Persuasive Essay On Drug Decriminalization

Marijuana use is on the rise, especially among teenagers and young adults. With the recent laws passed in eight states about legalizing medical marijuana , many stand divided when it comes to this never ending debate, but I firmly believe that this miracle working drug should be legalized throughout the United States.

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.

The systematic scheduling of drugs in the United States is arbitrary which leads to a discriminative social injustice. Some psychedelic substances such as Psilocybin are schedule 1 drugs, while alcohol and nicotine are legal. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) both alcohol and nicotine are proven to be harmful and addictive (2017). Conversely, Psychedelic substances have not been proven to be addictive. This equates to a social injustice that discriminates over someone who may prefer the effects of psilocybin to nicotine, even under the science that has shown nicotine and alcohol have a higher potential for abuse. Unfortunately, many political factors come into play regarding the legal status of drugs and industries such as the pharmaceutical, tobacco and alcohol industries, who harbor the most money and have an influence in the legality of drugs whether they are safe or not. While legalizing psychedelic substances would most likely cut into profits for these large industries they would bring about economic benefits as well.

“Once the defendants accept drug court, they appear before the drug court judge and plead guilty to the crime or (more often) crimes. The defendants are then placed on probation; once they sign an agreement, they become clients of drug courts. In some jurisdiction a plea may occur in another courtroom, but it is always the best practice to have the drug court judge pronounce sentence. The sooner they can begin to understand the nature of the drug court and to comprehend that they are there to receive help and support, not punishment” (Roper, Lessenger 292). Once you enter the program you agree to turn over certain rights, making a commitment and vow to complete the program. Many times records of the program are taken such as photos to

We should decriminalize drugs in the U.S. instead of legalizing them. Decriminalization refers to the lessening of criminal penalties of certain acts. According to De Marneffe, “… the legalization of drugs … [is] the removal of criminal penalties for the manufacture, sale, and possession of large quantities of recretational drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine” (346).

Just Say No.” This phrase was uttered in 1982 by Nancy Reagan, the first lady of the United States, in response to a schoolgirl’s question of what she should do if offered drugs (Weinraub A5). These words became the slogan for a nationwide substance abuse prevention program that followed the then recently enacted drug policies intended to discourage the manufacture, sale, and use of illicit drugs in the United States. These zero tolerance policies carried harsh penalties and strict enforcement for all drug related offenses. Almost four decades later, these policies are still in effect, as is their focus on criminalization as a means to reduce the availability and usage of drugs. Their ineffectiveness is evidenced by the facts that drug use rates have remained steady over the past four decades and incarceration rates have exponentially rose during that same period. I believe that a new course of action should be taken, and a bold new drug policy should be enacted. Decriminalization would result in a substantial decrease of the prison population, relieve the unnecessary burden that has been placed on our criminal justice system, shift the paradigm from drug enforcement to drug treatment, reduce the health risk of HIV, AIDS, and heroin related deaths; and provide unprecedented benefits from the regulation of the manufacturing and sales of substances that are currently illegal.

A controversial subject many Americans are constantly at battle over is legalizing drugs. Some experts have the opinion that drugs should be legalized for medical treatment, and for help with severe illness. Other experts argue that this will have a bad effect due to overdosing and addiction, and also the adverse affect on teens. I do not think that drugs should be legalized but they should allow people with serious medical conditions to use these illegal drugs. Legalizing drugs would only create and even bigger drug abuse situation, and especially for juveniles. Legalizing drugs would also create the question of what to do with criminals who are already incarcerated for this offense. There are surveys, which give statistics on crime, and how crime rates are affected by the use of drugs. For example, there is one survey called the “National

Heroin was invented in the 1895. (“Opium Throughout History”) It was a new concoction based on morphine, similar to the then popular laudanum, and was initially meant to be used as a cheaper medical substitute at the time. Heroin was never successfully brought into the medical fold, but was popular as a recreational drug almost immediately. Opiates, in one form or another, have been used for medical pain relief and recreationally since as early as 3400 BC. (“Opium throughout History”) Throughout the history of opium, control, regulation, trade, and addiction have been struggles for every society and civilization, starting with the Egyptians, hitting the Romans, the Chinese, and the Portuguese on the way, and continues to be a struggle in every modern society in the world. (“World Drug Report 2010”)

It is necessary to provide a little background on the primary drug being discussed, heroin. Opium is not a new drug; it has been used in eastern cultures as far back as the Neolithic age. It was used then similarly as other opium based drugs today are used to control pain. Opium could be taken orally or by smoking it, both produce similar effects.

