ual freedom means is that: (a) people will have the responsibility for their own lives, rather than surrendering this responsibility to others (or pretending that they have given up responsibility, which is every bit as destructive), (b) since that will be true, fewer mistakes will be made, as people will be able to see directly the consequences of their mistakes, and be able to quickly correct them (Millet). So, according to Spencer the government is damaging the human race in the long run by not allowing individuals the freedom to make their own choices and thus destroying the chance for them to develop a sense of responsibility. He would say that individuals couldn't fully develop when shielded by the artificial agency of government from the consequences of one's own actions (Millet). Freedom, in this sense, will allow individuals to improve themselves. By giving individuals the freedom to make their own choices they will receive the necessary practice in order to develop self-sufficiency and self-control so that one's desires, when acted upon, will not involve the destruction of the equal freedom of another (Millet). The ethics of any society that criminalizes and seeks to punish 5% of its population over a simple plant must be called into question (Mcvay). The government only has a right to limit those choices that endanger others. This does not apply to marijuana, since those who choose to use marijuana do so under their own free will and without harm to anyone else. It is even unclear if it harms the individual using it. The government also may have a right to limit individual actions if the actions pose a significant threat to the individual (him/herself). But this argument does not logically apply to marijuana because marijuana is far less dangerous than some other drugs, which are legal, such as alcohol and tobacco (MLO). The following are statistics on Alcohol vs. Marijuana: 1. Over 100 thousand deaths annually are ...
