The Legalization Of All Drugs In America - Research Paper Example

In Favor of Legalizing Drugs Op-ed New York Times On July 1, 2001, Portugal took a giant step in the War on Drugs, and made a risky move of framing a nationwide law that decriminalized all drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin (Rooney, pp. 32). This law does not go hand in hand with declaring these substances to be legal, but rather takes away the offence of carrying them from being a crime and puts it alongside low-grade breaches of the law such as roadside or parking offences. Therefore, drug possession is still prohibited, but the penalty is just less extreme. Moreover, drug trafficking continues to be an offence strictly admonished by the law. Thus, in no way has Portugal declared acceptance of drugs, she has just likened the offence to an administrative breach and out of criminal realms. It has been 13 years since this move was made by Portugal, and enough time has passed to allow people to quantitatively and qualitatively gauge how prudent this said move was. Analysts and interviewers have found a significant decrease in the number of addicts and drug users in Portugal now, as instead of locking these addicts and users up and treating them as criminals, the government is using other policy such as directing them to rehabilitative facilities and mental clinics to help them combat their addiction and recover completely. Ever since the late 20th century, governments and politicians have had to come to terms with the fact that banning drugs and criminalizing the use thereof is not an adequate strategy and has never really taken the problem head-on. Instead, in many countries all over the world, the number of drug users is on the rise, despite strict anti-drug policy being in place. These facts along with the successful example of Portugal show that a different strategy or a policy with a different angle would be better suited to fight drugs and achieve a world with less number of drug users (Goldstein, pp. 50). While it is no surprise that the concern over drug use is a real one that is becoming more and more threatening and the years pass, it is also true that many of the strategies employed by the United Nations and big governments have failed. The numbers keep increasing relentlessly, while the authorities remain baffled by the array of crimes drugs have caused: breaking and entering, robbery, assault and battery, and murder. Moreover, even outside the law, the influence of drugs on the lives of many citizens and their families has been profound. Homes have been shattered with domestic violence, poverty and unemployment because of, and at times, leading to, drug use being the main culprit. Evidently, a different strategy or plan of action is required to fight the War on Drugs, and perhaps, decriminalizing drugs like in Portugal is the way forward seeing as their risky experiment has indeed yielded better results than the actual illegalization has in decades (Husak, Marneffe, pp. 7-10). So why has decriminalization not been met with much favor every time it has been brought up in a town hall meeting, or parliamentary debate? The answer is simple; people believe the current system works, and no other system can work better. However, research, studies and analysis of society and the socioeconomic problems faced with most drug users show that drug use is no longer a criminal issue in isolation. In fact, it is more of a psychological addiction, a way for the downtrodden to escape from their daily lives and troubles, and so, punishing them or locking them up serves no real purpose other than making their lives worse, thus perpetuating this vicious cycle of drug use (Bean, pp. 59 – 82). There are many strong arguments to decriminalize drugs, and the major backlash that the lobby for doing so has been the fact that it is a novel notion and that no strong precedent of its success exists. However, this is no longer true, as the glaring example of Portugal points out. Furthermore, this old problem of drugs needs a novel and fresh solution, something outside the box, which is why decriminalizing it holds up a strong case for itself. Let us contextualize the problem at hand, namely drugs, and the ever-increasing prevalence of drug users across the world. Drugs, both recreational and otherwise, have been used and abused for many decades, and the numbers of users keeps increasing. Many steps have been taken to try and abolish the problem, the major one being criminalizing it and declaring possession, trafficking and influence under drugs to be a punishable and serious offense. Moreover, schools and community centers have held talks and lessons while the churches have had masses and preach hours declaring that drugs are bad, and the reason every good citizen must abstain from them. Parents, spouses, teachers have all been involved to try to wean current and potential users from drugs. However, the truth of the matter is, flirtation with drugs has always existed and does not seem to be showing a significant trend to the opposite. So clearly, a change in plan beckons…it is time governments and politicians faced the truth, status quo is not working, and if we continue with the same obsolete policy, we will come to a point of no return, and the War on Drugs will forever be out of our hands. There is a multitude of reasons to decriminalize drugs, not least of them being Portugal's successful model that has achieved in just over 10 years exactly what most countries and governments have been trying to achieve for much of the