Quote:The problem I see with most people on here regarding this argument is that we're overlooking the potential harm and effects it can have on society. I come from a not so clean family. Most people do. Some of us on here may have personally dealt with addiction and overcame it. Hell, some of us on here right now could very well be battling an addiction as I type this out. We can throw statistics this and statistics that out there all we want. We can talk numbers and percentages. But what about the social and societal consequences of this much freedom and legalization?


My biggest fears and concerns is the vicious cycle that this can have on parents, friends and children for generations to come. We're all products of our environment. Again, we're getting into some very murky waters when it comes to ethics and morals here and it will steam and branch further down the paths of many lives outside of just someone wanting to willingly and legally "get high" with their poison of choice. You're also making it easier for peer pressure to do it's job. We've all been there. Some of us try it and move on. Some of us try it and end up dead in a ditch.


When people are raised around a person that's addicted or abusing any illegal or legal substance. It can have harmful effects on them. A lot of it is psychological as well. The old "Monkey See, Monkey Do" saying comes into play here. Just think about that. Some people out there right now, regardless of the law, they risk it ALL to "get high" at the expense of the thoughts, feelings, finances, future and mental health of those around them. That's not fair to them. When you start normalizing and legalizing "hard drugs" you're setting society up for a dangerous, and I do mean dangerous path for many generations to come.


Again, really think about that. Not just facts, statistics and figures when it comes to prison and drug use. Think about the long term effects this can have. Now, that's not to say I am for the current way of our Industrial Prison Complex. Yes, it needs to be reformed. It needs to be approached differently. But, on the other side of the coin. We cannot begin to normalize and legalize something as pivotal and dynamic as this. It reeks of moral decay or decline.