Should Drugs be Legalized?

The issue of whether or not drugs should be legalized has been debated since drugs have been made illegal in the United States. The issue is complex and far reaching, having repercussions in our social, economic, and political life as well as many others areas. At the beginning of this paper I will be summarizing an essay called "Legalize Drugs Now!" by Meaghan Cussen and Walter Block, who support legalizing drugs. Cussen and Block believe that the current prohibition of drugs is a violation of a person's most basic civil liberties. They believe that when a government prohibits drugs it is in essence taking control over a person's body, telling him what he can and cannot have. When a person loses this control he becomes a slave, is no longer allowed his "pursuit of happiness", and therefore has lost his civil liberties. Legalizing drugs would restore those liberties. The second argument claims that in a free market both buyers and sellers would gain from the legalization of drugs. The seller of the narcotics obviously values the money more than the drugs and when he has sold the drugs he gained something he sees as more valuable. The same can be said for the buyer, who views the drugs as more valuable than the money he has and therefore exchanges the money for something of more value to him. There will, however, always be some third party that objects to the sale of drugs. Block and Cussen claim that you can never find a transaction that does not offend someone. The sale of alcohol and tobacco both face opposition but continue to sell. They also write that more people will benefit from the reduction of crime due to legal drugs than who object to the sale. Block and Cussen also state that in a free market economy everyone has the opportunity to participate and therefore everyone has equal opportunity for gain. Cussen and Block also believe that when drugs are legalized crime will be reduced due to 4 things that will have rippling effects throughout