Arguments for Legalization of Drugs
This is an excerpt from the paper...
A number of prominent Americans have in recent years shown great courage by suggesting that the legalization of drugs should at least be studied as an alternative to the present failed war on drugs. There seems little chance of these voices being heeded given the degree to which drug use has been demonized in American society, but there are good reasons to consider this alternative, however unpopular an idea it may be. The move toward legalization, or at least decriminalization, would be a recognition that the "war on drugs" is a failure and that a different approach to the issue is needed. It would also be an admission that laws against drug use for adults are an incursion into our civil rights, that drug prosecutions are destroying our criminal justice system, and that related crimes could be better controlled if drug use were not illegal. The legalization of drugs should be examined, considered, and probably implemented as a more realistic way of addressing the problem of drug use in society today. Several arguments can be made for the legalization of drugs, and three of these are noted here: 1. Drug use is a matter of personal choice and so is an issue that is fundamental in a democracy based on individual freedom as protected by the Constitution. 2. The link between street crime and drug abuse would be broken by legalization. Whereas today criminals rob and kill in order to get enough money to buy drugs, with legalization this cycle could be broken so that abu
. . .
e reasons can be stated in support of this position:
1. Legalization would lead to increased drug use and be a drain on society in the long run. The drug problem would thus become worse because the stigma and criminal sanctions would be removed, so more people would become drug abusers. Legalization would thus defeat the stated purpose of reducing drug abuse.
2. Drug use is a health issue that strains the health care system, which would only worsen under decriminalization. There would be increased costs to society in terms of hospital expenses, lost work days, accidents in and out of the workplace, and family problems.
3. The government has a duty to take a moral stand against drug use and enforce it. The war on drugs uses the metaphor of war for this very reason, to show how important it is that we stop drug abuse. The fact that there are laws against drug use sends a signal that drug use is poor behavior and that users will experience some social disapproval.
The first argument against legalization of drugs is related to the idea that the war on drugs has not been a failure at all and that legalization would bring the problems the war has been fighting. Statistics show that high-rate cocaine use is not commonplace, and th
. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Benjamin Miller, , Drug Abuse, Battjes Amsel, United Indeed, AIDS IV, Brewster Weibel, Amsel Community, Michael Needle-sharing, drug abuse, Heritage February/March, war drugs, drug users, drugs legalized, law enforcement, legalization drugs, drugs illegal, drug laws, argument legalization, intravenous drug, american heritage february/march, legalization lead increased, iv drug users, lead increased drug, matter personal choice,
Approximate Word count = 2688
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)
More Essays on Arguments for Legalization of Drugs
|
Customer Service
to Over
32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
