Many governments prohibit the sale and use of hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine through legislation, yet they turn a blind eye to buying drugs such as tabacco and alcohol. Such a disparity in attitude has caused the opinion of such laws being applied to all drugs to arise, however I am quite skeptical of this outlook on banning all drugs as not only are the production of these drugs an essential part of the economy, but the very idea of banning these drugs would prove to be ineffective.
I believe that the banning of tobacco and alcohol would prove to be detrimental to the economy. The tobacco and alcohol business is backed by humongous, billion-dollar conglomerates and the sale of these drugs essentially reach into every convenience store such as 7-11 and circleK. Due to its ubiquitous nature, it is natural that the revenue from the selling of these products are in the billions of dollars. If we impose a sudden ban to these high-grossing products and the source of income from tobacco and alcohol is severed, these conglomerates’ stock and worth would plummet overnight, and the economy as a whole would receive a massive blow.
The economic repercussions is only the beginning, the prohibition of these drugs would only prove to be ineffective, as shown in history. Trying to ban all drugs, including alcohol, is not a novel idea. Back in the 20th century, there existed a movement to ban the use of alcohol in the US called Prohibition. Back then, it was a massive failure, not only did the legislation not reduce alcohol consumption, but the impossibility and difficulty to enforce these law made alcohol even more popular amongst the people of the US. On top of this, the illegality of alcohol made it a prime target for gangs to acquire and trade, indirectly causing the skyrocket of crime rates in America. So, back then or now, history will repeat itself, and the legislation of prohibition in the modern era would only end in failure, just like it did before.
In conclusion, although banning all drugs may seem like a positive change to society and its health, when taking a closer look at not only the financial implications but also history, this solution to drug abuse should not be realized as it will only end in failure.