Arguments Against Legalization Of Illicit Drugs
The legalization of illicit drugs has been a major concern that has been debated for decades in most states and countries all over the world. On of the leading suggestions is to have restructurings in the national policies on drugs to control drugs on the basis of their consequences or harm on the users. The use of illegal drugs has been widespread for centuries and the question remains whether the only way to deal with the issue is by banning or legalizing drugs. The topic of legalization of drugs is essential in helping the general public to understand various existing facts on the effects of drug usage and existing laws on drugs. Many people would suggest that legalizing the drugs would be the only way to deal with the issue since the sale and use of illegal drugs still happens despite various governments have banned it. Moreover, even those individuals working for the high ranks in the government are still believed to be working with drug traffickers and therefore support the legalization of illegal drugs. The latter would be wrong since those illegal drugs are of extreme dangers such as moral, psychosocial and health of users. Therefore, illegal drugs should not be decriminalized because they can lead to dependency or addiction, they are costly and lead to financial mismanagement, and have adverse effects on mental and physical health of the users.
The first reason why illegal drugs should be banned is that they create a sense of dependence on drugs. Once an individual start to use drugs illegal drugs for reasons such as recreational purposes, it will eventually lead to addiction that could make the user end up soughing for other hard drugs. Besides, there is a strong association between drug misappropriation and criminal activities. Therefore, presence of laws banning the use and sale of illegal drugs helps to reduce crimes associated with the use of the drugs since individuals who are addicted to various drugs normally engage in crimes such as robbery to get money to purchase drugs. For example, people living in drug-free areas will have a sense of security when going through their day to day activities without having to worry about gang-related crimes as a result of the sale and consumption of drugs.
Moreover, illegal drugs should not be legalized because the cause financial mismanagement among the youths. For example, drugs like bhang is known to wreak the users and weaken the community and families through increased health costs and burdens of economic loses among others. So, criminalization of illegal drugs can have financial benefits. That is, instead of spending money on drugs, individuals involved in drug abuse, especially the youths can spend their money to better through the creation of self-employment, as well as helping the needy or elderly members of the society. Individuals willing to invest in various businesses within the locality will also have the capacity to do so freely without financial insecurity which is essential for the economic growth and development of the locality and a country as well.
The banning of illegal drugs is also important for the reduction of health effects such as mental and physical health illnesses among drug users. The use of hard drugs and soft drugs as well has serious effects on the mental wellness of the consumers. An example is marijuana which has high levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol which the main psychoactive ingredient and result in hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, memory loss and depression after continuous usage. Recreational cannabis users have also reported unpleasant discomforts coupled with anxiety after using marijuana. Hard drugs such as heroin which are administered intravenously also result in physical injury from the needles used for injections when administering drugs. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is easily transmitted from an infected individual to uninfected one the act of needle-sharing among the heroin users. It is common among heroin users, especially the low-prestige ones who re-use blood contaminated syringes. Use of heroin is mainly done through intravenous injections which accounts for higher risks of transmitting the needle-borne diseases. Since there is a need to maintain the feeling users feel after using drugs, they end up using the needles on the same spot resulting in the self-inflicted wounds and other diseases that may be transmitted from sharing the needles.
It is also necessary to eliminate the sale of illicit drugs since the unavailability of the drugs would greatly reduce the consumption of drugs. Passing of drug laws that allow confiscation and destruction of drugs and reprimanding those who sell drugs through a sentence of jail term for several years based on various statutes in different states would help reduce the sale of circulation of drugs in the country. In a case where drug trafficking in a country is eliminated, users will be forced to look for other alternatives such as engaging in other activities to keep them occupied or try to get clean through rehabilitation for drug addicts.
Banning illicit drugs also plays a great role in ensuring that the general public does not get a wrong message about drugs and start misusing them. Young people especially adolescents who are the most vulnerable group would be the most affected and this would result in a lack of respect for social norms and increased immorality. For example, young people who grow in families or neighborhoods where drug abuse and smuggling are rampant tend to think that drug abuse is a normal thing and may end up adopting the behavior. It is, however, necessary to help them understand that they don't have to grow up feeling as if they have to do what everyone in the society does. Those who engage in drug abuse at an early age should also be taken to rehabilitation centers to get appropriate treatment so that they can lead a productive life and bring change to society.
It also helps to counter the beliefs of some youths whose values and goals have been tarnished through looking up to successful drug lords in history such as Pablo Escoba who managed to remain relevant in business for a very long time before he was convicted. Changing their mentality through introducing them to real-life experiences of people like Steve Jobs who have made it in business without having to indulge in drug trafficking would really take a toll on the mindset of having to indulge in drug usage and sale to make it in life.
