I distinctly remember that when marijuana was legalized in Oregon, it seemed immature, dangerous and an unnecessary perpetuation of irresponsible ideologies at the time. I brought it up to a few friends whom I solemnly discussed politics with and was perplexed when I discovered they thought it an extremely necessary and wonderfully moral piece of legislation. Upon my own research on the topic, an endeavor that has continuously expanded over time, it is apparent that my friends could not have been more correct, and not just about marijuana. 

There are definite stigmas attached to “taboo” aspects of our society, aspects that we are all very conscious of, yet would rather not discuss. It is, of course, easiest to outlaw these things, push them into a neat little box, tie them up and move on. Compartmentalizing is a long tradition of human cultures, and although a common thread among modern day societies, it’s incredibly dangerous. Outlawing something doesn’t help anyone; it merely disguises the problem as criminal rather than addressing the root issue. Imagine cleaning a wound with river water; sure you’ve done something, but in actuality, you have done much more harm than good.

It is a detriment to our society that sex work and the usage of the majority of drugs are illegal and criminalized. There I said it: there is no reason for these to be criminalized or discouraged, besides the continuation of a broken system that repeatedly beats down those at the bottom of it.  

“Wait, but both of those have the potential to be extremely dangerous to the individual!” 

Exactly, so legalize it. Sex work is dangerous because consumers can easily contract diseases and workers can be taken advantage of? Okay, so legalize it; allow workers to be regularly checked for diseases for the protection of them and the consumer, and allow them to be able to reach out to law enforcement without fear of prosecution if something were to happen. 

What are the dangers with drugs? Drug abuse and addiction, potential of substances being laced, and the dangers of dealing with dealers. Okay, so legalize it; allow the government to regulate the potency of the drugs, leading to less addictive and non-laced substances, allow dispensaries to sell the product and remove the necessity to interact with dealers, allow people to receive treatment instead of punishment.  

If you are fearful of a repercussion of subjects normally considered out of the norm, chances are legalization is the solution. I’ll be the first to admit that it seems extraordinarily counterintuitive, but we tried zero tolerance policies, we tried prohibition, we tried the War on Drugs, and they all have two things in common: they made a health issue criminal, and they all failed. While it seems perfectly reasonable to have a desire to prosecute those that partake in activities that are currently illegal, I would gently remind you of the laws that arose in the mid-1800s that were oddly specific, and often used as a means to incarcerate African-American men in order to use them for prison labor. According to The Hamilton Project, caucasians are 6.5 times less likely to be imprisoned for charges related to drugs than their African-American counterparts, despite the fact they use drugs at about the same rate. Don’t like seeing trends of the mid-1800s popping up again in our society? Yeah, me neither. 

Legalization is not a behemoth threat to our way of life, bearing down on us, ready to run through cities and uproot communities. In fact, it is a way to show our fellow citizens that having another opportunity after drug abuse is more important to us than their incarceration due to what is essentially a disease. It is our way of showing that no matter what profession one goes into, they deserve safety and security. Perhaps you know someone who suffers from or has suffered from addiction. Would things have gone differently if they were met with compassion rather than stigmatization from the beginning? If they had been treated as a patient rather than a criminal? 

Legalization is the clear path towards a country of new beginnings, a country of empathy and a country of unity. While we have missed our opportunity to set a precedent, it is our duty to follow other nations who have begun the process of legalization, for legalization is our bridge to a world of humanitarianism, and we better start building.