Countries have been making drugs illegal over the years for varieties of reasons - be it to combat a perceived moral or health epidemic, to single out certain groups of people, or to reflect religious influences. Even when some drugs do not present notable health dangers, governments ban them. While there are many drugs that are unhealthy when abused, the drug policies around the world, particularly the United States, are inconsistent and oppressive. Drug laws were supposedly created for the good of society, but the prohibition of drugs only serves to cause problems, violence, and unrest.
Starting from a historical standpoint, we can see that past endeavors to ban substances were often motivated by discrimination and racism. Drug Prohibition: a Call for Change recalls that “The history of drug prohibition in Australia and elsewhere is shrouded in ignorance, bigotry, racial prejudice and false assumptions” (Wodak and Owens, 11). Attempts at controlling drug use are more accurately attempts at trying to control sectors of the population, those that are perceived to be drug users. In the 1930's, states in the southwest began passing laws to ban marijuana, fearing that the influx of Mexican immigrants (who brought their Mexican cannabis along with them) would take away jobs during the Great Depression. The marijuana laws provided an excuse to arrest immigrants and keep them unemployed. Other instances of drug laws having motives such as these range far and wide throughout most countries with similar laws.
Prohibiting substances puts them into the realm of criminal influence. Illegal substances are unregulated by the government and become prime candidates for organized crime to sell. The drug cartel flourishes and makes incredib...
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...dom of citizens from invasive laws are only some of the benefits that amending drug policy can bring. Allowing people to be more free, not the contrary, is leading the way towards a bright future.
Works Cited
Lynch, Timothy. After Prohibition: an Adult Approach to Drug Policies in the 21st Century. Washington, D.C.: CATO, 2000. Print.
New York County Lawyer's Association. Report and Recommendations of the Drug Policy Task Force. Rep. Oct. 1996. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. .
"Sinaloa Cartel: Responsible for 84% of "narco" Homicides." Borderland Beat. 31 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2010. .
Wodak, Alex, and Ron Owens. Drug Prohibition: a Call for Change. Sydney: University of New South Wales, 1996. Google Books. Web. 14 Nov. 2010.
The best chapters in this book were the last two: Prohibition and School Daze. Here the author touches on the underlying effects of this phenomenon and the war on drugs. He can’t believe that after prohibition the country did not learn its lesson the first time. Moskos believes we can learn a lot from the tobacco crusade, which reduced tobacco use by half without jailing any smokers. Moskos offers many suggestions for public policy, officer training, and drug rehabilitation.
Nowadays, the modern problem that closely mirrors the Prohibition is the war on drugs. Their illegal manufacture and sale is similar to the manufacture and sale of alcohol during the Prohibition. History repeats itself. Works Cited for: Currie, Stephen. Prohibition.
America's War on Drugs: Policy and Problems. In this paper I will evaluate America's War on Drugs. More specifically, I will outline our nation's general drug history and look critically at how Congress has influenced our current ineffective drug policy. Through this analysis, I hope to show that drug prohibition policies in the United States, for the most part, have failed.
When societies finally become comfortable with reality, they begin to abandon the murderous laws that impede their growth. Currently, the social stigma and legislated morality regarding the use of illicit drugs yield perhaps the most destructive effects on American society. Drug laws have led to the removal of non-violent citizens from society- either directly by incarceration or indirectly by death - which is genocidal in quantity and essence. I base my support of the decriminalization of all drugs on a principle of human rights, but the horror and frustration with which I voice this support is based on practicality. The most tangible effect of the unfortunately labeled "Drug War" in the United States is a prison population larger than Russia's and China's, and an inestimable death toll that rivals the number of American casualties from any given war, disease or catastrophe.
the only way to make money. Minimum wage salaries can not compare to the huge
Lately it seems that drug policy and the war on drugs has been in the headlines quite a lot. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the policies that the United States government takes against illegal drugs are coming into question. The mainstream media is catching on to the message of organizations and individuals who have long been considered liberal "Counter Culture" supporters. The marijuana question seems to be the most prevalent and pressed of the drugs and issues that are currently being addressed. The messages of these organizations and individuals include everything from legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, to full-unrestricted legalization of the drug. Of course, the status quo of vote seeking politicians and conservative policy makers has put up a strong resistance to this "new" reform lobby. The reasons for the resistance to the changes in drug policies are multiple and complex. The issues of marijuana’s possible negative effects, its use as a medical remedy, the criminality of distribution and usage, and the disparity in the enforcement of current drug laws have all been brought to a head and must be addressed in the near future. It is apparent that it would be irresponsible and wrong for the government to not evaluate it’s current general drug policies and perhaps most important, their marijuana policy. With the facts of racial disparity in punishment, detrimental effects, fiscal strain and most importantly, the history of the drug, the government most certainly must come to the conclusion that they must, at the very least, decriminalize marijuana use and quite probably fully legalize it.
