A Case for Drug Decriminalization Drug abuse is a major problem throughout the world. Drugs can influence the everyday lives of people, whether they be users, dealers, drug-related crime victims, or the friend/family of an affected. Violent crime, prostitution, government corruption, and more can all have a link to narcotics. Much of the world, including the United States, try to stop these effects of illicit drugs by focusing on stricter laws and enforcement. Yet this this approach may be counterproductive. Although some people think the tough on crime approach is the best way to deal with drug problems, the truth is decriminalizing drugs is the best approach. The reason is the harms of drugs get reduced while improving public safety and
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The current drug policy for most of the world is prohibition. One of the greatest problems with drug prohibition is the lack of effectiveness. Despite the United States having some of the world’s strictest drug laws, even coining the over 40 years on War on Drugs, the use of illicit drugs has been increasing. Also, from 2001 to 2014 there was a 42 percent increase in the total number of deaths due to cocaine overdose. Heroin is even worse with having a 6-fold increase in the total number of deaths From 2001 to 2014(NIDA).
Costly. On top of the ineffectiveness of drug prohibition, the cost to the US has been $2.5 trillion, last year having spent nearly $50 billion, that is about $1,600 every second.(ONDCP). Adding to lack of benefits to this striking cost is according to DEA estimates, only 10 percent of all illicit drugs are …show more content…
There is no doubt the goal of these strict prohibition laws are to try and help the ones affected by drugs, but rather, the current prohibition methods criminalize these people. Abraham Lincoln explains the problem with prohibition succinctly when he said: “Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation and makes crimes out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.” If somebody wants to use drugs, they will. If they do, that person should get help rather than a felony. If people want to take drugs, people are going to find a way to get drugs. The people being hurt by strict prohibition are the recreational users who get busted for possession. This is clearly evident in the prison systems. Nonviolent drug offenders account for about one-fourth of all inmates in prison and jail(Rugy).
Prejudice. Not only is this unbalanced by crime rates but, the system has a prejudice against minorities, especially African-American. Drug use rates for blacks and whites are almost exactly the same, and keeping in mind that there are five times as many whites as there are blacks in America, there is a greater number of white users. Even so, blacks are admitted to prisons at a rate 13.4 times greater than whites. In some states, blacks make up 90% of drug prisoners and are up to 57 times more likely than whites to be incarcerated for
The current drug policy for most of the world is prohibition. One of the greatest problems with drug prohibition is the lack of effectiveness. Despite the United States having some of the world’s strictest drug laws, even coining the over 40 years on War on Drugs, the use of illicit drugs has been increasing. Also, from 2001 to 2014 there was a 42 percent increase in the total number of deaths due to cocaine overdose. Heroin is even worse with having a 6-fold increase in the total number of deaths From 2001 to 2014(NIDA).
Costly. On top of the ineffectiveness of drug prohibition, the cost to the US has been $2.5 trillion, last year having spent nearly $50 billion, that is about $1,600 every second.(ONDCP). Adding to lack of benefits to this striking cost is according to DEA estimates, only 10 percent of all illicit drugs are …show more content…
There is no doubt the goal of these strict prohibition laws are to try and help the ones affected by drugs, but rather, the current prohibition methods criminalize these people. Abraham Lincoln explains the problem with prohibition succinctly when he said: “Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation and makes crimes out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.” If somebody wants to use drugs, they will. If they do, that person should get help rather than a felony. If people want to take drugs, people are going to find a way to get drugs. The people being hurt by strict prohibition are the recreational users who get busted for possession. This is clearly evident in the prison systems. Nonviolent drug offenders account for about one-fourth of all inmates in prison and jail(Rugy).
Prejudice. Not only is this unbalanced by crime rates but, the system has a prejudice against minorities, especially African-American. Drug use rates for blacks and whites are almost exactly the same, and keeping in mind that there are five times as many whites as there are blacks in America, there is a greater number of white users. Even so, blacks are admitted to prisons at a rate 13.4 times greater than whites. In some states, blacks make up 90% of drug prisoners and are up to 57 times more likely than whites to be incarcerated for