In refutation, there are other individuals who agree with the idea of legalization of illicit drugs and argue that legalization and regulating of the drugs being consumed is much better than banning consumption and sale of the drug since the drugs sold by dealers often have harmful substances mixed with drugs and as a result bring harmful effects on health. They also argued that the current drug policy in different states has led to the highest number of deaths related to drug overdose and the case would have been prevented if only the states knew about the chemicals that were being added to various drugs. However, the argument is wrong since the main reason for the ban of illegal drugs is due to adverse effects solely associated with the drug-like altering the normal body functioning and impaired judgment on the users and not the other additives that may be included in the drugs.
Some other arising opinions indicated that instead of banning the sale and consumption of illegal drugs they should agree that the war on drugs is a war that they are bound to lose and they would rather regulate them to ensure that they are only supplied from legal markets. They further indicate that it would create peace and tranquility among countries that deal with the production and supply of drugs. However, the regulation would bring more negative impacts since it would send the wrong message to citizens and many would tend to think that drug abuse is not quite a bad thing if the government still supports it. The young people in the society who are the major victims of drug abuse would also take advantage and continue using drugs since the using and possession of the illegal drugs would no longer be considered as a crime.
Others also argue legalizing drugs such as Marijuana would create massive savings to the taxpayers since the drugs generate great income levels from taxation as a result of supplying and sale of marijuana and in return contribute to the state's economic growth within a very short period. They also believe that it contributes to more healthy outcomes and saves the states a big deal in the utilization of money as the states search for drug-related treatment options in foreign states or countries. The opinion is invalid since the use of illicit drugs contributes to several negative health outcomes such as respiratory tract infections, especially when using drugs that are inhaled or smoked, mental health illnesses associated with drug abuse are also quite rampant as well as convulsions and suicidal cases. Issues such as throat cancer have also been associated with long term smoking of marijuana and liver and kidney failure which results from overloading the body with ingested drugs at a higher rate than which the body can handle within a given time.
Reflection
In my opinion, having lived in an environment with drug users has and seeing the challenges they endure including addiction and also being a burden to their families as strive to find a way to help them get treatment, I would support the ban of illegal drugs. Other factors are surrounding the whole concept of legalizing illicit drugs around the world. The use of drugs is currently high among young people. Adolescents are the most affected since the adolescent stage is usually the most common period of initiation into drug abuse, and it proceeds further as they grow up. The western countries are the most affected and the intake of these drugs is usually in recreational facilities such as the occasional night outs in clubs. Most youths by the age of 18 have the freedom to go out in the company of friends, therefore, parents cannot monitor what their children do or take in the night clubs. Those who do not seek early medical attention might continue using drugs and the addiction past this age is quite hard to stop even though it is not entirely impossible.
Most of the people involved in drug use are usually males since they all like to have a sense of belonging and fit into various peer groups. Unlike their female counterparts, they are expected to be responsible therefore parents do not pay much attention in talking to them about the dangers that come along with drug abuse but assume that they already know it from what they are taught in school. Poverty also leads them to get involved in activities such as the sale of drugs to keep up with various social classes and also help their families by all means available. Convincing them to look for other alternatives is quite hard since living in harsh conditions such as children who grow up in the streets is hard because they have to do all they can to survive in the streets. The only alternative would be taking them from the streets to better settlement areas.
Various cultural beliefs also contribute to the uptake and the general behavior towards the use of different illicit drugs. They provide a sense of belonging to different social groups. However, those who are not completely initiated into different cultural beliefs tend to misuse the drugs since they are usually regulated and used only for ceremonial purposes. Lack of understanding of the various requirements, therefore, contributes to drug abuse. The extent to which individuals abuse drugs can often be associated with close identification with a particular cultural norm. To effectively treat or help a person struggling with substance abuse, it is necessary to learn about their cultural beliefs to know the best way to help them.
I too believe that religious beliefs also influence drug abuse. Individuals with strong religious beliefs are less likely to get involved in drug abuse compared to those who rarely believe in any religion. This is because religion plays a major role in instilling positive morals and does not accept the use and abuse of drugs e. g. the Christian doctrine which indicates that the human body is the temple of God, therefore use of anything that interrupts the normal body functioning is a sin and sin is punishable by death.
To sum up, it is evident that the legalization of illegal drugs only does more harm to the country and individuals at large. The negative effects associated with the use of illegal drugs outweigh any positive effect portrayed by those who support the legalization of drugs. The youths are the ones who all mostly affected by drug and substance abuse and the destruction of the youthful generation is more of destroying the future generation and future leaders. Therefore, the only way to protect the future generation is by ensuring their safety through the ban on the use and sale of illegal drugs. The government should also consider equipping students in various schools with the necessary skills that will enable them to create self-employment as well as provide employment opportunities to keep youths off the streets but rather be occupied enough and not engage in drug abuse. By doing so, the crime rates would greatly reduce thus maintaining security within all neighborhoods and the country's economy will also improve. The economic burden associated with seeking treatment for drug-related cases will also decrease drastically.
