Drugs known to people for thousands of years. They are consumed by people of different cultures, for different purposes: during religious ceremonies, to recuperate, to relieve pain and discomfort. Until the early 20th century there were virtually no restrictions on the production and consumption of drugs. Sometimes, attempts were made to reduce or prohibit the use of certain substances, but they were short-lived and usually unsuccessful. Currently, the volumes of drug use are huge, and policy of most countries aimed at combating drugs by prohibitive measures against the spread of drugs. This essay will present the arguments for legalizing it, followed by the arguments again, finishing with a conclusion presenting the author’s position.
Supporters of legalization of recreational drugs believe that the main reason is that it would eliminate the criminal market place. Making the production, supply and use of some drugs illegal creates a vacuum into which organised crime moves. Legalisation forces organised crime from the drugs trade, starves them of income and enables government to regulate and control the market. It also argued that legalization would make all drug use safer. Legalisation gives opportunity to control the quality of drugs. Finally, some suggest that legalization massively reduce crime, because most of the violence associated with illegal drug dealing is caused by its illegality.
Opponents of drug legalization offer two principle arguments. Firstly, people believe that making drugs legal will take away the temptation to use them. This idea is wrong and far from logical. If drugs are legalized then they will be more accessible to the young, addicted, and ignorant. Illicit drugs, having a great destructive force, affect primarily the young and active population, adversely reacting on the next generation. Secondly, legalization of use of light drugs, will inevitably lead people to taking hard drugs. People become not able to stop and finally, come to lethal termination.
In conclusion, after learning about the issues regarding both sides of the argument, I would choose to support those who oppose legalization of any drugs. Firstly, I think that legalization of drugs for medical or general use would increase drugs use rather than reduce it and would lead to increased rates of addiction to drugs among youth and adults, legalizing drugs is not a smart public health or public safety strategy for any country. Furthermore, crime too often is the result of a drug problem. More and more people addict from drugs, and to save the population from this terrible disease we should pluck up its cause – drugs.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
In the article entitled “Would Legalized Drugs Produce a Zombie Nation?”(Cederblorn and Paulsen, 332 - 334) written by Stephen Chapman. The author (Stephen Chapman) provides a clear details and analogy of the drug use and abuse in the American society. The article gave a picture of a theoretical view where the use of banned drugs is legitimized by the United States government. The unbelievable situation of having a legitimate way of circulating the proscribed drugs would create a lot of chaos in the communities and society in general.…
- 1127 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
The Case for Decriminalizing Drugs, he takes a different approach to regarding the War on Drugs. While he feels that current drug policies have failed, his book focuses on the injustice of punitive drug laws and believes we should stop punishing people for using illicit drugs. “A law whose purpose is deterrence must always be backed by a demonstration that the law is just.” (ix) His book is presented in three chapters. Chapter one describes our present drug policies and laws and raises questions to answer whether these are just or unjust and offers his position of decriminalization as a more ethical approach to drug use. Chapter two reviews the most frequent arguments used in favor of punishing drug users and Husak believes that none of these are convincing enough to warrant enacting laws on a person’s behavior. Chapter three declares that punishing drug users is counterproductive and damaging to us…
- 932 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
my first instinct about decriminalizing drugs is absolutely not, but if you really think about it, it could work. You know when your parents take your phone away, you just really want it? Or in general, you can’t get something you really want. It’s a struggle. But when you do have it, it’s not as much of a priority anymore in your head. It becomes less relevant. I believe that by decriminalizing drugs, it would create a similar reaction. We would work to make these drugs less potent. The drugs wouldn’t be promoted worldwide, instead, be filled with warnings. Then you find the drugs that are more potent, and you take caution with them. Doctors would oversee the dosage and use, while also looking to the addicts. Legalizing these drugs draws out…
- 143 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Many governments may struggle with whether to just decriminalize or legalize a drug entirely. Which is better for the government financially and more importantly the people? First we must understand the difference between decriminalization and legalization and the advantages and disadvantages. “Decriminalization does not mean that people can use drugs with impunity. But, possessing small amounts no longer lands the perpetrator with a criminal record or a jail sentence.” (Define Decriminalization) Before…
- 1422 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Gaylord and Harold H. Traver provide descriptions of different drug policies in various countries. By doing this they are able to broaden the readers knowledge of how the world views the use and distribution of drugs and other substances.…
- 1491 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
There has been a debate on legalizing drug use for quite some time now. Most legalizers are liberals, and their views on drug policy are consistent with liberal views on other issues. This paper will outline the liberal view of legalizing drugs.…
- 1180 Words
- 5 Pages
Better Essays -
The paper “Drug Prohibition: A Legal and Economical Analysis” by Walter Block agues for the legalization of addictive drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and heroin. It argues that there are no “market failures” which could justify the banning of these drugs, and also that, just like our current systems precursor the alcohol prohibition, the criminalization of these drugs increases crime, decreases respect for our law, and creates great social uproar. The main sections of this paper look at many sides of the argument. The second section of the article argues on the economical side, third being the libertarian view of law, fourth being objections and their rebuttal and finally the fifth, being an analysis of the benefits of legalization.…
