Should Drugs Be Legal?

Another argument against the use of drugs is the harm it potentially has against the people around the users. People around drug users do have the potential to be harmed from them yet so do many other things; driving could potentially hurt people and many other things, yet anyone who has a license can drive a vehicle without being persecuted. Every choice in life has risks of hurting people yet the only one choice is persecuted; drugs. Although it seems absurd to punish people for being inconsiderate or making not so good choices the outcome of their choices on the public are similar to drug users.

I am certain in my belief that most students who have attended any university in the US have in one way or another been around drugs. However, whether or not they partook in them is debatable. They have more than likely made a decision: to do the drug, or not to do the drug. If they are like me, they did not do the drug, but continued to socialize with those that did partake. If they are not like me, they may have taken the drug and continued to socialize with those they are around. Drugs have become a large part of college culture, and more ultimately, human culture. The reasons vary as much as the reasons why people personally choose to partake in the drug of their choice. Peter De Marneffe states in his article “Decriminalize, Don’t Legalize”, that “people use drugs because they enjoy them; they find them fun and relaxing. If it is easier, safer, and less expensive to do something fun and relaxing, more people will do it and do it more often” (De Marneffe, 200). Currently, the US is dealing with drug prohibition (War on Drugs) which has become a topic of hefty discussion. As David Boaz states in his article “Drug-Free America or Free America?”, political entities have attempted to stop the use of various drugs since drugs were first used. He goes on to say the most familiar example to the American people is the prohibition of alcohol (Boaz, 194). In this position paper, I will do the following: I will define

Marijuana has been a hot topic of conversation over the last few years, as some states in America have legalized it medically and recreationally. By discussing the legal aspect of marijuana, the economic benefits, medical usage and how marijuana affects the family, we can see the positive and negative impact that marijuana has on sociology.

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.

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).

The flame ignites, the smoke builds, the mind relaxes. It’s a process that at one point, could have

The United States of America is losing a major war: the war on drugs. And it is time for us, as a nation, to admit our country’s drug laws are doing more harm than good. The fight against drugs is not as effective as it was originally envisioned. Both the federal government and states have taken extreme measures and enforced strict laws to keep our cities and neighborhoods free of drugs. However, it is time for a change. And I believe this change should start by settling the conflict between federal and state drug laws. The federal government should decide all drug laws nationwide and give less say to the individual states. With that being said, I think the federal government should legalize recreational marijuana use nationwide and lessen the harsh policies enforced and severe punishment for recreational use of other drugs.

The United States Drug Policy evolved after the 1900s when laws dictating drug abuse became prevalent. The targeted audience for the War on Drugs was aimed at helping the upper-class citizens and not the lower-class citizens which ultimately caused the government to become hypocrites. The United States War on Drug Policy was supposed to help America as a whole and not select classes. The supply of drugs entering into the United States did not seem to be affected after numerous different strategies were instilled by different presidents and government officials. Without a successful strategy to end the spread of drug usage we as a country have lost the War on Drugs. An unintended consequence from the United States drug policies to thwart drug

Throughout the United States, the use and abuse of legal and illegal drugs is very common. As Rosenberg states in “In Drugs We Trust: Why Do Americans Make War on Some Drugs and Build Fortunes on Others?” if something is called a drug, people will “nod their heads, understanding what you mean: You’re deeply attached to it and you can’t live without it, even though you suspect that there’s something wrong with it” (pg.2). The legality of various drugs has changed over time. The definition of a drug, is any substance that has the ability to influence one’s behavior. This could be done by altering one’s mood, feelings, and/or mental state. Although many people believe the use of illegal drugs is more common, the use of legal drugs is actually more common. Legal drugs include drugs such as alcohol and tobacco. As Rosenberg states in the 17th and 18th century, coffee was considered a big drug problem, however now caffeine and coffee is legal. For, legal drugs can cause both social and economic problems just as much as illegal drugs, such as with alcohol and drunk driving. As a result of increased drug use, the United States has created a “War on Drugs,” where it spends billions of dollars to try to “stop” the use and abuse of illegal drugs. However, this “war” is not getting at the root of the problem, for the war does not deal with the root cause of the issue. Instead, this war focuses on dealing with the surface problems, such as the distribution and possession. It does not

