Will legalizing all drugs causes an epidemic of drug users and bring the world to chaos or will it bring peace to the war on drugs. In 2001, Portugal decriminalized all drugs and since then there has been a small decline in drug users (Laqueur, 2015, 767). This paper will focus on how legalizing drugs may be beneficial to drug users. If drugs were legal, drug addicts or users will not go to jail for possession of drugs and gang wars may be a thing of the past. Drug addicts will be able to obtain proper treatments without fear of arrest. They can obtain clean needles, thus lowering incidence of HIV/AIDS. It can lower deaths due to overdose caused by designer drugs, which are laced with dangerous substance that make them more lethal. Evidence
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In 2001, Portugal decriminalized of all drugs, allowing the possession of 1g of heroin, ecstasy, and amphetamines, 2g of cocaine and 25g of cannabis. However, selling or producing drugs is still illegal (Lanquer, 2015, 752). Therefore, addicts still need to turn to the black market to obtain their drugs and interaction with the police remains relatively the same. However, those who possess drugs will not go to jail for it, they will be placed in front of a Commissions. In this setting, they would be assessed to note any drug addictions, addicts may receive treatments only if they wish to (Lanquer, 2015, 756). So, in Portugal addicts are not treated as criminals, but are seen as someone who needs help. But, decriminalizing does not remove violence and crime from the streets only legalizing can do that. Cussen and Block (2000) state that legalizing drugs will not only allow reduction of arrests for possession of drugs but also a reduction of drug related violence. Drug dealers would not need to resort to violence and murder to resolve a dispute they could be settled in court if drugs were legal (528). This does not mean that drug related crimes would disappear, only that it would be reduced because it gives drug dealers and cartels another option to resolve disputes and with prohibition they only have one which is murder. Additionally, when drugs are legalized it might lower the cost of …show more content…
According to Cussen and Block (2015), a quarter of reported HIV/AIDS cases are due to sharing used needle which is highly common among drug users (530). Prohibition already makes obtaining needles very difficult but there is also an added stigma associated with buying needles place by society that drug addicts must face. So, drug addicts are forced to share and reuse needles spreading blood borne disease (Miron, 2014). However, by legalizing drugs clean needles could be readily available in drugstores or pharmacy for drug addicts. Thus decreasing the spread of HIV and other blood-borne diseases amongst drug users (Miron, 2014). This has shown to be true in Portugal, in 2000 there was 1482 reported cases of HIV and in 2012 only 116 (Lanquer, 2015, 769). This is also true in Hong Kong who has made clean needles accessible since 1987 and has seen a complete disappearance of HIV amongst drug users (Cussen & Block, 2015, 528). It is important to note that if the spread of HIV decreases, it has benefits to society as a whole. If less people have HIV in society then the more difficult it is for it to spread. Maybe instead of legalizing drugs, a smaller step would be to make clean needles readily available for drug addicts. So, legalizations decreases the spread of HIV amongst drug users thus society but is also allows for better quality
In 2001, Portugal decriminalized of all drugs, allowing the possession of 1g of heroin, ecstasy, and amphetamines, 2g of cocaine and 25g of cannabis. However, selling or producing drugs is still illegal (Lanquer, 2015, 752). Therefore, addicts still need to turn to the black market to obtain their drugs and interaction with the police remains relatively the same. However, those who possess drugs will not go to jail for it, they will be placed in front of a Commissions. In this setting, they would be assessed to note any drug addictions, addicts may receive treatments only if they wish to (Lanquer, 2015, 756). So, in Portugal addicts are not treated as criminals, but are seen as someone who needs help. But, decriminalizing does not remove violence and crime from the streets only legalizing can do that. Cussen and Block (2000) state that legalizing drugs will not only allow reduction of arrests for possession of drugs but also a reduction of drug related violence. Drug dealers would not need to resort to violence and murder to resolve a dispute they could be settled in court if drugs were legal (528). This does not mean that drug related crimes would disappear, only that it would be reduced because it gives drug dealers and cartels another option to resolve disputes and with prohibition they only have one which is murder. Additionally, when drugs are legalized it might lower the cost of …show more content…
According to Cussen and Block (2015), a quarter of reported HIV/AIDS cases are due to sharing used needle which is highly common among drug users (530). Prohibition already makes obtaining needles very difficult but there is also an added stigma associated with buying needles place by society that drug addicts must face. So, drug addicts are forced to share and reuse needles spreading blood borne disease (Miron, 2014). However, by legalizing drugs clean needles could be readily available in drugstores or pharmacy for drug addicts. Thus decreasing the spread of HIV and other blood-borne diseases amongst drug users (Miron, 2014). This has shown to be true in Portugal, in 2000 there was 1482 reported cases of HIV and in 2012 only 116 (Lanquer, 2015, 769). This is also true in Hong Kong who has made clean needles accessible since 1987 and has seen a complete disappearance of HIV amongst drug users (Cussen & Block, 2015, 528). It is important to note that if the spread of HIV decreases, it has benefits to society as a whole. If less people have HIV in society then the more difficult it is for it to spread. Maybe instead of legalizing drugs, a smaller step would be to make clean needles readily available for drug addicts. So, legalizations decreases the spread of HIV amongst drug users thus society but is also allows for better quality