I'm aware that many people enjoy alcohol and pot in moderation and derive pleasure from it. Indeed I enjoy a big glass of wine a couple times a week.But alcohol and marijuana take devastating tolls on millions of people, their families, and society. For example, as a career counselor, I see again and again how heavy drinkers and pot smokers ruin their careers (damaged memory and especially motivation) and thus leave their families in the lurch. And in their personal life, they're more likely to abuse their spouse and children, and certainly be bad role models. Plus, alcohol and drugs are responsible for the majority of traffic injuries and deaths. Alcohol and drugs contribute to everything from heart disease to cancer to cirrhosis of the liver, which costs all of us in health care costs and reduced availability of medical services.
The toll is so great that I'm wondering whether, rather than moving toward legalizing marijuana, we might be wiser to make a smarter attempt at prohibition of both alcohol and pot. Stores would be prohibited from selling them, true medical marijuana would be available by prescription at pharmacies such as CVS and RiteAid, and there would be no raids of private homes and other private places. The penalty for public drinking or pot smoking would be a fine, not jail.
Of course, there would be black-market use but the amount of alcohol and drug abuse would likely decrease greatly from the elimination of easy availability, and thus society would benefit tremendously .
I know it's a cliche, but there really are so many more enjoyable and beneficial ways to spend one's life than getting high.
What do you think?