The United States of American is a society built upon principles and laws. These laws and principles were decided to keep Americans safe and help one another co-exist. In the beginning as laws came into being law makers would play it by ear as they decided what could remain legal for the public to take part in and what would be illegal and frowned upon by society. One of the many issues American government has come face to face with issues about making legal or illegal is drugs. Drugs since their first discovery has made a major impact in American history. Some might say that drugs have been destructive to our country, but even so legal or otherwise, one can say that they have contributed to the growth of our nation’s economy. The government

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with 730 in 100,000 people behind bars. Why has America imprisoned so many of its own citizens? The recreational use of marijuana and other drugs has been banned in all but four states. This has led to the mass of approximately one million drug offenders incarcerated in the United States today. The legalization of recreational drug use in the U.S. would reduce the nonviolent prison population and provide funds for improved rehabilitation for prisoners.

The Constitutional authority for the federal government to regulate drugs is already tenuous, and saying that they have the ultimate right to say whether or not they're legal makes almost no sense. Drugs are not part of the laws that the Constitution allows the government to pass laws on, but the states can pass any local law.

Drug use is part of human nature, but the unimaginable wealth involved leads to the corruption of the police, judges, and elected officials. There is no reason to have the government regulating what goes into an individual’s body. An extreme case of what we’re letting the government do is letting them take away our own self, an individual’s ownership over his own body. I think it’s in everyone’s interest to legalize all drugs, since this war is going nowhere, letting

Should all drugs be legalized? Suppose that someone has some life threatening illness and suppose that a drug that has not yet been approved by the FDA can cure this illness. Should he have to die just because some government bureaucrat tells him that he cannot have this drug? There are millions of AIDS patients in similar tragedy. The two most harmful and dangerous substances are alcohol and tobacco. Yet, they are legal, only because they are popular. Marianne Apostolides of the pro-legalization Lindesmith Center wrote in the Wall Street Journal: "Marijuana is safer than other substances such as nicotine and steroids. Most people who use marijuana have no problem with it." “The question about legalized drugs is the defining point for a Libertarian. If you are opposed to legalizing all drugs, then you are not a Libertarian, by definition.” Sam Sloan But if we analyze did alcohol use decrease when it was legalized? Answer is No. When abortion became legal, did abortions decrease? No. When an action becomes legal, the number of people carrying out that action increases. Drugs are not different Drugs Abuses, Crimes and Legalization Crimes will also not be reduced by drug legalization. Studies show a correlation between drug use and crime - violent crimes such as homicides, assaults and domestic violence. Why is this? It's quite simple - drugs cause violent behavior. In actuality, crime will rise when drugs are legal because more people will be taking drugs. Crime is high

Drugs are a substance that can either enhance someone 's abilities or completely diminish them. Certain drugs, or commonly referred to as pharmaceutical drugs, are legal because over time people have realized that there is a cure for their temporary pain; although, arguably some have negative side effects worse than the original diagnosis. But there still is a dispute on certain illegal drugs because while some people prefer the outcome of having it legal, others strongly do not. Should their opinion solely dominate whether other people can have the ability to choose? Hopefully not, that 's why tobacco is legal (and far more damaging), that 's why some people are strippers and other doctors; one position does not make the employer better than the other, but it just proves how they can essentially do as they please which should be applied to what they choose to put in their body. Therefore, with marijuana and all of its benefits and consequences, should it be legal? "No!" will likely shout from many people 's angry and often biased mouths. This is because most people associate a connotative definition as to what that drug is and how it affects people. Most people have this faulty knowledge that marijuana is detrimental to someone’s health because of what they associate with it, such as a dropout teenager or a drug addict. But many never stop to think of someone using this drug as an individual in real medical pain, or as a grown adult choosing what to put their body. After