- 1219 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Within the last 50 years, drug legalization has been a very hotly debated topic in the United States society. It almost seems that every "street drug" was once legal, but banned soon after its introduction in society. Illegal substances that one sees today were once synthesized and created by chemist such as LSD, ecstasy, methamphetamine, cocaine, and etc., and at some point used for medical reasons, however during many circumstances were deemed illegal by the government due to detrimental effects after prolonged usage. William Bennett's "Drugs: Should Their Sale and Use Be Legalized" targets the general American public into understanding the societal importance of upholding the nations current drug policy. Bennett starts his piece by stating, "The issue I want to address is our national drug policy and the intellectuals" (Bennett 592). Bennett specifically addresses the issue the nation, by using the pronoun "our." Also this is a "national" issue, which is also an indication that he is targeting the general American public. Bennett is clearly on the side of keeping and enforcing banning and making narcotics illegal. He is trying to win over the individuals who are in between the issue, and of course the liberals who are opposed to the nation's drug policy.…
- 1053 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
In “Against the Legalization of Drugs,” by Peter de Marneffe, the argument that the use and possession of drugs needs to be decriminalized is made, because of the belief that the criminalization of drug use and possession violates the rights of citizens. In this paper, I will defend de Marneffe’s position by refuting a possible objection. Contrarians may claim that decriminalizing drugs will inevitably lead individuals to try harder and more dangerous drugs.…
- 573 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
One of the arguments against legalization of drugs is what we have all grown up hearing which is “drugs are bad”. This reason has been said throughout most of our life and is what we learn in schools. However, legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco have caused more harm than illegal drugs. Another argument against legalization is that it would send mix signals to children. Drugs are bad and “just say no” have been sayings we have all learned growing up. However, if drugs were suddenly legal children would be confused. The rates of use can fluctuate in high school students with their confusion about drugs. Another argument against legalizing drugs is that the drug epidemic for late 1800s to 1900s ended because of society’s shift in attitude…
- 359 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Drugs are a medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body. For centuries, humans have been taking drugs - including magic mushrooms and opium - up to 10,600 years ago. At the University of Valladolid in Spain an anthropologist compiled evidence of psychoactive drug use in ancient cultures around the world (Gray). Decriminalization or decriminalisation is the lessening of criminal penalties in relation to certain acts, perhaps retroactively, though perhaps regulated permits or fines might still apply. Drug decriminalization, would not be an appropriate option for the United States because if decriminalizing would go into effect it would allow for injustices like the misuse…
- 781 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Cannabis originated from Central Asia generations ago, with references to Cannabis dating back to medical and religious Chinese and Indian texts. Cannabis was also used in the West as hemp fibre, for industrial purposes, before it was used for medical use by W.B. O’Shaughnessy. Through this essay, I will be evaluating cannabis as a recreational drug, which has occurred since the 1840’s seen in hashish clubs and bars, and will be analysing the advantages and disadvantages of the legalisation and criminalisation of cannabis to determine whether cannabis should be legalised in Australia.…
- 1611 Words
- 7 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Introduction- Drugs are considered to be a modern day issue. However, if we look to the archeological records, we would find that our ancestors used drugs such as, alcohol, opium, cocoa, magic mushrooms among others for both medical and spiritual purposes. Throughout the years many policies have been created in order to minimize the use of drugs. For example, the first anti-opium laws were directed at the Chinese immigrants in the 1870's. In the 1900’s, an anti-cocaine laws were directed in the South at the black men. But it wasn’t until the 60’s where drugs became a big problem to society. Some Presidents have tried to propose and implement what they believed would be beneficial for our nation. Some of those implementations have succeeded…
- 886 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
The fundamental policy question concerning any drug is whether to make it legal or prohibited. Although the choice is not merely binary, a fairly sharp line divides the spectrum of options. A substance is legal if a large segment of the population can purchase and possess it for unsupervised use, and if there are no restrictions on who can produce and sell the drug beyond licensing and routine regulations. Accepting that binary simplification, the choice becomes what kind of problem one prefers. Use and use-related problems will be more prevalent if the substance is legal. Prohibition will reduce, not eliminate, use and abuse, but with three principal costs; black markets that can be violent and corrupting, enforcement costs that exceed those…
- 191 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Everyone will agree that the drug issue in America is prominent. After so many drug related crimes, deaths, and federal spending, debates spur with opposing views in the political arena on how to rectify the problem. One view on solving the problem according to Judge James P. Gray's proposal is to legalize drugs or as legalization advocates call it "harm reduction." This approach believes that drugs use is inevitable and the only way to solve the drug problem is through the legalization of harmful and habit forming drugs such as, cocaine, heroine, and marijuana. Through Legalization, James P. Gray believes drug use and drug related crime rates will decrease. After so many drug related deaths and crimes, America has come too far with the successful War on Drugs to consider surrendering to legalization and committing national suicide.…
- 1260 Words
- 6 Pages
Powerful Essays