The legalization of drugs is an issue that has been debated ever since regulations were placed on drugs in 1906. Some believe that legalization would be the best way to fight the drug problem. That it would reduce the disease, violence and crime associated with the use of illegal drugs. In my opinion, legalization is not the answer. Making drugs legal would set America at a moral decline. Should Americans just accept the abuse of drugs, and protest not to the violence, disease, and crime associated with drug use? By making drugs legal we are lowering the standards of our country. Drugs are dangerous and can not only harm the person using them, but also the persons that user comes in contact with. When I was in fifth grade I experienced a tremendous loss, the death of my cousin, due to drugs. And it is because of that experience I believe drug policies and regulations should be fully enforced.

What happened to my cousin was not something he could have fully prevented. Seven years later I still remember the exact moment I heard the news. I remember where I was, what I was doing, but most importantly how I felt. I stood there looking at my dad; an immense amount

My aunt awoke from the couch, I remember her saying later she thought the sirens were for the neighbors. She could never have dreamed a patrol car had found her son dead on the sidewalk. He was found with his inhaler clutched tightly in his hand, and I can only imagine him gasping for air but not being able to fill his lungs. The doctors told us it was an acute asthma attack; nothing could have saved him- except for taking better care of his body. No one with asthma should be smoking marijuana. That was the one thing that may have prevented this tragedy.

Now and then little things remind me of my cousin—pictures, the beach, seeing his brothers, and each time I am reminded I think just how short his life was, and how that challenges me to make the most of mine. Nobody knows when their time is up on earth, and with the time we have, we must choose our own path. My path will not be one with drugs. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, says “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” I interpret this to mean keeping your body healthy and free of harmful substances. We cannot decide our fate, but we can decide the direction in which our life will flow by the choices we make. We as a country can also decide whether or not support drug regulation and laws. I believe it would be unjust to the people of America to give up on such laws and harmful to our nation. If there were stricter drug related policies maybe my cousin would still be alive today. I still struggle with the fact that he was so young to die, and I can not help but question if society has failed him by making drugs easily accessible to youth. Future drug policy must emphasize prevention, with the goal of no use of illegal drugs and no illegal use of legal drugs.

Watching what drugs did to my cousin and the repercussions it left on my family has been the solid basis for my saying no to drugs and why I believe they should not be made legal in the United States.

Some topics in this essay:
Legalization Drugs, Spirit God, drugs legal, body asthma, asthma attack, legalization drugs, crime associated, illegal drugs, stricter drug, asthma smoking,