1 Introduction
I have written this essay in response to the essay prompt Recreational use of soft drugs such as marijuana or ecstasy is less harmful than alcohol consumption and therefore should be decriminalised. In this essay I will talk about the effects that soft drugs have on society, and on adolescent youth. I will also talk about my position on this matter, and what I believe is the right course of action to take in regards to the essay prompt.
After learning about the issues regarding both sides or the argument, I would choose to support those who oppose decriminalization of any drug. Drugs simply create problems that affect society in different ways. People believe that making drugs legal will take away the temptation to use them. This idea is wrong and far from logical. If the drugs are legalized, then they will be more accessible to the young, addicted and ignorant.
2 Body
Drugs have been a problem in society for a very long time and it is still an ongoing subject of debate. Different organisations work hard to keep people from using drugs, though a new issue has arisen. During the last few years there have been discussions in some countries to decriminalize soft drugs, including cannabis and ecstasy.
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
The question of whether or not marijuana should be legalized for recreational and medicinal use has been a three decade long conversation. There are many pros and cons to legalizing marijuana. There are many different ideas about the effects of marijuana, but as with any drug answers are going to vary depending on the person you survey. Age, health, and mental stability are all factors to consider how a drug can positively or negatively affect you, and marijuana is no different. To be legal or not to be legal is the million dollar question up for debate.
Since that is a problem worldwide, people are wondering if some drugs should be legal. William J. Bennett answers this question in his story “Should Their Sale and Use Be Legalized” in a book called Contemporary & Classic Arguments. William was asking people of the United States to keep fighting for legalization of drugs in our country. William then go against four
Many have long argued that prohibition simply does not work. ( ) Today, the strict policy on cannabis is reinforced by severe punishment. In reality, police forces have been growing more lenient to cannabis use, prioritising more pressing areas, indicating a change in law enforcement attitude to the drug. ( ) This may also suggest a change in social culture. The flaws of prohibition are present today regarding the so-called ‘War on Drugs’. People who are otherwise innocent are swept into the criminal justice system because of cannabis use. (6) Thus, they face the problem of a criminal record and may even become involved with harmful activity whilst in the criminal justice system. This situation has wrongly allowed cannabis to be a powerful
A ‘legal high’ is perhaps more accurately described as an unbanned substance which possesses the ability to alter the mental and physical state of an individual to mimic illegal drugs, based on its distinct chemical properties. Legal highs are ‘not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act’ , but restrictions prohibit the selling of legal highs for the consumption of human beings hence they are often sold as chemicals such as bath salts. Substance misuse with regards to ‘legal highs’, young people and the limited success of policies implemented currently to eradicate such misuse is a prevalent issue subject to intense debate amongst politicians globally. A report published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre states how ‘in 2013, 16 per cent of pupils had ever taken drugs’, illegal and legal inclusive.
As a nation we face a serious enemy that is not on foreign soil but here at home. The drug problem in this country has truly affected many lives and families. This enemy has no limits and affects our domestic tranquility. All drugs should not be legalized because they have the ability to impair judgment and do much bodily harm. Drugs have been a dark shadow lingering over our country for many years. In recent years, the heroine epidemic has spread throughout the nation; it has taken many lives and hurt many families along the way.
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 don’t think that legalizing drugs is a good idea, because there would be an increase in the amount of deaths due to overdose. I think the crime rate would also increase due to people not being able to think clearly, Marijuana is the most commonly used drug, and has a
In today’s society, doing drugs is one of the most common forms self-harm. Drug legalization is one of the most argued topics because people do not know whether or not there should be limitations on what people are allowed to do their bodies. This form of self-harm has been debated for decades and continues today because people could not come to an agreement. There are some people who believe that people should be allowed to do anything with their bodies. Nevertheless, there are a number of people who argue that there should be limitations on what people can do with their bodies. In this paper, I will argue that drugs should not be legalized because they are harmful to the individual and also will be damaging to the society.
The concept of ‘drugs’, as we understand it today, is a regulatory construct that was invented at the beginning of the 20th century as part of the creation of the international prohibition regime. Substances that come under this banner share little in common except how they are regulated. The contemporary usage of the term ‘drug’ refers most often to the two categories: medicinal
For many people, the thought of making drugs easily accessible for consumption by the masses may be frightening. After all, we have drug laws in place because they have the potential to be harmful. It also may not be difficult to imagine that it could very well be subject to failure due to a numerous amount negative externalities that may occur. Our nation has been engaged in a war on drugs for several decades now. The effectiveness of this war, however, is a topic that has continuously been debated. Some argue that universal legalization of drugs, an alternative that has never been tried, may have a greater benefits when compared to the present state of the war on drugs. On the other hand, the opposition believes that legalization would only pave the way for a vast amount of crime and many wasted resources.
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;
For many years, a real push has been looming on the idea of legalizing now illegal drugs. This has become a hot debate throughout nations all over the world, from all walks of life. The dispute over the idea of decriminalizing illegal drugs is and will continue on as an ongoing conflict. In 2001, Drug decriminalization in all drugs, including cocaine and heroin, became a nationwide law in Portugal (Greenwald). Ethan Nadelman, essayist of “Think again: Drugs,” states his side of the story on the continuing criminalization of hard drugs, in which he stand to oppose. Whether it is for the good of human rights or not, decriminalizing drugs may be a good head start for a new beginning.
There is no wrong or right answer for the legalization of all forms of drugs. Studies have shown the positive and negative long-term consequences of drug use. In the following we will discuss pros and cons:
Drugs are a very strong controversy and people have such strong opinions about whether or not they should be legal or not. I don’t have a strong opinion on this topic, I am easily swayed to either side. For the most part though, I think that they should be legalized because people already do them anyways and will continue to do them. If they were legal then the government could regulate their usage and sale then the government was receiving the profits rather that the drug dealers.
“I’m in love with the coco” (a song depicting a love for cocaine song by O.T. Genasis), just one of the most recent songs to have explicit usage of drugs. Referring to drug usage and sales is a popular trend in today 's hip-hop and rap lyrics. As a society where do we draw the line with censorship of this material? Not only are the lyrics being said, but the drug usage is also being portrayed in the music videos; all the way from marijuana usage to cocaine and popping pills. There 's no doubt that this type of music has a negative effect on today 's youth, but by censoring, this variety of music are we in effect censoring the culture and reality that sings it.