... in the United States is depressing. Never mind the Libertarian perspective that it is none of government's business what drugs anyone uses or doesn't use, see this website for the stark truth about the "evils" of drug use:

http://bbsnews.net/drug-deaths.html

The highlights:

Average Annual US deaths from:

marijuana use = 0
(zero confirmed deaths from marijuana use worldwide ever)

all illicit drug use = 19,102
(this includes illegal use of prescription drugs)

legal use of prescription drugs = 106,000

use of alcohol = 116,000

use of tobacco = 406,290
(4 million annually worldwide)

That's 628,290 US deaths per year from the legal use of drugs, compared to 19,102 from the illegal use of drugs. Which is a ratio of 32.89 to one.

The monetary harm is almost certainly in comparable proportion. Which is to say nothing of the total waste of money and resources being devoted to the so-called "war on drugs". Or the peripheral crime generated by the illegality of drugs. I have seen estimates that 50% or more of all property crimes are committed for the purpose of obtaining drug money. If use of the currently illegal drugs was legalized, most of property crimes committed to obtain drug money would no longer occur. And the rate of murders and serious assaults (many of which are related to drug traffic) would also drop dramatically.

The current governmental policy in this country regarding drug use is perhaps the most hypocritical and mis-guided policy in our nation's history.

----- jim o\-S