What right has another to determine what a person morally can and cannot do to their own body? How can one impose paternalistic laws upon personal choices that affect no one save those who make them? Drugs can sometimes be horrible things that result in terrible pain and human suffering, but how can one logically justify our saying that anyone cannot take them; that they do not have the right to take them? Furthermore what right have we to punish a drug addict for acting in a manner that affects no one but themselves? Drug laws have one end alone: to protect us, not from others, but from ourselves; from our own ignorance, our own stupididty, and our inabil

Law results only in an inflation of both the monetary price of drugs and the social dangers resulting from their affects. Because drugs are illegal their cost is inflated to a level far beyond what their supply would normally dictate. Should drugs be legalized the prices would plummet and so all crimes related to drugs (i.e., crimes to obtain the money to buy them) would not have to be committed. The benefits from selling drugs would disappear with the extremely lower cost. In this case the law actually encourages crime by labeling something as illegal that should logically not be.

We need to stop wasting our time with antiquated and barbaric methods of punishment which serve more to satiate a perverted social bloodlust, than protecting human beings from pain and suffering. Drug addiction is dangerous and it needs to be stopped, but the path to that goal is far different from the path we are on. We cannot punish people because they are sick. We cannot blame people because they are addicted. We should not hurt people who have already hurt themselves. We have to see beyond our own ignorance and treat these people with love and understanding. We have to spend the effort we use to punish them to help them instead; in so doing we will help ourselves. Moral progress and social well-being depend as much on the hoped for results of our actions as they do on the actions themselves.

uch a statement only serves to proliferate further ignorance of the reasons why taking drugs is truly dangerous. Perhaps if, instead, we tell people that it will hurt them, cause them terrible pain and suffering, and eventually kill them, then we can help them. And if they shall choose to ignore the truth then they will have punished themselves; they need no assistance from us.

Some topics in this essay:
, human life, drugs illegal, drug abuse, sick people, taking drugs, terrible pain, drug addicts, people hurt, punish drug, isn't human life, drug abuse wrong, drug laws,