In a speech delivered to the Republican National Committee last week, House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) made a surprising, although welcome suggestion concerning the course of American drug policy. Stating that we should either “get rid of [them], or legalize [them],” Gingrich helped to broaden the political debate which has narrowly stumbled along from one hopeless decade to another.

His calls for the immediate execution of anyone caught importing drugs and for the imprisonment of drug purchasers would steer us dangerously close to a U.S. police state. However, his call for experimentation with legalization deserves serious consideration.

For years, extremely dangerous drugs such as crack cocaine and LSD have been carelessly lumped together with marijuana, from both a legal and social policy standpoint. In the process, countless Americans have been branded as criminals for simply engaging in a relatively mild form of personal stimulation.

Admittedly, some marijuana smokers engage in highly abusive forms of use, causing many to argue that legalization would only serve to legitimize their behavior. Sadly, this objection overlooks the net benefits that would be gained by removing the stigma which now forces marijuana users into secret lives of shame and denial. This reality prevents a culture of responsibility from truly flourishing, keeping sellers unaccountable and buyers without open support.

Furthermore, legalization would stamp out the current black market for the drug, reducing the desperate acts of theft and violence now associated with its distribution. Too many people are now locked up behind bars for the mere possession of the drug, forcing violent criminals to be paroled early for sheer lack of prison space.

Of course, driving under the influence and underage use can and should remain illegal. But casual usage does not deserve to remain a criminal act.

It’s time to seriously explore the option of drug legalization. Marijuana would be a good first step.