The legalization of illicit drugs has been a popular topic of debate. While there is often concern about the potential toxicity and the habits that may form, drugs are not necessarily the problem. In fact, the legalization of illicit drugs may be the answer to some of society’s problems. More drugs should be legalized because the drug is not the cause of the problem, our behavior is. Also, when compared to other substances that are legal we see the same social ills arise. If drugs were legalized crime would also be reduced. There is often a stigma placed on drugs, and because of this it is often hard to see the benefits that may arise from the legalization of drugs. The drug itself is not the issue, instead it is our behavior and the …show more content…
deaths annually and cigarettes for over 400,000” (Hart & Ksir, 2015, p.27). Alcohol and tobacco account for more deaths than other drugs, yet they are legal. Again, a drug is only harmful if a person abuses it and uses it in a certain manner. In fact, there are many illegal drugs that could actually be beneficial to society, and we have seen that recently with the legalization of marijuana in some states. According to WebMD through a conducted study, “alcohol was found to be the most harmful drug to society” (Locke, 2010). Society tends to overlook alcohol as a drug simply because it is legal and can be freely purchased, but society fails to realize that this legal substance has shown to be more dangerous than many illegal drugs. “Alcohol, more than any illegal drug, was found to be closely associated with violent crimes, including murder, rape, assault, child and spousal abuse” (Wilcox, 2015). Society accepts alcohol because generally it is not looked at in a negative way, but when researched it is far more harmful than many of the illegal drugs out there. Drugs and crime seem to be heavily linked. “There are more than 1.5 million drug-related arrests in the United States each year” (Hart & Ksir, 2015, p.39). If more drugs were legalized there would be less crime carried out for the purpose of obtaining money. Due to the drugs being illegal many of these drugs are highly expensive and some drug users feel they have no other way to obtain money but to engage
Every property crime committed by a drug user is potentially a violent crime. Many victims are beaten, severely injured, and murdered each year. A New York City crack user murdered five people in an eight-day period to get the money to buy drugs. The user survived the crack, but his victims did not. So in actuality, the act of prohibiting drugs is to blame for so called “drug-related violence.” Legal drugs like morphine, alcohol, and a pack of smokes are more detrimental to the user and those around the user than one joint smoked a week. Plus, if pot were to be legalized, it would be regulated, and DUIs could be given to those who drive while high.
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. There is not a way to stop
The issue of drug abuse is a sad reality in every community, and drug prohibition is present across the globe. Whether it is under the guise of protection of family values, or public safety, prohibition disrupts more than it maintains. Many people view drugs as a problem but they can also be viewed as a problem solver. This essay will address the socioeconomic issues with prohibition of hard drugs, and argue for their legalization.
In 2015, 1,488,707 people in the United States were arrested on drug charges. Nearly 84 percent of those arrest were for possession only. As one can imagine these arrest impact the American justice system greatly. Within America's prisons in 2010 more than half of all inmates were serving time based on drug related charges. The prisons within America are greatly overcrowded, and I believe that decriminalizing drug use could offer assistance in this situation.
Drugs should be legalized and/or decriminalized in the future in Washington State and the Unit-ed States. However, along with legalization should come counseling for drug abuse and should give the pros and cons to using drugs. Since smoking was legalized and more information has come out about smoking there is 50% less smokers and it is less of a public issue. And as far as the concern with there being more people using drugs and driving a car, yes we will have drivers using just as we have drivers drinking and driving. Also with legalization will come more control for the purity of drugs and users will be less like to become dependent because of this. One other issue is that more money needs to be spend on rehabilitation. Incarceration is
The arguments that I have just laid out are not perfect and they have some apparent flaws that some philosophers would strongly disagree with, while there are other arguments that some of the great philosophers would agree with. I will critique the arguments that I have just laid out using the perspective of three different philosophers who all have their own ideas of how the state should function and the role of the citizen. The three philosophers that I will use in this critique will be Karl Marx, John Stewart Mill, and John Locke. The reason why I picked these three philosophers is because they all agree with some aspects of my writing, while disagreeing with others. One will disagree with the role of the state and the citizens, but
"I think what everybody believes and agrees with, and to be frank myself, is that the current approach [to the drug trade] is not working, but it is not clear what we should do." This quote by Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, calls for action against the drug trade in Canada as well as America. The War on Drugs has been an everlasting battle that the United States has lost time and time again. A conclusion can be surmised that all drugs should be legal with some form of regulation to resolve the drug epidemic; however, others believe that the legalization of all drugs would not work. These aforementioned people against the legalization of drugs argue that because drugs are harmful, the legalization of all forms of drugs would lead to an increase in problems pertaining to the drug issue in America. Those who advocate for strict drug legislations are correct that drugs are harmful; nevertheless, there are several benefits that would arise from the legalization and decriminalization of drugs. In 2001 Portugal decriminalized drugs and has experienced a vast array of positive effects since then. The issue of prisons becoming overcrowded is becoming an apparent concern within the United States. The United States Government, on both a state and national level, expends an immense amount of money on its arduous drug control policies. Gangs and drug cartels would lose their primary revenue source as large businesses would control the decriminalized drug market. In
An expensive problem the United States of America faces is: too many people in jail, in which many people are incarcerated for the use and distribution of drugs. Why is this a problem? Firstly, a large amount of drug dealers or users in jail means less space for violent criminals such as robbers, murderers, and sexual assault perpetrators. Secondly, money spent on drug dealers and users, like capture and housing, is very expensive. Finally, because the government does not regulate the sale of narcotics we miss out on taxation of said narcotics, which can be used for the education and rehabilitation of drugs for citizens. Therefore, due to the dangerous and expensive system in place, legalization of all drugs is the solution we
Also, many scientific studies support the connection between drug use and crime. One study investigated state prisoners who had five or more convictions. It was found that four out of every five of them used drugs on a regular basis. With that being said legalizing drugs would definitely increase crime and social problems.
