Should We Legalize Alcohol?

The debate continues to rage across the country: should alcohol be legalized?

"Absolutely not," said the President when asked about several states’ citizen initiatives to legalize alcohol. "The research is ultimately inconclusive as to its medical benefits. There are always other ways to achieve the same results that are much safer, without the associated social problems."

Dave S. disagrees. "The government wants to keep it illegal for outdated reasons. They need to open their eyes to the benefits." Dave drinks three or four times a week to cope with an ongoing passiveness problem. "It’s something I’ve had to deal with my whole life. For the longest time, someone would say something slightly offensive and I would try and reason out our differences. Or, even worse, turn a shoulder and ignore it. Now, thanks to alcohol, I can find the determination to overreact and punch the guy’s lights out."

"It helps me stay in touch with people I love," claims Fred H. "I called my ex-wife last Wednesday at about 3:30 a.m. I doubt I’d have had the nerve to call her otherwise. I meet new friends all the time. I like going to the bars. If they weren’t illegal, everyone could enjoy them."

These "bars" are precisely the thing a lot of people worry about. "These enclaves of alcohol use serve only to reinforce negative behavior," says Senator Kyle Davis. "If we legalize alcohol, you’re allowing someone to make money selling this stuff somewhere. Sure, it’s a great time, but people are driving away completely intoxicated. They’ll be urinating and vomiting in alleys."

"Ridiculous," says Fred H., simply. "People are smart. I think they will exercise better judgement than that. These are the kind of stereotypes that alcohol drinkers have to overcome to get where we want to be."

Many also point to the powerful marijuana lobby in congress. Pot sales continue to be brisk in the United States. Advertising is more pervasive than ever. Try watching a sports event without seeing a commercial. Usually pot companies are the chief sponsors.

"I don’t know where we’d be without them," says an NFL spokesman. "We have an outstanding business relationship. But it’s also part of American culture: watching the game with friends, enjoying a refreshing joint."

Current ad campaigns reflect that exact thinking. Straightforward promotions have dominated the airwaves in recent months, with characters having everyday conversations under a cloud of hazy smoke. Meanwhile anti-alcohol sentiment runs strong in public service announcements, as in the current campaign linking illegal alcohol purchases to terrorist activities.

Pot companies aren’t shy about wanting to keep the status quo. A Budmeister spokesman explained. "We don’t even have to lobby against it. It lobbies against itself. Why legalize something that people could become dependent upon? If you were to say that cocaine should be legalized, people would say you’re crazy. I mean, why legalize something that makes people aggressive, tears apart families, and provides a crutch for people to blot out emotional problems? Marijuana is relaxing and not physically addictive. But it also has indisputable medical benefits." Evidence of medical benefits is debated on regularly, but thousands of glaucoma patients use it regularly with an overwhelming success rate.

The more difficult barrier to break remains the social stigma of alcohol use. Is it that absurd to think about a family dinner with beer or wine at the table?

"Sounds kind of strange to me. I mean, it’s great to enjoy a bongload with my son when he visits home. But sharing a beer? I save myself the trouble and slur ‘I love you’ when he walks in the door," chuckled local resident Larry T. when responding to why he voted against an alcohol initiative.

Dr. George Anderson isn’t sure either. "Larry’s response instantly clarifies one of the many stereotypes of alcohol use: that people become aggressively overemotional, they slur their speech, things like that.

"Many of these grassroots initiatives to legalize alcohol are based upon the belief that there are some medical benefits to it. Well, evidence suggests that there may indeed be some benefits: reduction of shyness, easing of social pressures, perhaps even minor reductions in blood pressure if used moderately. But if you allow it legally, you invite the rest of what goes along with it. The stereotypes are there for a reason, because more often than not they happen to be true. People who use alcohol have notoriously impaired judgement. We have to consider these consequences."

Anti-alcohol campaigner Joe M. is more straightforward. "Do we want people mingling into society who use alcohol on a regular basis? It will totally impair their ability to drive, yet a lack of judgement will compel them to do so anyway. Do you want to get a call from the police that your wife was just killed by some guy who’s spent all day drinking? Right now only people with drug problems or college kids experimenting use the stuff so it’s pretty unusual for it to be a problem to you and me. Now, what if it was available at every corner store? What if we sold it at sporting events? Some stadiums have stopped even selling marijuana after halftime at football games because the crowd is too mellow to do much cheering and it kills the atmosphere. But with alcohol it’s even worse. Say you sold beer to people. There could be riots if the team loses a close contest to a hated rival. Hell, there could be riots if the team wins a big game. Fans would be so crazy they’d go trash the city afterwards. It just seems so risky to me."

"That’s absurd," replies Dave S. "What, just because 70,000 people drink alcohol for four hours at an exciting, emotional event they’re going to riot? That’s wild speculation."

Alcohol must also overcome its perception as a gateway drug. Veronica N. is a mother of two teenage boys. "We caught them with alcohol last year. I don’t think that, in and of itself, it’s a terrible thing. I’ll admit to having ‘swallowed’ in college when I tried it [in reference to the former President’s infamous claim of having "sipped but not swallowed" bourbon given to him at a party]. But my husband and I were more concerned alcohol could lead to other things."

"Changing social norms is never an easy thing," says Mike W., another drinker. "If only people understood how easy it is to deal with their emotions when they drink. Our campaign centers on education. Right now, it’s always about talking out your feelings, sometimes over a joint. But a couple shots of vodka and you don’t even care about feelings anymore, yours or anybody else’s. Wouldn’t that be better? Sure, alcoholism, violence, and cirrhosis are out there as possible consequences. But if that’s the price for a world filled with boosted self-esteem, I’ll take it."

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