There are three reasons why it is important to think about drug legalization: (1) current drug-control policies have failed; (2) many drug-control efforts are proving costly and counter-productive; and (3) there is good reason to believed that repealing many of the drug laws would not lead to a dramatic rise in drug abuse. Repealing the drug-prohibition laws would have advantages: (1) reduced government expenditures on enforcing drug laws; (2) new tax revenue from legal drug production and sales; (3) the decline of homicide, robbery, and burglary rates; and (4) the ability for police, prosecutors, and the courts to focus on more serious crimes. It is impossible to predict whether legalization would lead to much greater levels of drug abuse, however, it is doubtful that illicit substances would become as popular as alcohol or tobacco. Repealing the drug-prohibition laws would eliminate or greatly reduce many of the ills that people commonly identify as part and parcel of the drug problem. 2 notes