Ch.7

My opinion about making prostitution and drugs legal is that they shouldn't be. I am against drugs for Biblical reasons and personal reasons. I believe that our body is something that should be stewarded with care, from what we eat to everything else. I do not like the fact that cigarettes are legal and alcohol, biblically is OK but not in excess. Drunkenness is not OK, but Jesus even shared wine with his disciples. Wine is actually supposed to be beneficial to the body in small amounts. That leads me to the marijuana issue. I have no biblical basis for saying that marijuana is OK and I have had personal experience with it taking over my life to the point where I drop out of high school. Weed was my first drug, and when that was no longer enough I moved onto bigger and better things. My life was completely taken over by hardcore drugs by the time I was 20. This is why I cannot condone the legalization of this drug. People then argue with me and tell me then we should make cigarettes and alcohol illegal, my response is this: we tried that once and it didn't work. We have to lay in the bed we made in regards to cigarettes and alcohol, but why add to the problem we already have by legalizing another drug? Just so we can save money by not arresting so many people for petty pot dealing? It's just not worth it to me.

The positive consequences (if I look objectively) to legalizing pot are things like saving money state wide because we are not arresting so many people for pot. Another positive may be the medicinal side of it. Easier access for people with chronic illness.

Negative consequences: More people driving high and smoking it in the car. More people being led to other drugs because pot is not getting them high enough anymore. Lung issues and much much more.

Prostitution has no positive benefits the way I see it. When there is prostitution there is violence, rape, drugs, and lifestyles that do not add to society but take away from it. I have known prostitutes personally and have seen first hand the emotional destruction it can do to a woman and even men.

Gambling to me is not an issue, I know that some people end up being addicted to it but I have no basis for saying its 100% wrong.

In connection to the book, making things legal or illegal impacts our jail and prison systems. We either lower the amount of people in the jails or we increase them with the decisions congress make things legal or not. Sure states may save money with less prisoners, but what will be the social consequences for making certain things legal? Are we so concerned with "MY" freedom that we are willing to sacrifice the health of our nation?