Legalization of drugs in the United States is an issue that almost all Americans are concerned about these days. Should we legalize drugs? Would I be able to buy heroin at the local 7-11 if they were legalized? Will Coca-cola once again be filled with the rich substance it once was? The real question to ask is what are the consequences? Gore Vidal's essay "Drugs" shows how he felt about the legalization issue. .
Vidal felt that legalization would put a stop to most drug addiction within a very short time. If drugs became accepted and allowed in society, people would lose interest. I can think of one example that shows this could be the case. In the late 1980's my elementary school succumbed to the ingenious invention of the POG. What was actually a glorified tidily-wink soon became the most popular item at school. Children would bring and trade them during class and would give little attention to their studies. Teachers soon became aware of its impending threat to education and outlawed them from the school grounds. Soon, because the ban of the POG proved to unsuccessful, teachers allowed them back into the school. A few weeks later the POG became the plaything of yesterday and little boys were beat up in the bathroom for carrying such "sissy toys" around school. This example, though not drug related, does parallel the drug issue, in that, if drugs were readily available, there use could become of little or no interest to society.
There is a difference between the POG example and the issue about drug legalization. Where POGS were once allowed in the school halls, forbidden, and then allowed back, drugs on the other hand have never been legal - or have they? Coca-cola, a now much loved drink of the American people was named for its two main ingredients, the coca leaf (cocaine) and the kola nut. Although it is undetermined how much cocaine the drink originally contained it is a fact that the drink contained it.
