Gore Vidal : Drugs; Critical Writing Response

I agree wholeheartedly agree with Vidal's statement "Each man has the right to do what he wants with this own life". When he connects this statement to the idea that each man has the right to do drugs, or kill himself, or partake in any activities he wants, as long as they do not interfere with his neighbors pursuit of happiness, my opinion changes. I think as Americans, the promise of the pursuit of happiness is something we cherish greatly. When one being interferes with another human being happiness, they are taking away an inalienable right endowed to that individual by our country. Many people who do drugs don't try them once and then leave them alone. Many drugs are addictive and often times people who started them don't stop them for a long time.

Vidal's assumption that drugs are not necessarily threats to the neighbors of the abusers is inaccurate. People all over america hear stories of drug deals and break-ins gone bad. In the particular story I linked, an entire neighborhood was negatively affected by "squatters" or drug dealers who took up residence in a bank owned house. The drug dealers turned the neighborhood into a crime spree zone, there were countless acts of robberies and violence during the time the squatters inhabited the house. Their presence reduced the desire of Detroit citizens to want to move into the neighborhood, and also caused the families that lived in the nieghborhood to be scared to leave their homes. The article I posted is a perfect example of how one drug dealer, or many, can cause strife to not only one neighbor but an entire neighborhood. Even if the abuser doesn't have ranking of a drug dealer, they are still a threat to their neighbors. What if they are in debt to their dealer? Or have bad blood with a particular group of people? One wrong step on the part of the abuser could set an entire neighborhood at risk.