Decriminalization, drug maintenance and harm reduction - Essay Example

Thus it is time to seek alternative approach in combating drug abuse. Among such alternatives are: decriminalization, harm reduction, and drug substitution and maintenance. Decriminalization is the process of making an action no longer a criminal act in the relevant jurisdiction. While decriminalized acts are no longer crimes, they may still be the subject of regulation; for example, the licensing and regular medical testing of prostitutes, or a monetary penalty in place of a criminal charge for the possession of a soft drug.

(Decriminalization, 2006). The decriminalization of drugs is a complicated issue embracing numerous distinct moral/ethical and practical strands which can, possibly, be summarized thus: (a) Whose body is it anyway Where do I start and the government begins What gives the state the right to intervene in decisions pertaining only to my self and contravene them (Valnin, n.d.). However, most studies shoed that decriminalization could the best weapon against drug abuse. For example, in the case of marijuana, findings from dozens of government-commissioned and academic studies published over the past 25 years overwhelmingly affirm that liberalizing marijuana penalties will not caused an increase in marijuana utilization or influence a teenager perception of drug use.

Since 1973, 12 state legislatures -- Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Oregon -- have enacted versions of marijuana decriminalization. In each of these states, marijuana users are no longer jailed when caught possessing marijuana (Marijuana Decriminalization & Its Impact on Use, 2002). Harm reduction Another alternative would be to replace unsuccessful laws and policies with harm-reduction strategies, which center on reducing the societal costs of drug abuse and other drug use.

Techniques include education to avoid overdose, needle exchange programs to reduce the spread of blood-borne diseases. Addressing drug use as part a public health issue rather than a criminal one would be beneficial in the long run (Zinberg, 1984; Drug Abuse, 2006). The central idea of harm reduction is the recognition that some people always have and always will engage in behaviors which carry risks, e.g. casual sex, illicit substance use. Harm reduction aims to lessen the potential harm linked with these behaviors without attempting to prohibit the behaviors.

Therefore, no one should be denied of health care services simply due to the fact that they take risks. Furthermore, harm reduction seeks a social justice response to illegal drug use, in contrary to a criminalizing one (Harm reduction, 2006). Drug substitution and maintenance Another alternative to unsuccessful laws and policies is drug substitution and maintenance. These approaches have a long history however. The logic behind is that of harm reduction: if some people are unable to quit using drugs, both users and society at large benefit if these users, i.e., addicts, are able to switch from "black market" drugs of indeterminate quality, purity and potency to legal drugs, of known purity and potency, obtained from physicians, pharmacies and other legal channels (Drug substitution