A pressing issue facing the United States today falls in the controversial area of drugs. On January 30, 1982, President Ronald Reagan announced the war on drugs, the result of which has affected many aspects of the world, both economically and socially. The war on drugs started off with a bang, with a massive amount of media attention portraying the successes of the war. However, according to an article from American Decades, “although many seizures and arrests were being made, this also indicated a growing drug problem and a need to escalate the war on drugs.” On behalf of Doctor Michael Babula, I would firmly state that this conclusion may not be true. With the heightened drug resistance by the government over the years, drug dealers and users have a strong incentive to take advantage of the black market for their own personal ‘gain.’ The illegality of the drugs creates tension within the drug circles, significantly increasing crime rates, which is a crucial problem for Maryland’s Fourth Congressional District.
Upon hearing Babula’s plan for the legalization of drugs I was taken aback. The issue of drugs in this country is so important for people of all ages, youth and adults. Just focusing on the television, the negative advertisement of marijuana is aimed at the youth of America. Drugs in this country have become also a huge expense of the country. Every second, six hundred dollars is being spent on the war against drugs. This money is being used to bust the major distributors of drugs; however, realistically this will not ever completely end the war. Michael Babula supports a better solution to the drug problem, legalize them. Legalizing drugs may at first glance seem like an extreme measure to take, but it just may be the right one. Instead of using the government money to bust drug users and suppliers, the money could be used to regulate the drugs. According to an article from the Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy, “many Americans were predisposed to surrender themselves to the drug habit ‘based as it is,’ in the words of a Massachusetts physician, ‘upon a [human] craving no laws can eradicate.’” By legalizing drugs, an environment can be created where people who wish to end their addiction to drugs can receive help without the fear of getting in trouble.
On Babula’s website, he draws a parallel between the war on drugs and prohibition, which took place between 1920 and 1933. The ban on liquor led to massive amounts of illegal acts, the rise of the mafia and an increase in crimes. With the war on drugs, history is basically repeating itself. Drug dealers have a strong incentive to sell drugs to make quick money because of the demand. If the United States were to legalize drugs, a major concern of voters would be that there would be an increase in drug usage, but this statement is just not true. Economic theory draws a different conclusion; because the demand for drugs is inelastic, meaning the price of the drugs is irrelevant to users, a change in price would not affect the usage. In fact, the regulation of drugs could lower the price, and the money left over could be used for treatment centers to aid in the recovery of abusers. (An example of this would be alcohol treatment centers. Alcohol is legal, so people who abuse it are able to seek help.)
Although the war on drugs is a current and glooming issue facing our country, Michael Babula’s opponent Donna Edwards does not mention this issue, or any issue concerning crime in general. Her website was difficult to navigate through and I was disappointed with the number of issues in which she addressed. Babula’s other opponent Albert Wynn does discuss the issue of crimes in Maryland’s Fourth Congressional District; however, I was again discouraged. Wynn does not want to end the war on drugs, but continue it. He supports legislation that encourages and supports the further growth of correctional facilities. He aims to get more funding to improve and create better detention centers, and increase the amount of police and anti-gang units. These goals have all been done before, again and again and again. The United States government, down to the different state districts tries to fix the drug problem by raising more money for prisons. This solution clearly is not working and something different needs to be done. Babula’s plan to legalize drugs just may be the solution to the drug problem in the United States, but without support we may never have the change to find out.
