But if the goal is to minimize harm to people here and abroad the right policy is to legalize all drugs, not just marijuana. The minimum sentencing laws also make it impossible to negotiate the sentence imposed on them. In encouraging Californians to vote for the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) predicted a billion-dollar windfall for the state in tax revenues and enforcement savings. Legalizing marijuana would slash drug-related crime, they assert. Decriminalization is not legalization, and Oregonians won't be seeing cocaine boutiques popping up next to Starbucks. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost. Bogart December 22, 2020. In 2010, the United States government spent $500 per second on its war on drugs. 86% of supporters say that the medicinal benefits of marijuana are a very important reason for legalization. Not everything goes. It is hard to imagine a world in which the United States government would spend $1 trillion solely on eliminating poverty and improving education to prevent people from turning to drugs; but if the Federal government would only imagine the possibilities, they may begin to change their minds and attitudes on the legalization of drugs. Senior Legal Fellow and Deputy Director, Meese Center. These are facts. The right treatment, for the right person, at the right time, and which is affordable and accessible, may not be available in ones community. That means even if prohibition could eliminate drug use, at no cost, it would probably do more harm than good. There also are racial and ethnic differences in views of legalizing marijuana. While committing a crime must not be condoned, those who are sent to jail for possessing a small amount of cocaine suffer more than just detainment. The fact that criminalization of drug use proves to be counter-productive provides Husak a set of final substantial reasons for decriminalizing use. Prolonged use has a negative effect on cognitive ability that persists beyond the period of intoxication. One article examines the growing interest in a national debate on whether drugs should be legalized. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. In addition, one-fourth of all pack-a-day smokers lose ten to fifteen years of their lives but no one would entertain the idea of incarcerating smokers to further their health interests or in order to prevent non-smokers from beginning. Until recently, we failed to grasp the nature of this disease and how to reduce the suffering it causes. Despite the trillions of dollars and countless hours of man power thrown into curtailing the use of drugs, the end result has primarily been overcrowded prisons and little else. It is considered a brain disease because drugs change the brain's structure. Indeed, drugs are bought and sold on the black market, far from the rules and enforcement mechanisms of legal products. But now, the United States has spent $1 trillion trying to cure its social problems with the wrong solution. Oregon is the first state in the country to prioritize drug treatment over punishment. Visit our corporate site at https://futureplc.comThe Week is a registered trade mark. Future US LLC, 10th floor, 1100 13th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005. Reasons to Criminalize Drug Use. He establishes a high threshold that must be met in order to justify the state's incarcerating someone. Media accounts focus on users who experience bad outcomes, since these are dramatic or newsworthy. Some of the most overcrowded prisons have seen figures as high as being 50 percent overcrowded. WebAnd there are other reasons why it should not be permitted. If drugs were legalized, there would be less of a need for groups and individuals to carry weapons of any kind to protect themselves against law enforcement. One person who favors the coalescence of the terms "use," "abuse," and "addiction" is John Walters, Kerlikowske's predecessor as Drug Czar in the Bush Administration. Douglas Husak provides the conceptual clarity needed to work one's way through the various debates surrounding drug use and the law. Damage Your Health. Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Drug corruption is not a problem that exists only south of the border. Top 10 Things You Should Do When Youre Bored, Top 10 Reasons the USA Must Improve Its Infrastructure, 10 Mistakes to Avoid When Using Medical Marijuana, 10 Reasons Animal Hunting should be Banned, 10 Reasons Why Illegal Immigrants Should be Deported, 10 Reasons Why Cigarette Smoking Should be Banned, 10 Reasons Teachers should be Armed with Guns, 10 Reasons Why Teachers Should not be Armed with Guns, 10 Ways to Teach Your Child to be a Genius, 10 Things You Didnt Know About Europes Child Refugee Crisis. But, one of the biggest issues caused by drug violence is the level of the corruption at almost every level of the government in these countries. For decades, we did not want to believe that alcohol or drugs could have the power to take over our lives, despite the evidence we witnessed when our loved ones grappled with drug addiction. . A report done by the Federal government suggested that 9.4 percent of the population of the United States has used an illegal drug in the past month. 5 Reasons Why Alcohol Should Be Illegal Or Banned 1. Web4. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); (function(){var i='5CbpgT02ABHdB8Mh-um8FovvMuQm67Ewtc8uEdIuaplW7qYlRBmw';document.write('
