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Decriminalization Of Illegal Drugs Essay

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Introduction: The abuse of illegal drugs should be treated as a matter of public health instead of criminal justice. For years, jails have failed at providing efficient solutions for the rehabilitation of drug users. This is why it is necessary to provide better alternatives within the public health system. I believe that exploring the decriminalization of illegal substances would not only help stop the war on drugs, but also help protect society as a whole. My value: Public and individual health Definitions
Decriminalization: the lessening of criminal penalties in relation to certain acts.
Rehabilitation: the act of restoring something to its original state. Criterion one: Public health can be used to not only help those who …show more content…
Drugs and substance abuse harm the individual and the population as a whole. The only way to help the public is to get rid of drugs, and to help those who are already addicted and affected. If you are addicted to a drug, most the time you do not want to stop abusing these substances. The only way we can help these individuals is if we get them into treatment and away from the substances they use. If they don’t want this help, then force must be used, such as forced rehabilitation or restrictions on drug use. This is where criminal justice comes into …show more content…
While you 're in jail or prison, you have barely anything to do. Therefore, inmates have a vast amount of time on their hands. It is very difficult to get harmful substances in jail, so these inmates who were sentenced to jail time because of substance abuse now have nothing and nothing to do. This is why it is a great time to get these inmates into rehab to help them. Also, this rehabilitation is free because it is paid by the communities tax dollars. One third of inmates in the U.S. are in jail because either they were caught abusing a substance, or later admitted being on an illegal substance while committing a crime. Also, criminals can be offered a sentence to rehab instead of jail in states that allow

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