Preview

Recreational Drug Use Utilitarianism

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
626 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Recreational Drug Use Utilitarianism
Today’s position argument concerns the issue of recreational drug use. And by turning to one of the most influential moral theories, utilitarianism, I arrive at supporting ethical means founded simply on happiness. Maintaining the intrinsic value of human happiness is one of the most important aspects of universal utilitarianism. Self-determination, or the process of self-regulating decisions and actions, is another important aspect that utilitarianism concerns itself with. Therefore, as human beings, we should permit ourselves to the utmost freedom when selecting life courses. So if no one other than ourselves has a say in the decision, no one other than ourselves should suffer unintended damage. So where do recreational drug use and utilitarianism agreeably meet? With the permission to seek happiness, in whatever way benefits them, being dictated by moral theory, recreational drug use can be justified. Permitting humans to follow happiness while maintaining a hands-off status should remain the goal. While addiction and harmful health effects are hallmarks of recreational drug use, rejection of the idea cannot be justified if a sound and informed person …show more content…
Taking up different risk-reward decisions is not required in today’s society, but the acceptance of them is; I believe accepting what’s different is just a part of living in a democratic society. For example, as an adrenaline junkie, I have a to-do list of activities that potentially pose significant risks to my own self like base jumping, whitewater rafting, mountain biking. While some may not encourage tackling the currents of the Colorado River, I doubt many would suggest the banning of the outdoor activity. The same scenario applies to recreational drug

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The problems occur when harm is inflicted upon other people and is no longer only harmful to yourself but becomes dangerous for the people around. Everyone has their own moral code within society, I don’t believe there is sufficient research that can determine if drugs are as dangerous, like how they have been made out to be. It is hard to tell where to draw the line when it comes to ethical egoism. People may try to counter my argument and say that, allowing others to hurt themselves and alter their realities is enough to say we shouldn’t allow drug use because not only does it hurt oneself but also may hurt loved ones of that person. In rebuttal to that I would say that because most of the drugs already have laws against them, they haven’t been able to produce enough evidence…

    • 1394 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Looking at the legal status of drugs, and one's own liberty for that matter, I examined the works of Mills and Dworkin. There are many different views, and in the end, as in all philosophical issues, there is no one answer. It then boils down to which one, if either, of these two different points of view is correct. Each of the works is presented in the book Contemporary Moral Problems by James White. After careful examination of both views, I will discuss each and decide if Dworkin's criticism of Mill's is correct.…

    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the 1980s and early ‘90s, Nancy Reagan proposed an anti-drugs campaign with the slogan Just Say No. Her solution to the drug problem was to teach children to say no to drugs, and rely on self-restraint to defeat temptation. Reagan believed children would be able to turn away from drugs if they had parents who raised them to be morally sound. Conservatives give priority to Moral Strength, and see those who use marijuana and drugs as morally weak and lacking self-control. A drug user, then, must change their personal values instead of relying on drug treatment centers or social change in order to quit their habit, Lakoff explains, “If the metaphor of Moral Strength has priority over other forms of explanation, then your poverty or your…

    • 1267 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    When it comes to importance of public liberty and privacy it must be easily said that they are right that using drugs have relations our desires and human…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • 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
  • Powerful 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
  • Good Essays

    William Bennett Drugs

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In William J. Bennett’s argument, Drugs: Should their Sale and Use Be Legalized, he tries to persuade the readers that drugs should not be legalized. He goes on to explain the national drug policy and the intellectuals that by and large are against it but have little to contribute to the matter. The argument like he says is a little one sided, there is a whole lot to say about the national drug policy and very little to say about the intellectuals.…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Butts

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In "Against the legalization of Drugs", We've seen how James Q. Wilson says that Heroin and Cocaine should be kept illegal. Perhaps the strongest argument Wilson gives to support this claim, is that a government may rightly restrict an individual's liberty to prevent harm to others. Although this is in violation with an individual's freedom of thought and speech. In this paper, I will present two arguments from Kantian ethics and Douglas Husak that refute this idea, and further show that heroin and cocaine should not be kept illegal.…

    • 589 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    It is absolutely vital that Life Support, Inc. provides an environment in which our employees come to work knowing that we value their safety. The facts and figures mentioned above suggest that employees under the influence of drugs are extremely likely to cause and produce accidents in the workplace.…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Langlitz, N. (2012). Neuropsychedelia: The Revival of Hallucinogen Research since the Decade of the Brain . California: University of California Press.…

    • 2391 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • 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
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Similar to World War II propaganda, those statements should not be taken seriously since it is a way of getting into people. Additionally, people see it as black and white when it comes to these materials. For example, people determine that drug users are bound to fail in life. On the contrary, knowing the safety and having the moderation of using these items can ensure that people will not hurt themselves. People know the potential dangers of their hobbies, but with carefulness, they can succeed the way they use those objects. Which is why this gray area exists. Moreover, people will always find a way to get what they want. In 1920, there was a national prohibition of alcohol in America. Until the government abandoned the prohibition in 1933, people bootlegged their alcoholic drink and created organized crimes. Looking back to this, getting rid of these objects creates more and new problems. However, to benefit society people must give others the freedom of what they want. Look at how Colorado boost their economy with taxes from legalizing weed. Moreover, Mexican cartels' largest illegal drugs were the weed, but their business is badly crippled because the US legalized weed. Thus, simply allowing people to do what they want can have a huge…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    We the people in the US try to use reason and logic to determine our laws. as a consequence of this intellectual process, we develop graded scales for punishment and degrees of illegality. The more dangerous an activity the more illegal and higher punishment, lesser activities are either not illegal or endorsed. Marijuana illegality defies this rational thinking in that it is less detrimental than alcohol and cigarettes and yet is treated far worse. Most pharmaceutical drugs can kill if used improperly, like alcohol and tobacco. In the following essay, I will explain how medically prescribed marijuana has a beneficial effect on patients who suffer from certain diseases, both by treating disease symptoms and…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Trebach, Arnold S. and Inciardi, James A. Legalize It? Debating American Drug Policy. The American University Press, Washington, DC. 1993.…

    • 1868 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There has been great support in Latin America about the legalization of drug use. Countries, such as Uruguay and Argentina strongly support allowing the people to personally use recreational drugs, such as cannabis . Brazil has partially decriminalized the use of weed, but the current law is complete and cannot properly discuss the different between dealers and common users .…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays