THINGS THAT ARE ILLEGAL BUT SHOULD BE LEGAL BECAUSE: FREEDOM
When you were born into this world, you were forced to live under a system that you did not choose. There are rules that prohibit certain actions within society based purely on a moralistic and religious doctrine as opposed to reasoning and science.
Within this society, “participation is mandatory” and if you do decide to “opt out” of government, you are immediately treated as a criminal. Don’t believe me? Just stop paying your taxes and let’s see how Uncle Sam responds to your anarchistic approach to finances.
Today I’d like to talk about “things that are illegal, but should be legal” and why society would be better off if we made these simple changes. If we stopped trying to reach a moralistic or religious “ideal” and rather dealt with the real problems of this earth, we’d all benefit.
Some of you may be completely against these ideas, however I think it’s healthy that we start discussing alternative ways of living in society because it’s very apparent that “things aren’t working at optimal levels”. Our justice system focuses on ‘non-crimes’ while allowing real criminals to go about their way virtually without any real resistance.
So let’s get started.
All Drugs Should Be Legal
“ALL DRUGS?!?”
“Yes, all drugs!”
Would you legalize crack, heroine, meth and all the other ‘hard drugs’ on the market? Most of you will immediately cringe at the idea. Even my fellow cannabis enthusiasts draw a line at “heroin” or “crack” or “meth”.
However, the notion that “some drugs” are permissible while others should be banned goes against the very principle of freedom of choice. By making a “substance” illegal for consumption, you are asserting authority over another person’s sovereign body. You are deciding for someone else what they can and cannot do to themselves.
If someone wants to shoot up heroin or smoke crack, who am I to say what they can and cannot do? Of course, drug abuse takes a toll on society. It costs money to pump out the stomach of someone or to bring them back from near death to due a drug overdose.
However, these costs are already being paid for by the rest of society. Under the current system, we are stuck with all of the negatives of use and none of the benefits.
For instance, the Black Market for Drugs is massive. The US alone spends roughly $100 billion a year on purchasing illegal drugs. This is money that isn’t being taxed, it’s money that isn’t being funneled back into society and lines the pockets of criminal organizations.
Additionally, we are leaving quality control and education in the hands of street dealers and cartels. This in turn creates a product that is “more dangerous” to the end consumer because many of the chemicals used to “cut” drugs are dangerous for consumption. If drugs were produced in a stable setting, with standards and quality controls, the odds of someone overdosing will drop significantly. Furthermore, providing proper education to users will also reduce fatalities and abuse.
Currently, we’re only providing “addicts a way out of addiction” through rehabilitation, however why aren’t we educating people on “proper use” so that they don’t develop addictive behavior from the get go? You might not be able to stop people from taking drugs, but you definitely can teach them how to do it properly.
Will this eliminate the drug problem for all? Of course not…some people are idiots. But it will generate money to the state that can absorb the costs associated with drug abuse as well as educate future generations on how to properly consume drugs, whether it’s cannabis or heroin, you should still ultimately have the decision over your own body.
Prostitution
People should be allowed to sell their bodies for sex. There, I said it! Why is it totally legal for people to go to a bar, meet a stranger, chat them up and buy a few drinks, stumble out to a hotel room and bang, yet the moment that you involve money…it becomes a crime?
The fact of the matter, similar to the War on Drugs, according to the State you do not own your body. If you truly ‘owned your own body’ then you should have the right to sell it or in the case of prostitution “lease it out” for whatever money you want.
If you find two consenting adults (or three) and they come to a financial agreement for services rendered, then you should be able to sell your body without fear of being labeled as a criminal.
Under a legal system, you can make prostitutes register and force them for health check-ups to participate in the legal scheme. They could get special healthcare that would look out specifically for “ailments” within their profession. By registering prostitutes, you will also keep a tighter lid on the entire “human trafficking” element within the world of prostitution.
Once more, regardless of the laws you place against prostitution, you can’t stop it from happening. It’s one of the oldest professions in history and despite what you do, it’s not going away. However, places like Uruguay legalized prostitution and saw a decline of sexually transmitted diseases, violence and actually empowered people to decide what they can and cannot do to their bodies.
Euthanasia
I’m just hitting all these lovely topics one after the other. I believe you should have a right to kill yourself. It’s weird, but killing yourself is actually illegal (if you fail). Once more, this idea comes down to the very rights you have over your own life.
If you’re not legally allowed to “check out”, then you do not have the final say over your own life. You are subjected to the ruling of the law, that dictates that you are merely a cog in their machine and have no rights to stop working at your choosing. You either expire naturally or your keep on cogging away!
However, what would happen if we actually allowed people to “check out” of life? Firstly, for people with incurable terminal diseases that are suffering would have a choice to endure torturous decay in their own bodies, or simply take a chemical train into the night.
People with depression and suicidal tendencies will see a place where they can “check out” professionally. Obviously, a legal system would provide counter measures to persuade people “not to kill them”, through therapy and the likes giving them a final chance before they make the ultimate decision.
We’re not normalizing suicide, but rather accepting that it’s an occurrence and as a society we’d like to help you ‘not do it’ but if you finally decide to “check-out”, then we can do it in the most comfortable way possible.
Checking out of the system
Finally, people should have a right to “opt out” of their government. We should have a choice to take care of our own problems, or have the government do it for us.
For instance, if we were allowed to opt out, we’d stop paying taxes, but could also not get any benefits from the government. We’d have to pay our dues ourselves, meaning if you need water, you get water. If you need healthcare, you pay for it from your own pocket.
This in exchange for not paying taxes, having to participate under the ridiculous laws of the land, but adhere to the natural law of humanity.
This last point is obviously a pipe dream, however my hopes is that as more people start to consider the option to ‘opt out’, perhaps some future generation could live with these freedoms.
We’ve always tried to control people throughout history, however we have never given “freedom” a chance. Perhaps it’s time?
