Similarly, in 2021, Oregon became the first U.S. state to decriminalize all illegal drugs. Like Portugal, Oregon now treats drug trafficking as a criminal offense, but treats possession of small amounts of illegal drugs for personal use as a health condition that requires medical treatment. Those in favor of prohibition and criminalization often argue that legalizing drugs would send the wrong message, suggesting that it is more socially acceptable to use drugs. It can also give the impression that taking medication is safe, although there is ample evidence that this is not the case. Research confirms that marijuana use among young adults has reached all-time highs, particularly marijuana vaping rates. The annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey found that one in four young adults use marijuana and nearly one in 10. daily marijuana. A survey found that Gen Z uses marijuana twice as often as the national average.
But are these increases due to the decriminalization of drugs? Studies show that the legalization of drugs has increased marijuana use among adults, but not among teenagers, as many feared. Young adults include both of these age groups. Some people confuse decriminalization with legalization. However, a government can decriminalize drugs without legalizing them. There is another harsh reality: in some cases, the only thing that forces someone who is addicted and gets out of control in therapy is the threat (or reality) of incarceration. Eliminate the laws that prohibit the sale of these drugs, and you eliminate the only hope of help for so many people who are addicted but simply cannot stop. “There is no place here to lay out all the arguments for and against the legalization of certain drugs, but it is clear that: drugs are easy to obtain; the drug subculture thrives in part because it is prohibited and therefore attractive; Dollar after dollar, the billions we invest in this “war” would be better spent on education, prevention and treatment. Would it not be better to control these substances, to tax them, to limit their availability to minors, as we are trying to do with alcohol, rather than to criminalise a large part of the population, which probably includes many of our neighbours and even our own children? The genie in the bottle is the truth, and the truth is that not all drugs are terrible, bad, or just as harmful. Some are against drug policy reform. They are often concerned that removing criminal penalties for drug-related offences will increase the likelihood that people will experiment with drugs.
You may also fear that young people will begin to view substance abuse as more socially acceptable and less dangerous. People who are criminalized by their addictions may feel less interested in society and more easily slip into other problematic behaviors. Addicts also have to deal with criminals to get their drugs. Legalization would undermine existing drug gangs and could reduce drug-related violence. “The accusation that `nothing works` in the fight against illegal drugs has led some people to find an obvious solution: legalizing drugs. Better, as the argument goes, for the government to control the drug trade. This should drive down prices (heroin “would not be more expensive than lettuce,” one supporter argues), eliminate violence, provide tax revenue, reduce crowds in prisons, and promote supervised injection facilities. “There are a number of reasons why Congress should end the federal government`s war on drugs. First and foremost, federal drug laws are constitutionally dubious.
Congress has never asked the American people for additional constitutional powers to declare war on drug users. This usurpation of power is something that few politicians or intellectuals in their court want to discuss. Some people argue that decriminalization could lead to legalization. Legalizing dangerous drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin would likely increase rates of addiction and other serious diseases. What do you think recreational drugs should be legalized or decriminalized? Which of them? Is the legalization of drugs lenient towards crime? Does the drug ban complicate the work of the police and divert resources from other, more important issues? Join the discussion and share arguments and resources in the forum below. The composition of various substances could be controlled more closely. This may mean, for example, that the amount of THC – the most important psychoactive component in a cannabis strain – is reduced. It could also help prevent other drugs from being “cut” with even more dangerous substances and regulate the purity of certain substances, reducing the risk of overdose. Portugal has experienced much lower overdose rates since legalization, as well as addiction-related AIDS cases. There are legal recreational drugs such as alcohol, tobacco and other recreational drugs that are prohibited. The history of drug prohibition is long. Islamic Sharia, which dates back to the 7th century, banned certain intoxicating substances, including alcohol.
Opium use was later banned in China and Thailand. The Pharmacy Act of 1868 in the United Kingdom was the first modern law in Europe to regulate drug use. This law prohibited the distribution of poison and drugs, especially opium and its derivatives. Gradually, other Western countries introduced laws to limit opiate use. For example, in San Francisco, opium smoking was banned in 1875 and in Australia, the sale of opium was banned in 1905. In the early 20th century, several countries such as Canada, Finland, Norway, the United States and Russia introduced alcohol bans. These alcohol bans failed and were later lifted. Drug prohibitions were strengthened worldwide beginning in the 1960s. The United States has been a leading proponent of a tough stance against drugs, especially since Richad Nixon declared the “war on drugs.” The “war on drugs” has not produced the expected results.
The demand for drugs has increased, as has the number of drug addicts. As the production and distribution were illegal, criminals took over the delivery. The transfer of control of drug trafficking to organized crime has had catastrophic consequences throughout the world. Today, drug laws vary greatly from country to country. Some countries have more flexible regulations and devote fewer resources to controlling drug trafficking, while in others, the criminalization of drugs can result in very severe penalties. Thus, while in some countries recreational drug use has been decriminalized, in other countries drug trafficking is punishable by life imprisonment. “Nowhere can there be reliable and objective scientific evidence that [illegal drugs] are more harmful than other legal substances and activities. Given the enormous effort, carnage and obvious futility of the “war on drugs” that has led to a massive criminalization of society, it is high time to examine the supposed justification for the illegality of certain substances. Those who initiated these bans, and those who are now trying so vigorously to enforce them, have not made their objectives clear.