Drugs are a very big problem in the world and many deaths are caused by the wrong use of drugs, overdose and suicide. Everywhere you look people are affected by them and a lot of discussion over the drug issue occurs daily. Most of the people tend to drugs because they want to change something about their lives. They think drugs are a solution, so they use it as a way to escape from their problems or to relax or to just fit in the society. But eventually, the drugs become the problem. And the consequences of drug use are always worse than the problems one is trying to cope with them. Many people today calling for the legalization of the drugs especially the most widely used prohibited substance in the United States – Marijuana. People don’t
The legalization of drugs has been and still is a controversial issue that is quite difficult to settle. Drugs can be harmful but very resourceful. It is used to relieve minor or major pains but could also send thousands to emergency rooms. Throughout this paper, you will learn about the brief history of the prohibition of drugs and how it led to the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. The factors that the prohibition brought will also be discussed in this paper and how the damages of prohibition led to the passing of the 21st Amendment, bringing back prohibited substances. In addition, reasons to why legalization of drugs should be considered like how it could reduce crime and mass incarceration of minorities in the justice system, as well as their importance in the medical field, will be stated in this paper also.
The general population has not been capable enough to show appropriate handling of drugs. From the lack of knowledge, people misuse drugs in all ages, ordinarily from eighteen to thirty-six years of age. In fact there is evidence that is given to us about these irresponsible choices. Citizens have used drugs poorly such as smoking, snorting or sniffing on a daily routine, illegal transactions of heroin, cocaine, weed, etc. and overdose. Therefore, one of the leading causes of death in the United States is the incorrect utilization of drugs taken. In view of the fact that inhabitants use drugs for the an inappropriate purpose, consequently the government should not legalize all drugs for precautionary
“ We realize that drug addiction is a sickness, but it is also a crime” according to Pam Bondi. As we all know drug abuse is a big problem that is not often discussed. The reason we do not discuss it because we tend to hide things that cause a mad image or problem in our society. But the issue is much bigger. The legalization of drugs would improve many things such as how the government would have control over its cost and sales, the decrease of crime rates and the way we treat the people in our community who seek help.
Proponents on the legalization of drugs believe if drugs were to become legal; the black market worth billions of dollars would become extinct, drug gangsters would disappear, addicts would stop committing crimes to support their habit and the prison system would not be overwhelmed with a problem they cannot defeat. The decriminalization of drugs will only make illegal drugs cheaper, easier to get and more acceptable to use. “The U.S. has 20 million alcoholics and alcohol misusers, but only around 6 million illegal drug addicts. If illegal drugs were easier to obtain, this figure would rise”(Should Drugs be decriminalized? No.November 09, 2007 Califano Joseph A, Jr).”
An article in the Wall Street Journal, titled “Don’t Legalize Drugs”, discusses additional reasons why drugs should not be legalized. Drug abuse alone cost an estimated $55 billion in 1998 (excluding criminal justice costs), and deaths directly related to drug use have more than doubled since 1980 (Walters, 2002). Legalization, by removing penalties and reducing price, would increase drug demand (Walters, 2002). Make something easier and cheaper to obtain, and you increase the number of people who will try it (Walters, 2002). However that many not always be the case. Alcohol is, in my opinion, a dangerous LEGAL drug that causes thousands of deaths per year due to alcohol related accidents and mistakes such as DUI’s. Yet although alcohol is legal not everyone buys