One need only turn on the 11o'clock news to determine whether the "war on drugs" has been a success or a failure. Border police and the FBI continue to nab ever-increasing caches of illegal drugs, while our "tough on crime" policies haul thousands to jail on drug trafficking and possession charges. Yet, people young and old continue to purchase and consume large amounts of drugs for a variety of reasons, ranging from medicinal to escapism.
Even the most ardent drug enforcers have to admit that the current offensive against drugs has been a dismal failure, because the government cannot prevent what people want to do merely through laws (and their enforcement). But does this automatically mean that drugs should be legalized?
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Gangs do not shoot each other and innocent bystanders for the right to sell beer and wine. No one has to sneak into "speak-easies" in order to enjoy alcohol. Jails do not bust at the seams due to arrests for alcohol possession and sales. Our major brewing companies fund many of our sporting events and account for an enormous amount of television revenue, helping to support the majestic stadiums, arenas and player-coaching salaries that have skyrocketed in recent years. No one has to attack anyone to get a beer; an alcoholic is more likely to beg for a dollar or so than rob someone at gunpoint to obtain his or her "fix." And when was the last time you heard of someone burglarizing a house to steal items for resale later just to obtain cheap wine?
But there are costs for the use of alcoholic beverages, and those costs are enormous. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in 1998, 16,189 people in the United States were killed in crashes involving alcohol alone (not cocaine or speed, just alcohol), and 1,058,990 more were injured. Economically, this resulted in an estimated $45 billion just from the direct results of such accidents. Indirectly, $75 billion is estimated to be lost in reduced quality of life. With all the messages telling people to drink responsibly and to use a designated driver or taxi, it seems that people will do what they want to do, whether it may kill someone or not. Can we honestly say that
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
In the past forty years, the United States has spent over $2.5 trillion dollars funding enforcement and prevention in the fight against drug use in America (Suddath). Despite the efforts made towards cracking down on drug smugglers, growers, and suppliers, statistics show that addiction rates have remained unchanged and the number of people using illegal drugs is increasing daily (Sledge). Regardless of attempts to stem the supply of drugs, the measure and quality of drugs goes up while the price goes down (Koebler). Now with the world’s highest incarceration rates and greatest illegal drug consumption (Sledge), the United States proves that the “war on drugs” is a war that is not being won.
Today the number are in the war on drug is a huge failure with devastated unintended consequences, it lead to mass incarceration in the us, to corruption, to political destabilization, and violence in latin america, asia, and africa. To systemic human right abuse across the world.”-Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell
The War on Drugs, like the war on Terrorism, is a war that America may not be able to afford to win. For over forty years the United States has been fighting the War on Drugs and there is no end in sight. It has turned into a war that is about politics and economics rather than about drugs and criminals. The victims of this war are numerous; but perhaps they are not as numerous as those who benefit from the war itself.
One the many controversies in our country today, regards the prohibition of illegal narcotics. Deemed unhealthy, hazardous, and even fatal by the authorities that be; the U.S. government has declared to wage a “war on drugs.” It has been roughly fifteen years since this initiative has begun, and each year the government shuffles more money into the unjust cause of drug prohibition. Even after all of this, the problem of drugs that the government sees still exists. The prohibition of drugs is a constitutional anomaly. There are many aspects and sides to look at the issue from, but the glaring inefficiency current laws exude is that any human should have the right to ingest anything he or she desires. The antagonist on the other end
Dangerous illegal drugs have plagued American citizens and their youth for as long as the country has been in existence. These harmful drugs are not only responsible for countless amounts of deaths, but the corruption of the American society in general. All too many times have these drugs been blamed for insanity, racism, rebellion, and straight up violence. Today the government is spending approximately $19.179 billion in one year to combat these evils (Gifford). Unfortunately, even with all of this effort going in to stop illegal drug use, the “War on Drugs” is yet to produce almost any positive results. Because of this, politicians are urging the government to spend even more money to combat the seemingly
Treatment is only a part of the price that we pay, we will also be paying for
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.
Alcohol can cause a major accident on the road that also affects other. Just by opening a can of beer can lead us or someone else to death. “Every 2-hours, three people are killed in alcohol-related highway crashes”(Chambers, 2010). It may be easy, but the consequences don’t come to mind before. The consequences of driving and drinking “are arrests, property damage, injuries, and thousands of deaths each year “ (Chambers, 2010). One of my friends lost her mom about two years ago because a guy was driving under the influence of alcohol and was speeding where he lost control of the car and crashed into the car. Yes, the guy is still alive and the only one affected was my friend’s mom, she passed away on her way to Colorado to visit her family but sadly she never made
The legalization of drugs is among the most polarizing issues faced by the US government today. The increase in organized crime related to drug trafficking has forced authorities to reevaluate their stance on their legalization issue, and yet there are those in the civil society that oppose such legalization vehemently. Though there is evidence that many of the banned and scheduled substances can be attributed to a range of health benefits and treatment of diseases, the American experience with drugs has been a rather unpleasant one. It is not surprising therefore, that America continues to take a tough stand against any and all drugs and that debate on the issue continues to rage strongly. The question, however remains – should drugs really be legalized, and if so, who benefits from such a legalization?
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.
“ 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.
Another drinking related activity that is deadly is drunk driving. Drinking and driving kills someone every fifty-three minutes. Every fifty-three minutes a mother and father loses their child because of an alcohol related accident. Every ninety seconds alone someone is injured. These deaths and injuries could be easily prevented if people would think before acting. If people would give up their keys or find a designated driver 10,000 people a year wouldn’t lose their lives. Drinking and driving takes the lives of many innocent woman, children, and men.
Man, as a creature, is inherently bored. Since the dawn of time, it has been the
The “War on Drugs” is the name given to the battle of prohibition that the United States has been fighting for over forty years. And it has been America’s longest war. The “war” was officially declared by President Richard Nixon in the 1970’s due to the abuse of illegitimate drugs. Nixon claimed it as “public enemy number one” and enacted laws to fight the importation of narcotics. The United States’ War on Drugs began in response to cocaine trafficking in the late 1980’s. As the war continues to go on, winning it hardly seems feasible. As stated by NewsHour, the National Office of Drug Control Policy spends approximately nineteen billion dollars a year trying to stop the drug trade. The expenses shoot up, indirectly, through crime,