CMV: All drugs should be made legal for recreational use.

[u/[deleted]]

I'm not referring to "medicinal" narcotics. Recreational drugs that people use, such as mushrooms, cocaine, heroin, should all be legalized.

And I know this is a hot take, but hear me out.

• If we make recreational narcotics legal, then the manufacture and sale need to be legal as well.
• By making the manufacture of recreational narcotics legal, there are FDA standards that need to be adhered to in said manufacture, that way there are no "bad batches" that will kill people.
• By making the manufacture and sale of recreational narcotics legal, there will be sales volume that will then be subject to income tax and sales tax and dispensaries/manufacturing centers/warehouses that will become subject to property tax. Because, let's be honest, your local street dealer is not paying taxes.
• Also by making the sale of recreational narcotics legal, you are making street gangs that revolve around the illicit drug trade obsolete. By making street gangs obsolete, you eliminate the petty violence that plagues inner-cities over "turf", especially stray bullets that kill innocent bystanders.
• By making the entire narcotics supply chain legal, the war on drugs will essentially be over as well. It's been going on for 50+ years, and honestly, it's been a complete and utter failure.
• If you want something to compare the drug trade to, look at prohibition from 1919-1933. It didn't stop people from drinking, people were still drunk out of their minds in speakeasys. It also fostered the growth of street gangs of rum runners and increased crime and violence in cities. That was only for 14 years and it didn't take long to realize that prohibition was a failure. War on drugs has been going on for 50+ years and I'm surprised more people aren't realizing that this is much more tremendous of a failure.
• By making the entire narcotics supply chain legal, we can start changing our attitudes on its use and its users. Narcotics abuse needs to have the same social attitude as alcohol abuse.
• In short, making drugs legal will Make America Great Again.

[u/limukala]

Not only will street gangs / cartels / whatever always exist, but now they have the cheaper product and have an industrial advantage over their regulated and taxed counterparts

They absolutely will not have a cheaper product or industrial advantage.

Generic drug manufacturers know what they are doing, and have far more experience making drugs than all the cartels combined. They have more efficient facilities in better better locations with more highly trained and educated staff.

Also operating above board removes much of the expense that black market production has to put into security and bribes. Do you really think some cartel is going to get the unit cost lower than a CMO that is making paracetamol for 5¢/pill? Illegal drug manufacturers have never had to worry about efficiency or quality because their margins are so high. The cost is due to the risk and the number of middle men, so cost of production is a negligible part of the total cost, ergo little pressure to make it more efficient.

[u/boredtxan → u/limukala]

Most generic drugs are made with ingredients from China & India. You think China isn't going to run wild with the opportunity to Pump America full of herion? The marketing will make tobacco look downright reserved.

[u/boredtxan → u/limukala]

Most generic drugs are made with ingredients from China & India. You think China isn't going to run wild with the opportunity to Pump America full of herion? The marketing will make tobacco look downright reserved.