That amount would buy a house, an education and comfortable retirement. There are several reasons why marijuana, also known as weed, should not be legalized. Web1. If drugs are legalized, there will be more drug abuse. WebAccording to some legal moralist, marijuana should be outlawed because it is wrong. Additionally, violators can avoid that fine by agreeing to a health assessment. He develops a convincing argument that imprisonment is never morally justified for drug use. Therefore, the people will be the least effective in their jobs and involved people in accidents. The legalization of dangerous drugs like cocaine, meth, and heroin would likely increase rates of addiction and other serious diseases. The influx of revenue combined with the estimated $8 billion in savings in law enforcement could make a huge difference in state budgets that are struggling to make it on their own. WebThose who oppose the legalization of marijuana point to the health risks of the drug, including: Memory issues: Frequent marijuana use may seriously affect your short-term 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Drug use should be treated as a health rather than a legal issue, says California State Senator Scott Wiener 96, who has sponsored legislation to decriminalize the use and possession of psychedelic drugs in the state by those over 21. WebDriving, skateboarding, riding a bike or playing sports while high can lead to serious accidents. But according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, deaths from prescription drug overdoses have reached epidemic proportions. More than 8,400 people died of overdoses in Europe in 2015. Given that Colorado passed $1 billion in marijuana state revenue this week, how did the survey's respondents feel about the economic benefits of the drug? Defending the great success of his tenure, Walters argued strictly on disease lines in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that "Drug Legalization Isn't the Answer": Substance abuse is a disease. Law enforcement will continue to prevent the sale of drugs. Drug abuse is sufficiently bad to justify making drug production and distribution illegal. WebAbstract. In a free society, the presumption must always be that individuals, not government, get to decide what is in their own best interest. Why not? To equate alcohol with marijuana, however, is both uninformed and misleading. When MSNBC's Rachel Maddow interviewed Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, only military and border policing options were discussed. The easy way to understand this is to realize that the use of drugs causes huge disruptions in the body`s biological systems and processes, especially in your brain chemistry. Next People in almost every culture, at every time, have used psychoactive drugs. But think of the benefits to society, pot proponents then argue. The entire concept of the criminalization of drugs requires the government to put citizens in jail for a private activity. Reported meth users jumped from 353,000 users in 2010 to 595,000 users in 2013. WebIn most countries and the US, prohibition generally remains the primary policy position for psychoactive drugs that have the potential to be misused, cause intoxication, addiction, and induce harms. . Those opposed also fear a general increase in drug usage with "leading people to use stronger and more addictive drugs" and legal marijuana "encouraging more people to use it" cited as very important reasons for opposition by 69% and 62% of opponents respectively. The right to die should be a matter of personal choice. It has been shown to impair memory Indeed, drugs are bought and sold on the black market, far from the rules and enforcement mechanisms of legal products. Drug use is a complicated issue. It significantly impairs bodily and mental functions, and its use is related to increased violence. That's because the demands for cocaine and heroin appear less responsive to price. WebAccording to Wilkinson (2013), marijuana needs to be avoided and not legalized because it harms the brain. Drug abuse is sufficiently bad to justify making drug production and distribution illegal. This evidence does not bear directly on what would occur under full legalization, since that might allow advertising and more efficient, large-scale production. As our eyes are on Oregon, we will likely be faced with a similar decision in our states. De ser evidente que el consumo de drogas provoca violencia urbana, abuso policial, la confiscacin de bienes, allanamientos indebidos, etc., el consumo libre sin el freno legal Although there are benefits to marijuana, the costs of it outweigh it; therefore, marijuana should not be legalized. But the reasons arent related to their relative risk or harm. Decriminalizing Drug Use. Forensic reports in Britain, a known hive of ecstasy activity, have noted that these drugs are now less pure than at any point in the last ten years. If made legally available, narcotics would be more widely abused and would lead to more Supply-side solutions include initiatives to pressure drug-producing countries to stop exporting illicit drugs, intercept drugs before smugglers can take them across America`s borders, pass stricter drug laws, crack down on drug traffickers, and sentence drug manufacturers and traffickers to long prison terms. You can change your cookie settings at any time but parts of our site will not function correctly without them. On