Drugs

Should marijuana (or some other substance) be legalized? If the cost to society of legally allowing marijuana is less than the cost of maintaining a ban, then I think so. It is true that lowering the barriers to obtaining marijuana will lead to a higher quantity demanded by reasonably rational people, which I do think hurts society. But it could be even more harmful to enforce laws with expensive police operations (or not enforce laws, which disturbs the rule of law). Figuring out those costs seems harder than I want to figure out right now, so I hope that some experts figure it out and that lawmakers make good choices based on their findings.

drugabuse.gov

However, I don't think that the arguments for and against legalization of marijuana are nearly as important as promoting a cultural change in the way people view the personal choice to consume substances which reduce a person’s control of their behavior.

I religiously abstain from certain harmful substances, including unprescribed drugs and alcoholic drinks. But I share enough values with society at large that it is still surprising to me to see how casually people view alcohol. Occasionally people that I am very fond of will joke about alcohol as a way of having fun or coping with stress.

While I know a lot of people have fun or cope with stress without running into bigger problems, I don't think that people who crash while drunk or start mistreating their families ever had those bad results as their goal when they started drinking. So I hope that these risks are considered before the practice of drinking is adopted.

Additionally, there are less noticeable consequences that arise from more moderate drinking, like missing out on coping with stress through reliance on loved ones or having fun through fully cognizant silliness, music, or discussion.

Thomas S. Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, invited us to "care for our bodies and our minds by observing the principles set forth in the Word of Wisdom, a divinely provided plan." I am grateful for that plan and have been very blessed by it, and I invite you to learn more about it if it's new to you.