America's Unjust Drug War Analysis

Improved Essays
In America’s Unjust Drug War, Michael Huemer asserts his belief that illegal drug laws are unjust because they violate a person’s innate right to govern their own body. Huemer offers a persuasive argument for individuals to have the right to use drugs, by showing that the two main arguments for prohibition fail, while the argument for legalization succeeds. The most notable argument against the use of drugs, is the damage they have on the users. Many people believe that drugs should be banned because they cause harm to the user. Although drug usage is potentially harmful to the users, the government should not be permitted to forbid people from harming themselves. If this were the case, then riding motorcycles, drinking excess amounts …show more content…
He considers drug prohibition to be an injustice to Americans’ natural rights. As Huemer says, “If we are to call ours a free society, we cannot deploy force to deprive people of their liberty and property for whimsical reasons (Huemer 264).” People have fundamental rights to life, liberty and property. These unalienable rights include the right to one’s own body. Simply put, drug use is an individual’s right. If an person is legally allowed to eat McDonalds for every meal, then it should be legal to eat a pot brownie. As long as individuals are not harming others, they have a basic right to do as they please to their own bodies. Why should the government be allowed to tell someone how they must treat their body? In The Problem of Political Authority: An Examination of the Right to Coerce and the Duty to Obey, Huemer again argues that drug laws are unjust because “they violate a substantive moral right, the right to control one’s own body, that individuals possess regardless of the decisions of the state” (Huemer 127). Huemer claims that individuals have a natural moral right to use their body as they please, as long as they do not breach the rights of others in doing

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Analysis Of Blue Lens

    • 1216 Words
    • 5 Pages

    While most sectors of society will agree with the government and the judiciary that drug or controlled substance trafficking warrants a prison sentence, an immense majority of all drug related arrest in America relate to possession, not intention to sell. This means that drug users who usually haven’t broken other law are sent to jail or prison, rather than offered the opportunity to treat their disease with the appropriate medications and/or treatments. Many of the advocates for the rights of drug users and substance abuse addicts…

    • 1216 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Wilson And Husak Essay

    • 1352 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Husak believes that it is morally right to use drugs. Husak believes that instead of ignoring the problem, we should be trying to change the reasons why America has so many recreational drug users. He urges that a better strategy “to combat drugs might attempt to identify and change the conditions peculiar to America that have led to widespread use” (Husak 234). Husak blames America for the amount of users taking drugs and suggests that America fixes itself, instead of the drug users. Husak quotes Hamowy when he states that the drug war is “’the most expensive intrusion into the private lives of Americans ever;’” however, Husak believes that the war on drugs cannot be measured by the amount of money used to correct users (Husak 233).…

    • 1352 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The issue should not be looked at was whether or not to decriminalize the users of drugs, but rather the default question should be whether to criminalize the users of drugs. Husak argues that there is not a single argument that is good enough to justify criminalization. He explains that most drugs have a genuine use, for the majority this use is to experience a state of intoxication or high. Husak believes no one should be punished for wanting that state of intoxication or high.…

    • 986 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Unfortunately, this point actually proves that decriminalizing drugs would not be a bad idea. For example, prescription drugs are legal, yet they can be highly addictive and cause great damage to someone. Now, yes they are helping with illness and disease, but so can some of the illegal drugs too. Also, some criminalized drugs make up some of the ingredients pain pills. He carries his inadequate support through his other two points when addressing marijuana usage and the poor communities involvement in the drug…

    • 1465 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Huemer's Argument Analysis

    • 2010 Words
    • 9 Pages

    In his paper “America’s Unjust Drug War” Michael Huemer presents an argument for the drug war called the Harm to Users argument that is laid out as such: (P1) Drug use is very harmful to users. (P2) The government should prohibit people from doing things that harm themselves. ( C )…

    • 2010 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Husak says that even if drug use does contribute to social problems such as stealing and child neglect, just as eating pizza contributes to obesity, it was not justified in the first place, and we can’t keep heroin and cocaine illegal and continue punishing the users for doing them. There are some laws that are enforced that are preventative to harm such as drinking and driving, texting and driving, or shooting fireworks while there is dry grass because of the risk of wild fires. All of these things can cause serious harm to oneself and to others, and there is evidence and should be prevented. There is no law against the use of alcohol as long as you are of age. There is no law saying we cannot text while we are sitting on our couch, so why would or should there be a law saying that someone should not be able to choose if they can or cannot use heroin or cocaine.…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Huemer’s Moral Argument Michael Huemer argues in favor of legalizing recreational drug use by addressing three major concerns that are commonly used to argue in favor of drug criminalization: (1) Drug users may harm themselves (2) Drug users may harm others (3) Drug use may make people less productive and less altruistic In order to address the first two concerns, Huemer posits that there exist countless legal behaviors that result in self-harm and harm to others. These behaviors include “smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol [....] [and being] an inattentive and inconsiderate spouse and parent” (PPE 584-6). If it is not the role of the government to restrict these activities, then it should not be the responsibility of the government to prohibit…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Power Of 420 Analysis

