The dispute and wars on drugs have become an American Political icon of the United States. The Government’s quest to prohibit the acquisition of various drugs that were made illegal. Those drugs became strongly criminalized in the 1970s, and standardized sentencing in the 1980s and 1990s made long prison sentences for the mere act of possessing those drugs.
Therefore, an effort to decriminalize these drugs has become a point of emphasis for some.
Light medicines are often substances that can be equally decent and unfavorable; They are substances that have the capability to become both of those favorable to mankind as well as dangerous to it.
Without a doubt, they are just synthetic substances produced from organic and natural plants and have considerably less harmful effects on human bodies when taken; the degree to which the psychoactive of these light-weight drugs are destructive to the consumer is comparatively reduced.
Pros Of Legalizing Drugs
It can support lower addiction rates and substance abuse rates:
Portugal has supported the decriminalization of drugs for more than a decade. They have discovered since the time they made this effort that not only do addiction rates to the once illegal drugs go down, but so do the substance abuse rates.
Because those with addiction or substance abuse issues are not jailed but treated, treatment costs are typically lower, and there are higher recovery rates.
It encourages people to remain within society:
Even when a drug problem must be treated, treatment programs for drug use can encourage people to remain productive members of society. When drug use has been penalized with the various criminal statutes, it becomes more difficult for individuals who take drugs to find meaningful employment.
It is much easier for them to find a job when there is no felony on their record due to your possession of a drug deemed illegal.
It changes how society sees people:
When drug use is illegal, a counter-culture emerges that celebrates and encourages the use of it. When it is legalized, that actually counter-culture and starts to disappear. Non-drug users are not as fast to condemn others.
Addiction can be treated more like a disease rather than being treated like a legal problem. Once again, people become themselves without various classes of superiority assigned by the general population to what drugs people use or why they use those drugs.
It allows the criminal justice system to emphasize what it does best:
The criminal justice system was not actually designed to be a system that treats addicts. It was designed to be a system that uses courts to keep the general population from harm.
Although the goal of creating laws against drug consumption to stop people from possessing potentially harmful substances is a worthy goal, that mandate would be better fulfilled by the counselors out there, treatment facilities, and other forms of infrastructure.
Decriminalization isn’t the same as legalization.
In the U.S., several states have legalized the process of acquiring marijuana for recreational purposes. The federal guidelines that the Obama administration signed were an effort to decriminalize marijuana possession in those states without violating all the laws for everyone else. There is no slippery slope in place here.
Decriminalizing drug use does not actually make it legal. It just takes the legal penalties away from at-risk individuals. Selling and distributing the drugs would still remain a criminal offense.
It could reduce societal violence:
In the year 1989, 7.4% of homicides in the U.S. were considered to be drug-related. In the year 2007, 3.9% of homicides were classified in the same way.
At the same time, the homicide rate in the U.S. had dropped from just under 19,000 cases in 1989 to just under 15,000 cases by 2007. As laws have been loosened and certain activities got decriminalized, violent conduct has also been reduced.
Cons of Drug legalization:
It may encourage experimentation:
Some individuals may also have a genetic disposition towards drug use and addiction. Allowing those people to have open access to whatever drug they wish to consume could create an atmosphere where experimentation is encouraged.
If there are no laws in place that would prevent them from having whatever drugs they wish to acquire, it could eventually create more health problems for certain individuals – even with greater access to treatment.
It would reduce prices.
When there is no legal barrier in place to prevent access to drugs, the system of a free market takes over for the industry. That means a greater supply of drugs is available, which could lower the prices.
If pricing is a barrier to entry or experimentation for some individuals out there, then decriminalization or legalization of drugs would encourage them to try something when they would not have done so otherwise.
Treatment infrastructures are not present:
Although the costs would be reduced, the cost of treating addictions in the general population would increase. The current infrastructure may not support the number of individuals seeking help.
That would mean higher expenses would come in the form of building assets and training more counselors to handle the needs of society. Depending upon how this was implemented, the expenses could be higher than they are under the present structure.
Decriminalization can lead to legalization:
Although the intention or the goal may not be to legalize drugs with a decriminalization effort, there is always the potential that this might happen. Legalization can provide tax benefits and various treatment opportunities for some drugs.
For strong drugs, the benefits of decriminalizing their use could be less than the risks these drugs cause to society. Strong drugs can cause behavioral changes that may lead to violence.
Safety problems could become worse instead of better.
Even when the safe centers are placed in areas of high drug consumption, the individuals may still choose to take the drugs in the non-safe locations. Increased access to injectable drugs could result in more severe health risks for exposure in public locations.
People who have taken drugs and then drive somewhere, the public is at risk as well, just as if the person had drunk alcohol and driving.
Non-violence causes dangers to society:
The disadvantage that comes along with the legalization of drugs is that there are non-violent dangers to society that would be likely to increase. In the communities out there that are struggling with the use of heroin, used needles are often left in the parks and other spaces.
This risk produces a disease and injury risk to anyone in that area, especially children.
These pros and cons of the legalization of drugs suggest that the benefits could be something that other nations may experience as well. Because drugs can be potentially harmful or be the cause of violent behavior, there must be some strict controls placed upon the use of these kinds of substances.
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