From the national war on drugs to Ohio University's new alcohol policies, those in charge have entirely missed the point.The government of a truly free society has no authority to regulate what substances people can put in their bodies. This truth is overlooked by nearly all Americans, who continue to blindly accept our government's paternalism. Paternalism, to put it simply, is the tendency of those in power to play nanny. This is the greatest country on Earth, but our drug and alcohol laws are among the few serious flaws on an otherwise beautiful tapestry. For our government to show us the respect we deserve as adults, recreational drugs should be legalized, and 18 should again become the legal drinking age. An addendum is needed before I continue this counter-culture argument that is so vulnerable to misinterpretation. There is no living creature more despicable than the user, whose sole aspiration in life is to smoke, guzzle, snort or shoot away reality. Addicts are the ultimate bottom feeders of our society ' hedonists surrendering their souls to a substance. By no means is their pathetic lifestyle morally acceptable. However, in a true democracy, it would not be illegal.Substance abuse is a victimless crime. In living out such a destructive lifestyle, the user is harming no one but himself. Despite this, the vital resources of our law enforcement, prisons and justice system are misused in punishing these victimless criminals. And while our government is busy slapping the hands of harmless addicts, the true criminals should rejoice. Murderers, rapists and other barbarians are returned to public life for good behavior or given early parole in the spirit of tolerance
but there can be no tolerance for such iniquity. When you live in a country where the president admits to never reading the newspaper, it is na+ 17
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Joe Vance