average, federal prisons are overcrowded by a whopping 36 percent. If you`re connecting with other people who drink a lot or use drugs, this could be a good time to check who you`re spending time with and find other people to connect with who can engage in more positive interests and activities. one deserving punishment. These chemicals are more widely known as cutting agents. It significantly impairs bodily and mental functions, and its use is related to increased violence. In 2005, only 3.3 percent of the cocaine tested by the Forensic Science Service was less than 9 percent pure. Certainly not for those imprisoned. But, if marijuana is a gateway drug and huge numbers of people continue to try it for the first time every year, then it does not seem likely that the number of cocaine and heroin users continue to drop each year. Even if the hardest drugsremained illegal, softer drugs would only act as a gateway to moredangerous substances. By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. In addition, some drugs aid relaxation, others increase energy and some promote spiritual enlightenment or literary and artistic creativity. When in-demand markets are forced to go underground, violence becomes a part of the operation. And a recent poll suggests only about 10 percent of Americans favor legalization of Those convicted of corruption were able to be bought with both money and sex by the cartels to secure the safe passage of their drugs into the United States. First, marijuana has negative effects on mental health. The present war on drugs has not and will not produce a decisive victory. 1) Drug users, it is claimed, should be punished in order. WebThere are several reasons why marijuana, also known as weed, should not be legalized. A simple reflection tells us that a supply inevitably grows to satisfy a demand; And when demand is widespread, oppression is useless. Instead, Molly is a compound of chemicals. By the time I began as a drug policy reporter in 2010, I was all in on legalizing every drug, from marijuana to heroin and cocaine. VP Joe Biden introduced Kerlikowske with the invocation that "combating drugs requires a comprehensive approach that includes enforcement, prevention, and treatment." List Land Recommends Monumetric. Smoking any substance will have a negative and potentially life-threatening effect on your 2. Here are some of them: Drugs are physically addictive. Even after four decades of war on drugs and narcotics, the use of marijuana continues to grow in the United States. The United States has erected an enormous legal structure involving prosecution and incarceration designed to prohibit a highly pleasurable, sometimes medically indicated and personally satisfying activity, namely using marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. Volume 59, Issue 3 July 2000 Pages 525-536 Download PDF In fact, many legal goods cause serious harm, including death. After considering four standard justifications for punishing drug users Husak concludes that "the arguments for criminalization are not sufficiently persuasive to justify the infliction of punishment.". Legalizing recreational marijuana comes with serious societal costs. Removing drugs from the equation at this point is like taking a leg out under a three-legged chair. The natives of South America take coca breaks, just as we do coffee breaks in this country. Legal charges and a history of incarceration follow one through life, causing severe consequences, such as unemployment and difficulty accessing housing. What are the best reasons to avoid drugs? WebOther factors, such as social stigma, criminal repercussions, and lack of accessibility, all influence the rate of consumption of illicit drugs. The main risk of drug legalization concerns the WebEliminating drugs as a criminal offence will halt this injustice, and help prevent the institutional racism that pervades throughout our societies. If We have paid a high price for this confusion. The argument is that the overwhelming majority of the damage caused to society by the use of currently illicit drugs is not caused by their pharmacological properties, but by their prohibition and the resulting criminal activities that prohibition still gives life. The biggest culprits are often cocaine and drugs like MDMA. Rather, sound national drug policy includes international cooperation, research, strengthened law enforcement, treatment, and prevention and education. Of course, some people will still go underground, but those who want to take ecstasy without the risks can do so when they can purchase it from a reliable and regulated source. Were this principle applied to drug producers or distributors who faced imprisonment it seems that imprisonment could not be justified. Legalisingdrugswont stopviolence and social problems. No state has decriminalized, medicalized, or legalized cocaine, heroin, or methamphetamine. Drug use makes an . Over seven million people are classified with illicit drug dependence or abuse in the United States. . Find therapists best matched to your needs. Alongside the underground and black market trade of illegal drugs, there has also developed another black market for the trade of legal chemicals between manufacturers and drug dealers. The universality of drug use throughout human history has led some experts to conclude that the desire to change consciousness, for whatever reason, is a fundamental human motivation. Damage Your