Should Drug Laws Be Restrictive?

Well, I for one believe that drug laws remain restrictive because drugs and alcohol significantly contribute to higher violent crime rates. Week

Keeping drugs illegal will only carry on the on-going drug related cycle: people get caught with possession of drugs, their third time getting caught they get a sentence, go to prison, come out,

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

Drug laws are a big factor when it comes to the daily lives of citizens. As Bill Rounds puts it, “Laws of prohibition always affect the level of privacy citizens have if they are used as a pretext to invade privacy.” The government has certain laws on what they can and cannot do. So, if there are more strict laws on drugs, it gives the government the right to invade your privacy to enforce these laws. Drug laws are not the only issue that affects the people.

Overcrowding prisons at the cost of the taxpayers’ dollar, people who need rehab sitting in prison for years at a time instead of getting the help that they need, and judges cannot do anything about it. Mandatory minimum sentencing has taken away judges’ discretion and often lay heavy sentencing. Drug offenses often receive heavier sentences than they should due to the use of mandatory minimums leaving people to question the fairness of the justice system. The use of mandatory minimums when sentencing drug offenses wrongfully incarcerates the convicted for longer than necessary rather than providing the rehabilitation the individual needs to break their habit and re-enter the public.

There are many differing viewpoints in the United States when dealing with drug policy. Within the political arena, drug policy is a platform that many politicians base their entire campaigns upon, thus showing its importance to our society in general. Some of these modes within which drug policy is studied are in terms of harm reduction, and supply reduction. When studying the harmful effects of drugs, we must first to attempt to determine if drug abuse harms on an individual level of if it is a major cause of many societal problems that we face today. In drawing a preliminary conclusion to this question we are then able to outline the avenues of approach in dealing

To begin with , eliminating drug restrictions will massively reduce crime. This is because most of the crime in the world is caused by people having drugs. Recent research shows that nearly half of all 15-16 year olds have used an illegal drug. Many people see illegal drug

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.

Overcrowding prisons at the cost of the taxpayers’ dollar, people who need rehab sitting in prison for years at a time instead of getting the help that they need, and judges cannot do anything about it. Mandatory minimum sentencing has taken away judges’ discretion when sentencing cases. Drug offenses often receive heavier sentences than they should due to the use of mandatory minimums leaving people to question the fairness of the justice system. The use of mandatory minimums when sentencing drug offenses wrongfully incarcerates the convicted for longer than necessary rather than providing the rehabilitation the individual needs to break their habit and re-enter the public.

According to Kristof (2009), the legalization of drugs is another solution to drug trafficking. With drugs more readily available, at lower prices and higher levels of potency many law enforcement personal and politicians favor legalization of drugs. While other experts favor keeping drug production and sell illegal, but decriminalizing possession. Either way if it is legalize it must be regulated. According to Kristof (2009), the United States have inquired three consequences due to the failure of “The War on Drugs”, increased population in jails, empowered criminals and terrorists, and squandered resources that cannot be replaced. With that said, why continue down a road were the drug problem is not getting resolved. Before drugs were prohibited, usage levels were lower among cocaine and heroin users, and states with legalized marijuana have not seen an increase in consumption, according to Kristof

However, before the specific outcomes of Congressional influence and policy impact can be evaluated it becomes important to first review the general history and current situation of drugs today. Our present drug laws were first enacted at the beginning of the century. At the time, recreational use of narcotics was not a major social issue. The first regulatory legislation was for the purpose of standardizing the manufacturing and purity of pharmaceutical products. Shortly after, the first criminal laws were enacted which addressed opium products and cocaine. Although some states had prohibited the recreational use of marijuana, there was no federal criminal legislation until 1937. By

In order to find an alternative to the United States current drug policy, it is helpful to look at the current options. Governments typically take three broad approaches toward drugs. The first is legalization, in which possession and sale are lawful but still subject to regulation and taxation. The second is criminalization, which consists of the banning of possession and sale with criminal punishment (i.e incarceration). Lastly, there is the combination of the two—where sale and possession are prohibited, yet possession is punishable only by sanctions, such as fines or abuse treatment but not jail time.

There are groups of people in the criminal justice system who considers drug addiction a personal issue, not a criminal one. This could not be further from the truth; drug abuse is illegal and should be treated as such. It is a catalyst for many crimes seen today from mugging to murder. If the numbers of those who abuse drugs are reduced, the amount of crimes associated with the addiction are also reduced. Not only will crime levels be reduced, most of those who undergo treatment tend to be better prepared to do more with their lives and not re-offend.

In my opinion, I think both restrictive and treatment based approaches need to find a way to co-exist when managing this problem. When it comes to being restrictive, I do believe it is in the publics best interest to have policies and laws restricting many (not all) substances. I do think that current policies and laws do help in deterring most of the general public from trying or getting involved in the drug trade. It also makes it harder for addicts or those dependent to have them readily accessible. Without enforcement many unwanted side effects can ensue in my opinion. For example, I think it would make it more accessible and more people would as a by-product be more enticed to try them and get hooked or cause those dependent on them

Drug should be legalized because its prohibition restricts the freedom of citizen. “Prohibition can’t work, won’t work and has never worked” (Carter 289) as it confines the residents’ right to choose, one of the most basic principles that this country is built upon. Liberties of society cannot be restrained unless the act may cause someone loss. We need to keep in mind that the druggies would not harm anyone if they can get drug in a cheap, easy and legal pathway which is when the government carries out legalization of drug. Thus, drug is a personal entertainment substance instead of a harming weapon. It would not hurt anyone but only the user themselves since it is kind of personality-destroying matter just like alcohol and tobacco are. However, it does not treated as personal and societal problems like they do even though “every argument that is made for