last century. For one, decriminalizing drugs will force policy-makers and governments to address the real issues and challenges faced by the lower class. In the past and truthfully, even in status quo, governments hide behind a smokescreen. They have elaborately and flamboyantly declared the War on Drugs and proclaimed that they are making all drugs illegal, and equating it to other crimes. By doing this, they have allowed themselves to take a backseat while allowing violence and chaos to unfold, and arresting as many "culprits" as they can, and declared that they have, in fact, "taken care of the situation." This is the furthest thing from eliminating the problem, which we know very much still exists, and in fact, allows politicians to hide while pretending to have done as much as they could. They, in doing so, can very conveniently ignore the real problems and issues faced by the middle- and lower-class, like unemployment, poverty, crime, and delinquency. So now, instead of using prohibition as a smoke screen, they will be forced to avoid addressing these issues, and dealing drug use as a problem of psychology and victimhood as opposed to merely a criminal issue. I hope that under the new policy, issues that are the root of problematic drug use, such as poverty and despair, will be addressed, and the underlying causes rather than the rough surface will be touched upon. If all goes according to plan, problematic drug use could become outdated, as doctors and psychiatrists will be able to counsel users out of their problems, and provide them with a better and more productive way to channel their aggression and anger. Policy makers will have to do something as opposed to just claiming that they are with empty laws and legislation (Alexander, pp.71). One of the major proponents of moving forward with decriminalizing drugs is the need to eliminate the mighty black market of drugs that exists underground. In status quo, with drugs officially "prohibited," many users resort to buy their share from intermediaries or illegal drug cartels. The problem with this system of obtaining drugs is obvious: it is hard to control. So besides the usual problems that come with drug use, such as intoxication, absurd behavior and loss of control, these users are also susceptible to receiving damaged and faulty products that can endanger their health as well as the health of those around them. The drugs that are bought currently contain impure products that reduce the cost of the drugs. Many users are obviously not experts of the chemistry that these drugs consist of, and end up buying whatever they can get from the provider without heeding the consequences, and so, as a result, probably end up ingesting dirty, harmful substances that can severely injure their bodies without them even realizing. This lack of quality control thrives because of the absence of monitoring and control that other major sale products, such as medicine or food, get from authorities like the FDA. In fact, this provides a green life of sorts for the drug cartels so sell and charge whatever they like as the cost of the desperation and despair of their customers. Black markets and illegalization of drugs have made drugs a product with an inelastic demand, and basic economics tells us that in such a system, it is the customers that suffer most, a suffrage that can be dangerous and lethal in this scenario. Moreover, the production and supply of these drugs, because it happens underground away from the eye of the media or authorities creates a "safe vacuum" for organized crime to develop in. For example, drug cartels are aware of the desperation of their customers, and will often use this as bait to force them to work for them to commit dangerous and heinous acts. Alternatively, the suppliers to cartels from countries like Mexico and Russia can pressurize their cartels and also the border control authorities with violent methods to ensure delivery and sale. Another dangerous aspect of the drug black market is the lack of control that the good guys have. That is to say, because all drugs are illegal, customers that use them have no one to safeguard their interests as they are, in effect, on the wrong side of the law. Therefore, any robbery or misdemeanor they suffer at the hands of the vendor goes unaccounted for. Legalization forces the drug trade to eliminate crime and torture from the equation and starves them of income they earn at the expense of desperate addicts. In addition, it allows government to regulate and control the drug market by having limits and bounds on the prescription, license of vendors, laws on advertising, and regulations on sales to minors. Moreover, an authority could be established that would regulate the quality of the drugs supplied to ensure as safe a product as possible. One of the ways crime and drug use has always been related is the fact that drug dependents or addicts resort to violence and stealing to buy their drugs since drugs in status quo are very expensive. In addition, the reason that drugs are so expensive right now is that their price is not determined as most legal goods' is, through market forces or the government. Hence, most of the violence and crime associated with drugs is caused by its illegality (Bean, pp. 257 – 259). Decriminalization enables the government to regulate the market, as mentioned before, and to set a much lower price. While many citizens would be afraid of drug use increasing to their increased affordability, it has been known that drug addicts and users do not stop buying drugs