Health Smoking any substance will have a negative and potentially life-threatening effect on your respiratory health. The simple fun and euphoria attendant to drug use should count for permitting it. Instead of blaming drugs for further drug use, government researchers and drug critics should take a harder look at the socio-economic conditions in which the heaviest drugs users live. (p. 82). Husak argues that legal moralism fails, and with it the attempts to justify imprisoning drug users because of health and well-being, protecting children, or reducing crime. This violence often sees cartels at war, usually causing civilian casualties. producers, distributors or especially users of illicit drugs. To argue for drug decriminalization, as Husak does, is not necessarily to argue for legalization of drugs. The general use of these drugs would increase the legal status of countless public and private organizations to interfere in our lives; And the absence of disruption would have far from increased, but would have decreased considerably. Legalization. Demand-driven solutions include addiction education and treatment. The only issue being argued in Congressional hearings is how much to step up our military support of Mexican President Felipe Calderon. It also allows them to tell customers that they are getting a unique product with better or more pleasurable qualities that the pure drug alone would provide. But the major policy debate over drugs had already flown past the office of Drug Czar by the time Kerlikowske was selected. New Years Resolutions in Eating Disorder Recovery. Some people believe that prison stops those who dont want to stop themselves. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. WebWhy Marijuana Should Not Be Legalized 1. This is because the cartels wield so much influence in these areas that any acts of defiance simply result in unquestioned murder. This group is made up of former federal agents, police officers, prosecutors and judges who have first-hand knowledge of the devastation this violence causes both for law enforcement and for families. As he puts it: According to this view, the objective interest of a single adolescent in not losing ambition, motivation and drive justifies the imposition of burdens on other youth and adults who would prefer using drugs. The only accounts according to which drug use is immoral are religiously based and generally not shared in the citizenry. The LEGALISATION MEANS REGULATION. Compromises Judgement 4. The War on Drugs has been fought. Its high time for reform. Douglas Husak makes a compelling case against punishing drug users. Many people take drugs because they have no real purpose in life. Husak concludes "if we propose to ban those drugs that are implicated in criminal behavior, no drug would be a better candidate for criminalization than alcohol." A rational legal system, according to Husak, demands a convincing, but as yet not forthcoming, explanation of why one pleasurable drug subjects users to the risk of imprisonment while the other is accommodated in restaurants. For one, Husak quotes research showing that currently illicit drugs do not obviously pose a greater health threat than alcohol or tobacco. Forcing the drug trade underground allows growers, sellers and middle men to tamper with the drugs. De Marneffe advocates such a system. Because prohibition raises heroin prices, users have a greater incentive to inject because this offers a bigger bang for the buck. Finally, regardless of state law, marijuana remains illegal under federal laws, which states have no authority to allow their citizens to contravene. 2. But what could the government have done with $1 trillion if it did not spend it on fighting drugs? During the height of prohibition on alcohol, there were more social problems and more drunkenness in society than ever before. The decriminalization of drugs does not mean that there is a free-for-all with drug use. Even if the harder drugs remained illegal, the softer drugs would only serve as a gateway to more dangerous substances. There also are racial and ethnic differences in views of legalizing marijuana. Lacking curative or preventive powers, marijuana unlike alcohol is usually consumed to the point of intoxication. Furthermore, the National Research Council has concluded that the long-term use of marijuana may alter the nervous system in ways that do promote violence. No place serves as a better example than Amsterdam. No state will likely be allowed to legalize marijuana on its own due to negative cross-state spillover effects. Legalization of drugs would likely lead to increased drug use, as the drugs would be more widely available and potentially cheaper. Take our quiz to see therapists who are a good match for you. 2. Overdose deaths in Oregon were up 70% this spring compared to the same time last year. Husak here responds to de Marneffe's essay which focuses on potential drug abuse and promotes the welfare of children as a justification for keeping drug production and sale illegal. Charles Cully Stimson is a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Teens under the influence may also take more sexual risks, leading to long-term consequences. A more radical approach suggests legalization (in other words, removing drug-related offenses from criminal codes) as the only viable solution.Dog Shaking Head After Ear Cropping,
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