Drug Debate Essay

Drugs, drugs they are everywhere. Gore Vidal, famous writer wrote the article “Drugs”. This is an article stating why Vidal believes all drugs should become legalized. The famous writer Theodore Dalrymple wrote an article called “Don’t Legalize Drugs”? This article is about why Dalrymple believes drugs should not be legalized. Katrina Heuvel, (a famous writer) wrote the article “Why it’s Always Been Time to Legalize Marijuana”. This article is about why Heuvel believes that Marijuana should have been legalized a long time ago. Drugs have been used for many years now, for medical, mental, physical, and personal issues.

In the United States, there are many drugs that are outlawed due to their supposed harmful and dangerous effects on humans. Some of these drugs include marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and prescription pills that are abused by people to whom they are not prescribed. Recent movements have called for the legalization of all of these drugs. Although it appears that legalization of all drugs on the market seems like a valid movement, in reality, all hard drugs such as cocaine and prescription pills should remain illegal because they are detrimental to society and have a tend for users to develop a physical dependency on these drugs.

In addition, these drugs are just as addicting as some of the drugs that most hold to be off-limits, and need to be

1b. List and describe briefly the major structures of the brain, as presented in your textbook, including the function of those elements that are most related to psychoactive drug reaction.

If these drugs wouldn’t have been so addictive, why in the first place would they be illegal? When a person is being involved in such activities it is not merely difficult in fact out of the question to decide the good and bad for that particular person. Hence, the advice that Vidal puts forward of labeling the drugs would be of no use, hardly any person would be interested in reading. This step of legalizing the drugs would enhance their spirit and addictiveness towards the drugs. Activities which are normally carried out underground would then be carried out openly with ant hesitation.

      In the article “Drug Policy and the Intellectuals,” William J. Bennentt, chides intellectuals who believe drugs should be legalize. Bennett challenges his audience , by attacking intellectuals. However Bennett tries to win over his audience of intellectuals in two ways: by calling upon their talents and by attacking on the arguments of intellectuals who favor legalizing drugs. .He shows an understanding of others’ viewpoints by addressing points of opposition several times during the article. Bennett demonstrates knowledge of the subject by supporting

The source of the vitriolic criminalization of people who use drugs stems from the perspective of drug usage being a representation of moral weakness, or even of “willful misconduct” rather than a health issue. The view of people with addiction as inherently violent has led to the emergence of widespread opioid addiction being treated as a law enforcement issue. This stigmatization of drugs and the people who use them will be discussed further below.

Throughout the United States, the use and abuse of legal and illegal drugs is very common. As Rosenberg states in “In Drugs We Trust: Why Do Americans Make War on Some Drugs and Build Fortunes on Others?” if something is called a drug, people will “nod their heads, understanding what you mean: You’re deeply attached to it and you can’t live without it, even though you suspect that there’s something wrong with it” (pg.2). The legality of various drugs has changed over time. The definition of a drug, is any substance that has the ability to influence one’s behavior. This could be done by altering one’s mood, feelings, and/or mental state. Although many people believe the use of illegal drugs is more common, the use of legal drugs is actually more common. Legal drugs include drugs such as alcohol and tobacco. As Rosenberg states in the 17th and 18th century, coffee was considered a big drug problem, however now caffeine and coffee is legal. For, legal drugs can cause both social and economic problems just as much as illegal drugs, such as with alcohol and drunk driving. As a result of increased drug use, the United States has created a “War on Drugs,” where it spends billions of dollars to try to “stop” the use and abuse of illegal drugs. However, this “war” is not getting at the root of the problem, for the war does not deal with the root cause of the issue. Instead, this war focuses on dealing with the surface problems, such as the distribution and possession. It does not

Spearheaded by President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, the movement known as the “War on Drugs” sought to control the sale and use of psychoactive drugs as well as promote access to treatment for those who abuse and misuse these substances (Bagley, 1988; Elkins, 1990). Policies implemented prohibited the possession and distribution of narcotics (e.g. marijuana, cocaine, heroin); the punitive policies, which often resulted in hefty fines and prison sentences for violators, ultimately prompted the emergence of a black market, more potent and lethal drugs, synthetic drugs as well as led to the increase in organized crime and prison population (Bagley, 1988; Broden, 2013; Cussen & Block, 2000; Elkins, 1990; Friedman, 1991; Henderson, 1990; MacCoun, 1993; Powell, 2013). Despite the initial intention, there was rarely sufficient funding allocated towards achieving the latter goals—of promoting and advocating treatment for drug addicts (Bagley, 1988).

The legal prohibition on most psychoactive drugs has been in place in this country for the better part of a century. This policy of prohibition, however, has never been based on reason or careful consideration, but on the paranoia of a small segment of society and the indifferent willingness of the majority to accept this vocal minority’s claims without question. Outlawing any use of a particular drug is a violation of the basic freedom of individuals to act as they please in their private lives. However, even if one does not accept this belief, an objective analysis of the United States’ history of prohibition clearly shows that attempts to enforce this policy have done far more harm than good,

People will go to great lengths to get their hands on the drug of

The debate over the legalization of drugs continues to disturb the American public. Such an issue stirs up moral and religious beliefs, beliefs that are contrary to what Americans should believe. I ask all of you to please keep an open mind and hear me out on this very controversial subject. All of us have in some way or another been affected by drug, whether it is a family member or the economic burden on society. Americans often take at face value the assumptions that drugs cause addiction, which leads to crime. This is true but abundant evidence exists to support the view that legalizing illicit drugs can help solve the drug problem in America.

Drug legalization is an enduring question that presently faces our scholars. This issue embraces two positions: drugs should not be legalized and drugs should be legalized. These two positions contain an array of angles that supports each issue. This brief of the issues enables one to consider the strengths and weakness of each argument, become aware of the grounds of disagreement and agreement and ultimately form an opinion based upon the positions stated within the articles. In the article “Against the Legalization of Drugs”, by James Q. Wilson, the current status of drugs is supported. Wilson believes if a drug such as heroin were legalized there would be no financial or medical reason to avoid heroin usage;

In pre-modern times, drugs took on a role of medicinal use. As they were distributed in a free market without any constraints, Opium was recommended for sleepless nights, Cocaine for anesthesia, Hashish for relaxation (Hart, Ksir & Ray). These drugs were not dubbed as harmful, therefore, under the appropriate circumstances, provided beneficial effects to its users. More recently, individuals are more inclined to use drugs as an ‘escape’. Stimulants provide a sort of alternate existence which tends to reduce mental tension, increase energy, or induce euphoria (Hart, Ksir & Ray). Argumentatively speaking, drug use only affects the user, so there is no valid reasoning for impairing the freedom of citizens by prohibiting them. Individuals benefit by having the freedom to use

I believe it is wrong to legalize any sort of recreational drug, no matter what sort of effect it has on the user and society. All drugs have a negative impact on the issue, whether it be short term or long term side effects. There are already serious issues