just because they cannot afford them, and instead, resort to stealing and violence to support their habit. Regulating prices would eliminate this exuberant pricing and remove the crimes from the equation. Tobacco is an example of a product that supports this theory. The world has not developed more smokers because tobacco is cheap. In fact, legalizing tobacco and publicly proclaiming the harms and costs of smoking have played a bigger role in decreasing the tobacco market. In most countries, drug users are not a minority, or a small faction. Most teenagers and adults, studies show, have used an illegal substance some time or another. When the government faces facts and accepts that drugs are a social, rather than a criminal issue, they can reduce this number better. In Netherlands, for example, where cannabis laws are less harsh, drug use is among the lowest. In this way, a better and newer strategy, in concert with the drug addicts and users can be decided upon, to achieve better results. Another bonus from legalization would be the access to reliable information regarding drugs. Currently, users stay away from psychiatrists or the authorities conducting surveys, and this, in turn, skews statistics and underrepresents the number of people with the problem in our society. Decriminalization will allow for better information to be received from real drug users and their families, and better policy and campaign methods can then be created to combat the problem. Another way information can be skewed is through drug cartels and those people whose livelihood depends on drug sales. Legalization would allow the government to disseminate open and honest information to citizens to help them make better decisions regarding drugs, and how to use them. This would eliminate risky drug methods such as used syringes and sharing of needles that result in HIV and Hepatitis infections. Another way this could be beneficial is that it would allow for research to be conducted on drugs. One of the biggest advantages of legalizing drugs would be to make drug use safer. In the past, prohibition has does not decreased the number of drug users, but rather it has led to the stigmatization and marginalization of drug users in society. In this way, drug users are further forced into depression and despair, while also increasing their chances of contracting an intravenous drug abuse infection such as Hepatitis or Endocarditis. Harm reduction policies would then replace extreme prohibitionist laws, and be more beneficial to all citizens, rather than just the non-users (Husak, pp.125-167). Drug use is a worldwide problem. The drug market makes up over 8% of all world trade, and whole countries such as Mexico and Brazil are under corrupt influences of giant overbearing drug cartels. Prohibition allows developed countries to exercise unfair influence and control over developing nations with a known drug problem. Under the auspices of it being to curtail drug use and drug trafficking, big governments can often trample upon the sovereignty of smaller countries. Legalization would allow governments to take care of their drug problem themselves, without the need for overbearing power struggles outside. Moreover, it would remove an excuse for political interference and restore sovereignty to these countries. Drugs are a threat to our society. Drugs are, and always will be, harmful substances, and countries need to work towards reducing the number of drug users. Never have there been more known cases of drug use in history than there are today. Status quo, that is, the stance of prohibition is not working. A different, more novel call to action needs to be taken. The Portuguese model needs to be followed, as it has been proven a success. Dealing with drugs as a social issue, with poverty and despair as the underlying pathology, rather than a criminal justice one could be the boon that the world has been waiting for. In this way, drug users would not feel that they are a taint to society, and will approach authorities to seek help. Moreover, decriminalization would also take away the glamour and temptation that comes with trying banned or illegal activities. Harmful, impure drugs would be eliminated from society, as would the crime that goes into obtaining money to afford the ridiculously overpriced substances in the black market. Marginalizing a major part of society is not a good idea, treating them with respect and providing them with the care they need is. Drug users need to know that their government is on their side. Only then can true decreases in drug use be seen (Pryce, pp. 126 – 128). I chose to address this to the New York Times, as they are one of the bestselling and most credible sources of information for America. They produce op-eds and letters to the editors as well, something that would allow me to follow the critique and views my article generates. Works Cited Alexander, B. K. The Globalisation of Addiction: A Study in Poverty of the Spirit. Oxford University Press, 2008. Bean, P. Drugs and Crime. Routledge, 2013. Bean, P. Legalising Drugs: Debates and Dilemmas. Policy Press, 2010. Goldstein, M. J. Legalizing Drugs: Crime Stopper or Social Risk? Twenty-First Century Books, 2010. Husak, Douglas N. Legalize This! The Case for Decriminalizing Drugs. Verso, 2002. Husak, D. & Marneffe, P. The Legalization of Drugs. Cambridge University Press, 2005. Pryce, S. Fixing Drugs: The Politics of Drug Prohibition. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Rooney, Anne. Drugs on the Street. Evans Brothers, 2010. Read More