What are the benefits of decriminalizing any drug free essay sample

What are the benefits of decontaminating any drug? A drug is not bad. A drug is a chemical compound. The problem comes in when people who take drugs treat them like a license to behave like an gasohol, said Frank Zap, the American composer and rock musician and I absolutely agree with him. The dawn of the twenty first century has ushered in a new age of optimism and wonder. Despite the proclamations of television, all is not in well in our part of the world. Our societies have waged a war on drugs, but this war Is far from being won. Being fought against our own citizens and citizens abroad, an International effort to eradicate drug production and use has undoubtedly failed leaving in its wake social unrest and political chaos. Assault, property crime, homicidal tendencies, racial and economic normalization, murder, corruption and many other undesirable things are burning through society fanned by the drug wars cold and inhuman policies. We will write a custom essay sample on What are the benefits of decriminalizing any drug? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition to these problems there are the Initial problems that drug users incur on themselves and society; the same ones the drug war was supposed to eliminate. Prohibition is an old idea that is not practically attainable in a democratic society that ales individual rights. short generalization+quotation For one, experiments with the prohibition of alcohol failed miserably and cost many people their lives. If the justification behind the drug war is human health and wellbeing, as governments would have us believe, then refraining from using the police to murder and spy on our citizens would be a good start to solving the problem. A form of regulated legalization of drugs would be a tolerant middle ground that recognizes the inevitability of drug use and strives to make it as safe as possible. Those who are pointing to the legal status of alcohol and tobacco need to understand that argument is as much in favor of prohibition as is in legalization. Yes, alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than some drugs such as cannabis, which is currently illegal in most countries, but on the other hand it is easy to see how much of a burden these substances are on society. Tobacco In particular has huge death rates which are undoubtedly due to its high user rates and easy accessibility. This obviously creates a huge burden on the health services particularly those that are to privatized. Similarly, while removing the illegal status of some drugs may reduce enforcement costs, they will not be eliminated and substantial costs will be created in enforcing various laws regarding driving under the influence and selling substances to minors. It Is far more reasonable to look at meld-way solutions to this problem like decentralization of certain types of drugs, marijuana In particular. The decentralization of drugs in Portugal provides an interesting example of this. Drug rates have not increased dramatically and more resources have gone to treating edicts, providing drug consumption rooms, needle exchange programs and other harm reduction strategies. I hope you know that in 2001 the Portuguese government executed a strategy of decontaminating the use and possession of illicit street drugs. The Portuguese policy holds that the theory was quite simple: focusing on treatment infections and afflictions. Five years later, the number of deaths from street drug overdoses dropped. Now instead of being put into prison, people, who have drug- addiction are going to treatment centers and theyre learning how to control their rug usage or getting off drugs entirely. Under the Portuguese plan, penalties for people caught dealing and trafficking drugs are unchanged; drug-dealers and drug- pushers are still Jailed and subjected to fines depending on the crime. Also, I want to mention that critics were wrong in their warnings that decontaminating drugs would make Lisbon a drug Mecca. I think that drug decentralization did reach its primary goal in Portugal the reducing the health consequences of drug use and did not lead to Lisbon becoming a drug tourist destination. Drug legalization removes all criminal analyses for producing, selling and using drugs; no country has tried it. In contrast, decentralization, as practiced in Portugal, eliminates severe prison sentence for drug users but maintains criminal penalties for dealers. The lucrative market for drugs is demand-led and millions of people demand illegal drugs. Making the production, supply and use of some drugs illegal creates a vacuum into which organized crime moves. Legalization forces organized crime from the drugs trade, starves them of income and enables us to regulate and control the market (I. E. Restriction, licensing, laws on sales to minors, advertising regulations etc. ). Recent research shows that nearly half of all 15-16 year olds have used an illegal drug. Up to one and a half million people use ecstasy every weekend. Amongst young people, under the current system, illegal drug use is seen as normal. Intensifying the war on drugs is not reducing demand. In Holland, where cannabis laws are far less harsh, drug usage is amongst the lowest in Europe. Legalization accepts that drug use is normal and that it is a social issue, not a criminal Justice one. How we deal with t is up to all of us to decide. Also I am a firm believer that I am in control of my own actions. So whether I choose to do drugs or not is my choice. I do not need the government to make an informed decision about whats best for me. If the government legalized cocaine or heroin it does not mean that I am going to run out and pollute my body and mind with either one, but if I choose to do so, its my decision as an adult. But with that said; it is an adult decision, so it should not be available to children, Just as alcohol is intended for adults who are 21 and older. All in all, there is no evidence to show that prohibition is succeeding. The question we must ask ourselves is, What are the benefits of criminality any drug? If, after examining all the available evidence, we find that the costs outweigh the benefits, then we must seek an alternative policy. Decontaminating is not a panacea but it does allow us to address many of the problems associated with drug use, and those created by prohibition. As I think, the time has come for an effective and pragmatic drug policy and our government should administer it. call for an action + question Flavor K. , 962