Many liberals and libertarians say that drug abuse is a victimless crime and should not be illegal, and that people are free to make their own bad choices. Does this mean we should legalize all drugs, including cocaine and heroin?
The problem is that not all drug use is entirely ‘victimless’. When one person make a bad choice with respect to drug use, others suffer from that choice. The sufferer might be a neglected spouse or child. The sufferer might be an employer or business partner, who can no longer count on the drug user. The sufferer might be a random stranger, whom the drug user robs to obtain money to pay for more drugs. It is in society’s best interest to discourage drug users because of these harms. Certainly our current drug laws are full of stupid double-standards and excessive penalties for mere possession of some drugs, but I think the principle that society has some interest in preventing drug abuse is a valid one.
