Societys Legitimate Interest in Regulating Drug Use - Essay Example

Alcohol, Marijuana, and Other Drug Use: Society’s Legitimate Interest in Regulating or Prohibiting Such Vices Introduction The 21st century has overly promoted socialization thus globalization, turning the world into a small village where people at opposite hemispheres interact as though they were just neighbors sharing a neighborhood. Markets have spread out, not forgetting economies, bureaucracies, and overall ideologies are being shared fast. As is the case with humanity, every positive act has to generate an opposing force, and this case has not been spared since with the collapsing of boundaries, several aspects of life have been negatively affected. Morality seems to be the most affected context of society as is reflected in controversial occurrences such as the emergence of markets for human organs, strange reproductive services, thought-provoking sexual acts, inhumane wars, lethal armor, and lastly virility in drug and substance abuse. These turns for the worse, and leave one wondering; does society hold any responsibilities for regulating or prohibiting the emergence of such? In support of this notion, the following essay will focus on drug and substance abuse, and highlight what mandates society should be granted in regulating their existence in society. Drugs in general have been in existence for as long as man can recall, and their initial purpose was to reverse disorders that man encountered naturally, that is, healing diseases or wounds. That was during the earliest stages of man. However, as man’s curiosity and creativity advanced with time, he came to uncover additional uses of drugs other than just curing themselves. As such, drugs became a source of not just recovery of body disorders, but also a source of leisure. These drugs came to be referred to as psychoactive drugs in that they impose chemical substances in the brain therefore altering the functioning of the nervous system. The result of such is changes in behavior, mood, perception, cognition, and consciousness to mention but a few. The medicinal use of drugs remains unquestionable. However, it is the use of drugs such as alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin and their likes in community celebrations, social events, religious events, and as sources of personal leisure that supports the emerging controversy. It may be argued that drugs are, or are not society’s concern, but with the drugs being used by people living in it, and everyone in the society feeling its effects, it is an automatic concern. It would be much easier to handle this debate by highlighting the effects that drugs have on the people living in society, and thereafter decide whether the drugs should or should not be a concern for society. First of all, drugs will cause harm to users if they are consumed in excess quantities, or if consumed over an extended period. For instance, in the United States alone, approximately 38,000 lives were consumed by drug-related cases such as brain and organ damage, heart attacks, overdose, and other complications. Drugs also cause secondary atrocities such as contraction of sexually transmitted infections, which are caused by poor judgement once the mind is altered; sharing of sterile objects used in the trade or reduced inhibition ability. In a broader context touching on the community, drug users are likelier to become thugs, rapists, murderers, or generally unacceptable calibers of people. Women who depend on drugs can turn to vices such as prostitution if they lack means of accessing their substances. In the professional context, drivers, pilots, physicians, architects, chefs and other professionals can cause extensive harm to a wide section of society if in any case they work under the influence. For instance, a bus driver under alcohol influence can cause road carnages and thousands of deaths occur from road accidents. Finally, drugs, particularly alcohol, are the leading causes of family breakups. Parents fight among themselves, children are traumatized by such, and divorce separates parents and children. The children suffer the aftereffects of such ending up stressed, homeless, or develop anti-social behavior. The above section condenses into a deeper controversy regarding the markets of what society can brand as “undesirable” or “unacceptable”. Satz questions, “Where and for what reasons is it appropriate to regulate a market, and when should we seek to block it?”(104). This query she attributes to the emergence of markets for things such as body parts, sex, and child labor and most importantly in this case, drugs. Satz in expounding on this introduces a means of telling the markets apart, which she does by giving four consequences of the markets. The first consequence that a market can have is a harmful outcome, meaning that it can fuel decomposition of ethics, morality, or lead to a war (107). The second outcome that a market can cause extreme harm to an individual or to the wider society. Such harms might range from undermining of equality, agreement, and interactions to mention but a few. The third consequence of a market can be weak agency knowledge, that is, the participating parties are not aware of the potential consequences of their actions or exchanges involved (108). The final consequence is that a market may fail to reflect some underlying vulnerabilities, which are extreme and affect the involved parties. This means that there may be some market ability that gives one party enough power to buy another, or deny one the power that they have to “sell themselves” (110). In applying the above definitions to the issue of drugs and substance abuse in society, it is sufficient to state that society, indeed has a forced mandate to regulate and prohibit the vice. This is because drug use fits into most of the negative consequences posed by a market, as highlighted by Satz above. For instance, a drug such as alcohol fits into the first consequence in that it leads to the undermining of morality when one becomes loud, abusive or engages in unruly behavior. It again fits into the second consequence in that it harms the individual’s health, and the damages extend to the wider society as well. Drunkards are exposed to the danger of liver cirrhosis, and when they are out of control, lead to family conflicts and unrest. In the third consequence, the drug user may not be aware of what consequences the drugs may have on them, and as such, they destroy themselves without their knowledge. The third consequence applies in that a drug addict may apply all means of getting the money for their substances, including sacrificing themselves as is the case with prostitution or robbery. From these facts, society is perceived of as the party with the best chance of intervening and preventing the emergence of the harms earlier highlighted. The interventions range from sensitizing the public on the negative effects of drug use so that one is aware of what they are bound to suffer from in both short and long-term spans. Again, society can intervene by subjecting drug peddlers and barons, especially those involved in banned drugs such as cocaine and marijuana. Finally, there should be some mitigation measures for those already hooked on the habits (addicts) such as provision of rehabilitation facilities and services. Conclusion The discussion above suggests that owing to the negative consequences arising from drug and substance abuse, there is a call for intervention. Drugs affect individuals, whether they are or are not aware of the consequences of using them, and the damages extend to the wider society. The reasoning behind why society should intervene lies in the question as to if the damages and effects extend to the wider society, why should it not be concerned? In short, society will be forced to develop an intervention interest and intervene by regulating, prohibiting or applying just any measure which reverses these intense negative effects. In summing up, it is justified to state that if society chooses ignorance, it will self-destruct. Work Cited Satz, Debra. Why Some Things Should Not Be for Sale. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print. Read More