    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The United States government has been campaigning on the prohibition of drugs for nearly a century. President Richard Nixon declared the “War on Drugs” in the 1970s. It was evident his administration wanted to shift the public perception of drugs by demonizing all drugs and campaigning on the dangers of drug use, which later lead to major anti-drug bills during the 19080s and 1990s. For years, our society has been taught that drugs have negative consequences that causes drug users to commit crimes. As a result of the stigmatization of drugs, we are faced with the challenges of changing the mindset that drug addicts are not criminals, but instead their addiction is a disease that requires medical attention, not criminalization.…

    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Satire On Drugs

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Drug laws play a vital role in American society because drug use is an unfortunate part of the culture. Regardless of one’s views on whether some currently illegal drugs should be treated differently than others, the fact is that at this point all non-prescription drugs are illegal, and the government is responsible for responding to public outcry on this issue whether it be the legalization of recreational drugs like marijuana or the perceived injustices handed down to non-violent drug offenders. The serious nature of our country’s drug epidemic makes the topic of drug laws one that must be addressed by all branches of the US Government; the President is calling for legalization of recreational marijuana, congress is passing groundbreaking…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Under no circumstances should drugs be legalized; drugs have negative consequences not only for individuals, but may also affect the entire families in numerous ways. For example, a parent or parents that abuses drugs is more likely to abuse and or neglected their children, these children often grow up and become substance abusers themselves. Authors like William Bennett are advocates for the legalization of drugs. Bennett who is the author of ‘’Should Drugs Be Legalized’’ meet with several prominent government personnel to discuss the war on drugs. It is Bennett’s view that these prominent government officials are in favor of the legalization of drugs.…

    • 1036 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Medical Marijuana Autonomy

    • 1358 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Medical Marijuana and the Principles of Autonomy The right to determine what shall be done with one’s body is a fundamental right in our society. It is the patient’s rights to decide whether what medical treatment they receive. I argue that based on the principles of autonomy that it is someone’s freedom and right to do what they please with their body. I argue that medical marijuana should be legal if we all have personal autonomy.…

    • 1358 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    War On Drugs Analysis

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Stakes of Decriminalized Drugs America’s current drug policy has always been the talk among the nation’s political scientists, economists, and politicians. From criminal deterrence to rehabilitation the scope of drug legislation has left room for many lingering questions and unanswered answers. However, among the many experts that express their concerns and suggestions Elliot Currie stands out as the vanguard of drug policy. In his essay, Towards a Policy on Drugs, Currie tackles the many roots and underpinnings associated with the prohibition, criminalization, and vilification of narcotics. Frederick Douglass once stated that “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.”…

    • 703 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In addition to the historical importance of why drugs should be decriminalized, the scientific evidence concerning the topic is significant and supports the argument. In 2015 a collective of twenty-two Hopkins-Lancet medical professionals deduced that the barring anti-drug laws in the last five decades have intentionally and unintentionally added to harmful “violence, disease, discrimination, forced displacement, injustice, and the undermining of people’s right to health” (Ceste et al., 2016). The researchers state that using the criminal justice system as a method for controlling drug use is a large contribution to increased rates of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C amid individuals who utilize drugs (Ceste et al., 2016). The reasons for the higher…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The argument on whether drugs should be legalized has been going on for so long now. Some people say as an Americans we have the right to choose whether we want to do drugs or not. It is really hard to control the consumption of drugs, because people are going to do them whether they are legal or illegal. Other people say that the laws that are being enforced now are good to control drugs. “There will also be more unpublicized fatal and maiming crashes, more job accidents, more child neglect, more of everything associated with substance abuse”(M. Kendrecke).…

    • 1002 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The drug market is stronger than ever, yet the drug war has been in full force for several decades. The effects here in the United States, are quite similar to the effects internationally, but there are many solutions other than a drug war, to stop the use of drugs. Nobel laureate and economist Milton Friedman remarked on the issue, “However much harm drugs do to those who use them…seeking to prohibit their use does even more harm both to users of drugs and to the rest of us…Legalizing drugs would simultaneously reduce the amount of crime and improve law enforcement. It is hard to conceive of any other single measure that would accomplish so much to promote law and order” (Donohue 146). Friedman is right.…

    • 1405 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays