Russell Brand: Extremely Stupid Drug Laws

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The article, “Russell Brand: Philip Seymour Hoffman is another victim of extremely Stupid drug laws”, from the Guardian, on Thursday 6 February 2014, discusses Hoffman’s’ addiction to heroin and his untimely death. Russell Brand claims that the actor, who died from heroin overdose, died due to the drug laws that exist today. He also stresses that the stigma attached to addiction and mental health issues continues to, from a social perspective, criminalize drug addiction. He appeals to our emotions when he provides us with personal experience, as he is a former addict himself. He illustrates why prohibition does not work. He also discusses the changes in Switzerland and Portugal and how they have significantly dropped drug related deaths as well as crime, through progressive drug laws. I agree with Russell Brands argument that we stigmatize and judge those who struggle with addiction. The present laws that criminalize drug users must be changed to prevent the premature death of not only actors like Philip …show more content…
Both these countries have decided to create drug laws that are more tolerant. They no longer criminalize the possession of drugs; therefore, drug addiction is not a criminal offence. Brand interprets and expresses the effects of these new laws as significant. If decriminalization worked in other countries then why no try it. If people understood that decriminalization is not legalization would it make a difference? How much money could be saved if people were not placed in jail for possession charges for drugs? Maybe those who need help the most would seek it if they were no longer stigmatized by being an addict. As Brand points out, those who are most severely affected by drug prohibition are dispensable, politically irrelevant people. It is Hoffman 's death, which should remind all of us that addiction is indiscriminate, and it affects us

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