"The War on Drugs"

One issue that spans across various realms in American society is the debate over government regulation of drugs. This debate includes a wide range of issues, including one’s right to their own body and how they decide to treat it. Many maintain that all drugs should be legal because one’s right to choose, as outlined in the constitution, should extend to drug use. Advocates of drug regulation counter that drugs corrupt individuals and in turn society, affecting not only the drug user, but also others around them. Economic issues are another dimension in this debate. Many claim that the government doesn’t want its citizens only on beneficial drugs; they want them on their drugs. These same people argue that the strict government regulation of drugs only exists for profit and support the massive pharmaceutical industry. There would also be many indirect consequences associated with drug legalization. There is an entire sector of workers and systems devoted to illegal drugs. The D.E.A would vanish and thousands would be out of work. Some maintain that the American drug regulation system is so deeply embedded in society that the government could never relinquish it's control even if government officials wanted to. In the debate over drug use there are so many voices from so many different directions it seems there will never be a consensus on what role, if any, the government should play. What is clear is that drug use will continue indefinitely, an outcome that is necessary to support not only drug users but also the systems and employees built around them.