In my writings I am going to be discussing the beliefs of James Q. Wilson and Douglas N. Husak. They both have very different views on drugs, Wilson is more of the conservative who believes drugs should be banned altogether, as opposed to Husak, who believes the use of drugs should be a personal choice. First, I am going to talk about James Q. Wilson and his views against the legalization of drugs. One of Wilsons claims is that the lack of availability would lead to less drug use and addiction. Wilson believes that if drugs were to be legalized then it will be easier for addicts to recruit other people into trying new drugs.…
As a citizen of the United States I feel that if the drug can medically help people that have illnesses then it should be reclassified and legalized. However, I feel that their need to be rules in place for patients that use the drug so it isn’t abused. Physicians that have patients that would benefit from the drug need to ensure that the proper screenings are performed. These screening should help determine if the drug will be benfitcal and help it’s users with their…
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…
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.…
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.…
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.…
The most prominent argument against the use of drugs is the harm it has on the users. Although drug use is potentially very harmful to the users the government should not be allowed to prohibit people from harming themselves. Many things people regularly take part in are equally as harmful as drug use such as “smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, eating too much, riding motorcycles, having unprotected or promiscuous sex…(Huemer, Para. 5).” There is no way that the government can prohibit all those acts for it is not any of their business. One might argue that drug use is more harmful then those acts, they would be wrong in most cases because all of those acts lead to death which is as harmful as you can get. The Office of National Drug Control Policy claims that drugs kill eighteen thousand Americans a year while tobacco kills four hundred and forty thousand Americans per year. Another relevant statistic is obesity causes up to four hundred and twenty thousand deaths per year. Neither tobacco smokers nor obese people have been punished yet many drug users are imprisoned. Another point prohibitionists suggest against the use of drugs is that drugs harm one’s quality of life however many other things harm one’s quality of life such as dropping out of high school or working at the same job your entire life;…
The authors of this paper present an outline of the debate process and how students can effectively present their sides of a controversial subject. Personal accounts in favor of legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes are given, as well as data as to why it should not be legalized. This reference will benefit the paper because it provides real accounts from people and not just statistics.…
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.…
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…
Several topics in modern day society cause controversy, but one topic that out ranks them all is the legalization of marijuana. The main argument is whether not marijuana should be treated the same as already legalized drugs, such as tobacco and alcohol. Many Americans use marijuana illegally; the people using the drug range from the age of teens to even adults in their eighties. Marijuana is considered by most, especially in legal terms, as a dangerous drug. Although the drug is seen as such, many still continue to use it and argue it should be legalized for several reasons. Both citizens and government officials alike debate this topic. To successfully develop and argument for the legalization of marijuana the topic must be defined, the history of the topic must be unveiled, an argument must be made, and a good solution should be proposed. Yes, both sides of the argument both have well supported positions, but marijuana should be legalized by the United States government because the facts supporting legalization far outweigh the arguments keeping the drug as it is.…
In my opinion, the proposed approach to the criminalization of drugs would not be feasible. I believe this because federal drug laws are usually questionable, drug prohibition creates more opportunity for crime to occur, and the economical aspect of money (in the billions) being funneled towards criminal businesses and or organizations.…
References: DEA Briefs & Background, Drugs and Drug Abuse, Drug Descriptions, Drug Trafficking in the…
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.…
Decrimialization-n. The repeal or amendment (undoing) of statutes which made certain acts criminal, so that those acts no longer are crimesor subject to prosecution.…