because the McDonalds and Taco Bell restaurants on every corner are legal, we don't crave their food any less. Our groceries stored are brimming with junk food. All legal-all easily available and all sold by the bags full. The retailers wouldn't carry it if it didn't sell.
I think all these examples blow holes in Mr. Bennett's suggestion but unfortunately he's still missing the most obvious point. He's lived over three quarters of a century yet his solution is naive and too simplistic. Because you see, Mr. Bennett, drugs are legal. They are called prescription drugs and account for the fastest growing addiction in the world today. Xanax, Methodone, Oxycotin, Hydrocodone....I could go on and on but the point is these drugs are all legal. My sister was arrested once for erratic driving yet the only drugs in her system were legal drugs. She had valid prescriptions for each one so the charges were dropped. Was she high? I'm sure she was.
There is a short period in everyone's life where breaking the law is exciting. It begins somewhere around puberty when you think anyone with authority is an idiot and it ends near high school graduation. Other than those few years, most people don't engage in illegal activities simply because they're illegal. Even though I didn't know Whitney Houston personally, I feel very comfortable in saying she didn't begin using drugs because they were illegal and hard to get. Even in today's world where kids are growing up much faster than my generation, their drug use isn't slowed by ease of availability. Unfortunately if you go to the doctor for a toothache or a sprained ankle, the doctors write a script for one high powered narcotic or another. Long gone are the days of "take two aspirin and call me in the morning." All these scripts for popular narcotics fills most household medicine cabinets like a kid's candy store. It doesn't matter what the drug is used for...it doesn't even matter if it's meant to be taken by a female or male patient. Kids are stealing these pills from their parents and having Pharm Parties. For those that don't know what a Pharm Party is, it's when kids bring as many pills as they can get their hands on to a party and everyone dumps them into a bowl together. Then they all indulge in an experimental high after reaching into the bowl of "legal" narcotics and ingesting a rainbow of pretty little pills. They don't know what's going into their bodies and they don't care. Not knowing is half the fun. Is it life-threatening? Sure. Can it be life-altering? You bet. Do most kids think they will live forever and nothing bad can ever happen to them? Absolutely.
So you see, Mr. Bennett, your solution is outdated and naive. This isn't the same world you grew up in and legalizing drugs isn't the answer. Sure it might put the growers and cartels in Central and South America out of business but the drugs our kids crave are made in labs owned by major corporations and the pushers are our own doctors. The only benefit I can really see to legalizing all drugs is that there will be a lot less people in jails and the court system will be freed up to fight different battles. Unfortunately morgues and funeral homes are guaranteed a booming business as "legal" drug addiction gets even more deadly.
I'm sorry to say, Mr. Bennett, but your suggestion is somewhat like trying to cover a severed artery with a bandaid. A good try but a complete waste of time.
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