Drug use by members of society is a problem for some individuals and a larger problem for the legal system. The use of drugs has created crime among dealers of illegal substances in many forms, the classification of that substance determines the level of crime, and with different charges the legal system acts accordingly. In the case of drugs and legal systems, actions against the use or distribution of such substances, many people have been incarcerated in the United States where taxpayers must support criminals who are housed for a period of time. In the United States, over half a million people have been incarcerated for drug-related crimes, and that number is growing every year. Society cannot continually bear the burden of paying higher taxes to support the welfare of drug offenders if the number is expected to increase year after year. The suggestion has been made, in some cases widely followed, to legalize the use and distribution of illegal narcotic substances. Drug legalization, in various forms, is something that much of society has no problem supporting. The fact is that a large portion of society uses drugs on a fairly constant basis and that legalizing some forms of drugs could be beneficial to these individuals. People who use drugs in society would not go to prison if caught and those who were incarcerated would definitely be released, this would free up taxes to go towards other problems. It is theorized that legalizing drugs could get criminals off the streets and keep them out of prison so that taxpayers can pay less or taxes can be directed to more useful areas of interest. Many believe that legalization... middle of paper... the future problems that a legalized drug could bring to society. Millions of Americans may react to different types of drugs in a thousand different ways, and these reactions are simply too unpredictable. Thousands of deaths could occur on a large scale just due to individual-based adverse reactions. Drug use by our youth could skyrocket and lobbyists don't see the impact it would have on future generations of people. Future generations could see a decrease in crime if drugs were legalized and states saved taxpayer money in terms of the legal system. This is true, but at the price of dooming the future of the United States. Legalization of drugs brings with it too many consequences that cannot be foreseen by anyone and also society cannot be expected to bear the burden of legalized drugs and uncontrollable effects on the majority.