In the United States something as simple as a drug possession charge can get you into serious trouble, with some offenses even marked as felonies. (Controlled Substances Act, 2014) This is a ludicrous idea, drug crimes are usually victimless, restricting drug usage violates basic human rights, and even tobacco and alcohol are legal. In addition to these things, putting drug charges on a person’s criminal record, or sending someone to jail on drug charges pushes more people to a life of crime. For these reasons, I believe that people should not be punished for using drugs. Drug laws must be reformed to be more lenient on users, and more geared towards rehabilitation for drug addicts than towards punishment.
To discuss whether mind altering substances …show more content…
Alcohol and tobacco are both drugs in their own right, and even have similar effects to other drugs. It is considered perfectly normal to use alcohol recreationally in social settings or even alone, yet other drugs are taboo and illegal. Why should drugs with similar effects to alcohol be treated differently? In addition to this, tobacco is more reminiscent of highly addictive drugs than of recreational ones. Advertisement for it is manipulative at best and it is very easy to get addicted to. If anything, sale of tobacco should be prosecuted in the same way as the sale of other more addictive drugs. According to a study by the National Cancer Institute, “Tobacco marketing may be a stronger current influence in encouraging adolescents to initiate the smoking uptake process than exposure to peer or family smokers.” (Evans, Farkas, Gilpin, Berry, Pierce, 1995) This shows that tobacco companies aim to get people addicted, and while people who sell hard drugs are very harshly prosecuted, tobacco companies are not. As an adult, one can drive to the nearest gas station to buy a pack of mass produced cigarettes, but even marijuana is a black market item in most parts of the US. The fact that alcohol and tobacco are completely legal and accepted, even though they have similar effects to other drugs, and are very addictive, is utterly …show more content…
It should be a person’s choice if they want to use drugs, even if drugs the person is using are unhealthy and addictive. In the same way that I could eat nothing but potato chips, and although this is a terrible idea and would be very unhealthy, it would not be illegal or wrong for me to do so. It is my body; I will do what I want to it. Stopping a person from doing something when it does not cause harm to anyone or anything is a restriction of freedom which is unnecessary. One of the less obvious reasons to legalize drugs is the economic effect it would have. In fact, the United States would garner almost 26 billion dollars in additional revenue from the legalization of marijuana alone. (Glauser, 2012) This could greatly benefit the economy in the same way that the alcohol and cigarette industry does. It would also provide a greater benefit during economic downturns when people will be more likely to use drugs due to stress about financial
To discuss whether mind altering substances …show more content…
Alcohol and tobacco are both drugs in their own right, and even have similar effects to other drugs. It is considered perfectly normal to use alcohol recreationally in social settings or even alone, yet other drugs are taboo and illegal. Why should drugs with similar effects to alcohol be treated differently? In addition to this, tobacco is more reminiscent of highly addictive drugs than of recreational ones. Advertisement for it is manipulative at best and it is very easy to get addicted to. If anything, sale of tobacco should be prosecuted in the same way as the sale of other more addictive drugs. According to a study by the National Cancer Institute, “Tobacco marketing may be a stronger current influence in encouraging adolescents to initiate the smoking uptake process than exposure to peer or family smokers.” (Evans, Farkas, Gilpin, Berry, Pierce, 1995) This shows that tobacco companies aim to get people addicted, and while people who sell hard drugs are very harshly prosecuted, tobacco companies are not. As an adult, one can drive to the nearest gas station to buy a pack of mass produced cigarettes, but even marijuana is a black market item in most parts of the US. The fact that alcohol and tobacco are completely legal and accepted, even though they have similar effects to other drugs, and are very addictive, is utterly …show more content…
It should be a person’s choice if they want to use drugs, even if drugs the person is using are unhealthy and addictive. In the same way that I could eat nothing but potato chips, and although this is a terrible idea and would be very unhealthy, it would not be illegal or wrong for me to do so. It is my body; I will do what I want to it. Stopping a person from doing something when it does not cause harm to anyone or anything is a restriction of freedom which is unnecessary. One of the less obvious reasons to legalize drugs is the economic effect it would have. In fact, the United States would garner almost 26 billion dollars in additional revenue from the legalization of marijuana alone. (Glauser, 2012) This could greatly benefit the economy in the same way that the alcohol and cigarette industry does. It would also provide a greater benefit during economic downturns when people will be more likely to use drugs due to stress about financial