Recent headlines report the decision by U.S. officials to battle Mexican border violence with the assignment of increased personnel and technology at border crossings. As concerns rise, many public figures are going on record favor of the legalization of three of the main drugs being trafficked by the drug cartels: marijuana, heroin and cocaine. Arguments in favor of legalization claim that drug cartels would be put out of business as these drugs, legalized, could be manufactured and distributed under controlled conditions. Other benefits include “less illness,” “use would still be a public nuisance that could be fined,” and “drugs would be purer, less contaminated.”
The way things are now, approximately two percent of the U.S. population over 12 years of age is dependent on or illicitly abusing drugs. In 2007, more than 2.5 million people used an illicit drug or abused a prescription drug for the first time.
“Removing the restraints from the distribution of these drugs might reduce border violence by establishing legal channels of distribution,” stated Derry Hallmark, Director of Admissions and Certified Chemical Dependency Counselor at Narconon Arrowhead. Narconon Arrowhead is one of the country’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, located in Canadian, Oklahoma. “However, if you legitimize the distribution of these three drugs, you must also bring about a reduction in demand through rehabilitation that is truly effective and you must teach young people how and why to make drug-free choices.
“Here at Narconon, we have been able to both put addicts on a drug-free path and reduce drug use among the young people who receive out drug education curriculum,” Mr. Hallmark continued. “Measured two years after graduation, seventy percent of Narconon graduates remain drug free. And a study published in a peer-reviewed journal showed that our drug education curriculum reduced drug use in students who received the entire curriculum compared with a control group of students who did not receive the classes. Narconon is 100 percent behind any actions that create a drug-free and crime-free future for America.”
To find immediate help for someone who is having a problem with any kind of drug or alcohol, contact Narconon’s free addiction consultation and referral helpline at 1-800-468-6933 or visit their website at http://www.stopaddiction.com/. The study of benefits from the Narconon drug education curriculum can be found online at http://www.substanceabusepolicy.com/content/3/1/8.
The Narconon program was founded in 1966 by William Benitez in Arizona State prison, and is based on the humanitarian works of L. Ron Hubbard. In more than 90 centers around the world, Narconon programs restore drug and alcohol abusers and addicts to a clean and sober lifestyle.
