Drugs Legalization In The United States

The debate on the decriminalization of drug use in the United States is a long and complex one, started many years ago and likely to go on for many years to come. While everyone has their own opinion on whether or not people should do drugs, legalization comes down to a logic and sense issue; Does it makes sense for the government to put time, money, and effort into keeping drugs out of the hands of Americans? A detailed look into the effects on drug legalization in other areas, data provided by research institutions, and logical arguments point to a clear answer: no. It is not in the governments, nor the people’s best interest maintain the ban on drugs.

This claim comes with a lot to unpack, but once it is all unpacked, it becomes even more clear that decriminalizing drug use is the best decision. The big issue on many people’s minds though, is health. How would decriminalizing drug use affect public health? Wouldn’t everyone just do tons of drugs and overdose? No, quite the opposite. The decriminalization of drug use would allow for regulation of drugs, lessening the number of drug related deaths due to synthetic or fake products. Centeronaddiction.org objects to this by saying, “The U.S. has some 60 million smokers, up to 20 million alcoholics and alcohol misusers, but only around 6 million illegal drug addicts. If illegal drugs were easier to obtain, this figure would rise.” However, “Decades of empirical evidence from around the world shows that reducing and eliminating criminal penalties for drug possession does not increase rates of drug use or crime” but actually greatly reduces addiction, overdose and HIV/AIDS. (drugpolicy.org). Not only would decriminalization reduce new addictions, it would also allow people that already struggle with drug addiction to search for help, without fear of being prosecuted.

One other issue that typically gets brought up when discussing drug legalization is public safety. Most debates about drug legalization’s negative effect on public safety assume an incorrect idea. They assume drug legalization will result in an increase in drug use. This idea has already been refuted, but should concerned readers need more proof, there is hard evidence in Colorado, where marijuana has been legalized. The Washington Post stated, “Following legalization, the rate of adolescent marijuana use in Colorado has fallen to its lowest level in nearly a decade” (washingtonpost.org). However, to put that aside, drug legalization would actually make American streets much safer. With less illegal drugs being imported through our borders, America would experience significantly less gang violence. (youtube.com) Not to mention, spending all this time and energy on keeping our streets free of drugs distracts law enforcement officials and agencies from more pressing and dangerous issues. As drugpolicy.org puts it “Our current policies are diverting law enforcement resources from serious public safety issues. Hundreds of thousands of rape kits go unprocessed at the same time we're spending billions of dollars arresting and punishing people for drug possession. Our limited public resources would be better spent on expanding access to effective drug treatment and other health services.” (drugpolicy.org)

There is also a great economic benefit that comes along with the decriminalization of drugs. First, decriminalizing drugs would mean that the millions of people in jail for drug related charges, would no longer need a jail cell or food. This would cut jail costs significantly. Also, not having to equip as many police cars with K-9 units and not needing to fund for as many drug tests would help cut costs in the law enforcement department. Furthermore, if drugs were made legal, the government could impose a large tax on them. This would bring the United States a substantial amount of money to spend on more pressing issues in today’s society.

All of this sounds like it makes sense, but many people will wonder; “how will this actually look once implemented?” Well, to get an idea, look at Portugal. “In 2001, Portugal enacted one of the most extensive drug law reforms in the world when it decriminalized low-level possession and use of all illegal drugs. Today in Portugal, no one is arrested or incarcerated for drug possession, many more people are receiving treatment, and addiction, HIV/AIDS and drug overdose have drastically decreased.” (drugpolicy.org) This provides us with a successful example and gives us hope that decriminalizing drug use would work out the way the facts point them towards.

All these facts and logic back up the argument well, but what do the people want? Well, as it turns out, many voters agree that decriminalizing drug use is the best move. Polls of presidential primary voters last year found that substantial majorities support ending arrests for drug use and possession in Maine (64%), New Hampshire (66%) and even South Carolina (59%). Furthermore, “A national survey by the Pew Research Center finds that 67% of Americans say that the government should focus more on providing treatment for those who use illegal drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Just 26% think the government’s focus should be on prosecuting users of such hard drugs.” (people-press.org) So it’s not just the facts screaming for the decriminalization of drugs, but the people are shouting too.

Keeping drugs illegal does not make sense on a moral, economic, logical, or factual level. Most ideas that lead to people being for drug prohibition stem from flawed concepts, or just straight up incorrect information. But, once the facts are looked at and considered, it becomes clear that it does not benefit the United States Government, or the American people to continue to put money, time, and energy into keeping drugs illegal.