Redefining Drug Use as Addiction, Not Criminal Behavior
The drug problem has persisted, and in some respects worsened, because we've gone at it the wrong way. The war on drugs isn't working and even if it was, the price is too high. The prohibition on drugs leads to black market prices. It generates crime and violence as dealers fight over turf and sales, and drug users steal to buy illicit substances at inflated prices. The drug laws turn users -- who need treatment -- into criminals. We'd be far better off if drug use were regarded as a health problem. We should legalize at least some drugs and reduce the harm they cause by regulating their sale and treating their victims.
What Should be Done?
Treat drug abuse as a public health problem rather than a law enforcement issue, and eliminate criminal penalties for personal drug use. Regulate drug sales, and permit the use of some, like marijuana, under a doctor's care Expand drug treatment programs, including those in prison. Require insurance companies to cover substance abuse the same way they would any physical illness. The goal should be to provide treatment to anyone who needs it.Restrict drug use among minors by regulating drug sales. Focus enforcement on drug traffickers and drop mandatory sentencing for drug offenses.
Arguments For This Approach
The harm done by drugs is predominantly caused by the fact that they're illegal. A more sensible policy would control their distribution and discourage their use. Prohibition of alcohol didn't work in the 1920s and drug prohibition doesn't work now. Decriminalizing drug use would destroy the illicit drug trade. The war on drugs has done tremendous harm by sending thousands of drug users to prison instead of salvaging their lives and communities with treatment. Drug treatment should be widely available, and stigma-free. Studies show that treatment programs are the most cost-effective way of dealing with the drug problem. Even expensive treatment programs pay for themselves by reducing the costs of lost productivity, crime, and health care. Decriminalizing certain drugs -- such as the use of marijuana -- will permit law enforcement officials to focus on more pressing priorities.
Arguments Against This Approach
Making it easier to get drugs would inevitably make them more widely available. For example, legal prescription drugs are tightly regulated but are still the second most common form of drug abuse.Too many people believe that making something legal also makes it moral. Drug abuse is morally wrong and blurring this fact by calling it a health problem will only compound the problem. Treatment programs are important, but not the whole answer to the illegal drug problem. Many treatment programs have low success rates because so many people relapse.Organized gangs won't simply go away if we legalize drugs. They'll move into other forms of crime, just as the bootleggers did after Prohibition ended.If illegal drugs become legal products, will companies be allowed to market them and promote their use, the way tobacco, alcohol and pharmaceutical companies do? That could make the problem of teen drug use much worse.
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Alcohol , drugs, poverty all go hand in hand. education is the key, working on a solution is a goal, accomplishing reform is a dream. make it real get it right for all people now and for our future working generations. more opportunities for our young people coming out of schools not college bound not rich versus poor educated versus uneducated. all people need to love one another. let the past go and add knowledge and education to our past mistakes. what's wrong with that. Just a mom..... and grandma proud of our mistakes cause we can learn from them!! Also a little less competition and a lot more unity is helpful
I hear more and more about this new approach towards drug use lately, and yet, nothing is being done about it. I have no idea when our society will realize that drugs prohibition doesn't solve anything, instead those who already suffer from abusing them are harmed even more. I don't think any of the drug addicts wished to become one, they should get drug treatment, not drug related jail sentences.
DO NOT LEGALIZE ILLICIT DRUGS such as marijuana, cocaine, methadone and other illicit mood altering chemicals in this country.
The legalization of such drugs will zombify furthers the population and exacerbates further the current mayhem not only in USA but at a global level.
Those illegal drugs create all sort of mental disorders for the newborns whose mother or father or both are user of illegal drugs this include but not limited to attention deficit disorders, learning disabilities, low impulse control, ADHD, which leads sometimes to criminality later on.
Those that sell illegal drugs are merchants of death and should be equated as promoter of delinquency, war criminals and potential collaborators with international terrorists.
The drugs dealers are a big problem but they are not the initial source of the problem the buyers are. Without a demand for illegal drugs the drug dealers would not exist or would not have a raison d'être this is an illustration of the laws of supply and demand. Therefore, the government should look closely at the demand side of the equation to reduce this problem that currently permeates every social stratum and is also an alarming threat to national security.
To abate or eradicate the illicit drugs problem in the long run, the government should use proactive and innovative approaches by rewarding the film industry, radio,& television, work place, educational system, clergy and sport industry, especially the entertainment industry etc. for their efforts to promote value system that discourage the use of illicit mood altering chemicals. Researches in detox are needed to reduce the high percentage of relapse cases.
For short term approach the government should use the “SELL & BUST" approach policy instead of the "Buy and Bust" approach policy. In other words Police Undercover will sell drugs to prospectus illicit drug buyers and have the transaction audio-video recorded according to specific guidelines and protocols that will be admissible in courts. When the transaction is over, the police will arrest the buyers
Do not send them to jail because they will develop criminal network while in jail. Instead they should paid incremental fines that are proportional to their income and according to the number of time they were arrested for similar offenses. In addition, the offenders should do lengthy supervised community services that might accumulate to several thousand hours or forced to upgrade their education and marketable skills if need be. They are using drugs because they have discretionary extra income and time to spend. Let them spend that time constructively in endless community services. By doing community services or upgrading their education, they will help themselves and the community. This will be a Win-Win approach instead of having them wasting their precious time, under used bright mind, and taxpayer monies in senseless punitive jail or prison that fail to rehabilitate people.
i would like to see the evidence baking up the 'zombification' of the public, since they are in widespread use and i don't see flesh eaters banging down my door
Using the "sell & bust" method you describe is not really viable under current law. Police cannot try to make you commit a crime, they can provide an opportunity, but cant make you want to do, you have to do that on your own. Since they are called drug 'pushers' i feel that would not really work.
I don't think i've ever read such a fact-less block of propaganda and outright lies in a long time.
I liked the part about "low impulse control", as if drug addiction is some kind of character flaw instead of chemical dependency.
good stuff
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