“[The war on drugs] has created a multibillion-dollar black market, enriched organized crime groups and promoted the corruption of government officials throughout the world,” noted Eric Schlosser in his essay, “A People’s Democratic Platform”, which presents a case for decriminalizing controlled substances. Government policies regarding drugs are more focused towards illegalization rather than revitalization. Schlosser identifies a few of the crippling side effects of the current drug policy put in place by the Richard Nixon administration in the 1970s to prohibit drug use and the violence and destruction that ensue from it (Schlosser 3). Ironically, not only is drug use as prevalent as ever, drug-related crime has also become a staple of our society. In fact, the policy of the criminalization of drugs has fostered a steady increase in crime over the past several decades. This research will aim to critically analyze the impact of government statutes regarding drugs on the society as a whole.
A “drug-free society” has never existed, and probably will never exist, regardless of the many drug laws in place. Over the past 100 years, the government has made numerous efforts to control access to certain drugs that are too dangerous or too likely to produce dependence. Many refer to the development of drug laws as a “war on drugs,” because of the vast growth of expenditures and wide range of drugs now controlled. The concept of a “war on drugs” reflects the perspective that some drugs are evil and war must be conducted against the substances
The war on drugs in our culture is a continuous action that is swiftly lessening our society. This has been going on for roughly 10-15 years and has yet to slow down in any way. Drugs continue to be a problem for the obvious reason that certain people abuse them in a way that can lead to ultimate harm on such a person. These drugs do not just consist of street drugs (marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy), but prescription medications as well. Although there are some instances where drugs are being used by subjects excessively, there has been medical research to prove that some of these drugs have made a successful impact on certain disorders and diseases.
Drug use has been an ongoing problem in our country for decades. The use of drugs has been the topic of many political controversies throughout many years. There has been arguments that are for legalizing drugs and the benefits associated with legalization. Also, there are some who are opposed to legalizing drugs and fear that it will create more problems than solve them. Conservatives and liberals often have different opinions for controversial topics such as “the war on drugs,” but it is necessary to analyze both sides in order to gain a full understanding of their beliefs and to decide in a change in policy is in order.
The current situation of drug control in the United States is imperfect and inadequate. Millions of men and women, both young and old, are affected by illicit drug use. It costs the United States about $6,123 every second because of drug use and its consequences (Office). Moreover, 90 percent of all adults with a substance use disorder started using under the age of 18 and half under the age of 15. Children who first smoke marijuana under the age of 14 are five times more likely to abuse drugs as adults than those who first use marijuana at age 18. Finally, the children of alcoholics are four times more likely to develop problems with alcohol (Prevent). Current legislation that has to do with the United States’ drug control policy is the Controlled Substances Act, which regulates the manufacture, importation, possession, use, and distribution of certain substances (Shannon). In 1966, Congress passed the Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act also known as the NARA. This legislati...
President’s Drug Policy (2004). National Drug Control Strategy. Retrieved on April 13, 2005 from www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov
Recreational drug use has been controversial for years. Government has deemed the use of certain drugs to be dangerous, addictive, costly, and fatal. Governmental agencies have passed laws to make drugs illegal and then have focused a great deal of attention and money trying to prohibit the use of these drugs, and many people support these sanctions because they view the illegality of drugs to be the main protection against the destruction of our society (Trebach, n.d.). Restricting behavior doesn’t generally stop people from engaging in that behavior; prohibition tends to result in people finding more creative ways to obtain and use drugs. However, just knowing that trying to control people’s behavior by criminalizing drug use does not work still leaves us looking for a solution, so what other options exist? This paper will discuss the pros and cons about one option: decriminalizing drugs.
In the early 1980s, policymakers and law enforcement officials stepped up efforts to combat the trafficking and use of illicit drugs. This was the popular “war on drugs,” hailed by conservatives and liberals alike as a means to restore order and hope to communities and families plagued by anti-social or self-destructive pathologies. By reducing illicit drug use, many claimed, the drug war would significantly reduce the rate of serious nondrug crimes - robbery, assault, rape, homicide and the like. Has the drug war succeeded in doing so?
6th ed. Boston: Bedford, 1997 "Legalizing Drugs." Greenhaven Press. San Diego: 1996 Olson, William J. " Drugs Should Not Be Legalized. " Greenhaven Press.