As stated by the Drug Enforcement Agency, "Drug overdoses are the leading cause of injury deaths in the United States, ahead of motor vehicles and firearms." America is suffering from a drug epidemic that has dramatically increased the annual death rate attributed to heroin usage, nearly tripling in just three years, from 9,000 in 2011 to 29,000 in 2014. Major factors that have lead to this spike include: its highly addictive nature, low street price, and newfound availability across the nation with ease of access in suburban and metropolitan areas alike. Heroin is a semi-synthetic opioid derived from morphine. It was first introduced to the German public in 1898 by Bayer pharmaceutical company as a treatment for morphine addiction and tuberculosis.

With certain drugs legalized (like marijuana), we could take some of the country’s most dangerous criminals out of business overnight. The legalized drugs could be regulated and taxed by the federal government, and instead of pouring billions into fighting drugs, we could stimulate the economy by opening up a whole new market. Much like Colorado has done so effectively. It is the time the United States moves away from its punitive approach to the drug epidemic. In order to attack the problem at the root, policies should focus on prevention and recovery, rather than punishment. The decriminalization of more harmful drugs (such as heroin) does not mean legalization but rather just a more delicate approach. The government's devotion to increasing resources for detecting, arresting and incarcerating people involved in illicit drug markets has failed and put thousands of sick people away. We need to educate the populous with the truth on addiction to give them a new non-criminal perspective of addicts. You wouldn’t throw an alcoholic in a cell to withdraw on his own. We need to adopt a more

Drugs are a major influential force in our country today. The problem has gotten so out of hand that many people are even considering legalization of one of the most used drugs, marijuana. The legalization of marijuana is a controversial issue that has been fought for and against for several decades. Marijuana is defined as a preparation made from the dried flower clusters and leaves of the cannabis plant, which is usually smoked or eaten to induce euphoria and to heal and soothe. (dictionalr.com)

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

Today in our modern society, many people believe that teen’s develop a mindset of having a clean system and to stay drug free. However, people are not able to foresee that the drug use in America has rising up tremendously. Studies have shown that drugs can not only have impact on your life, but also have impact on those who surround you and also can led to the absence of adolescence. It leads to bad habits and only brings evil deeds. The possession of drugs and the conspiracy sell is illegal in the Unites States. If arrest and put on trial due to drugs can mean serious jail time. According to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, people are considered to have a substance use disorder. (Live Science) The Live Science states “... people have strong urges to use a substance or can't control their use of it, or if their use impairs them in social situations or leads to risky behavior.” Members of society have needs when a drug is being in place into there normal day routine. The report also states that an estimated 27.1 million people in the U.S. used an illegal drug in the past month. (Live Science) The mass-production, sale and possession of illegal drugs should be banned in the United States.

Laws that prohibit the possession and use of street drugs are important as their aim is to protect the user, those around them, and society in general from undue harm. There has been a great push during the last 10 years to legalize marijuana and decriminalize other drugs such as cocaine and heroin on the basis that the recreational user, and even the hard-core addict, may not be causing significant harm to anyone, beyond their own personal health. In this sense, drug use is viewed as a personal choice and drug laws trample on personal freedoms without sufficient reason. Additionally, minorities are found to be arrested and convicted of drug crimes at disproportionate rates when compared to the demographics of those who use illegal drugs, which some see these type of laws as a tool of legal oppression, instead of a valid punitive function. Still, there remains sufficient reasons to maintain laws against the possession and use of controlled substances, such as marijuana, cocaine, and heroin; though there is a compelling argument for the lessening of the amount punishment of the majority of users that are caught with small amounts of street drugs. This paper seeks to put forward valid reasons for the continued prohibition of drugs, while also making a case for the softening of incarceration policies.