ipl-logo

Disadvantages Of Decriminalization

1569 Words7 Pages

Sanya Sethi

Do the benefits of decriminalizing drugs outweigh the disadvantages?

2000 words
Do the benefits of decriminalizing drugs outweigh the disadvantages?
By Sanya Sethi

Introduction
‘I’m a recovering drug addict and know that drug addiction is an illness, it’s a disease, so by criminalizing that you criminalize a huge percentage of the population. You malign them and stigmatize them, you generate more crime, you create a criminal culture, and speaking from the perspective of a sufferer it’s simply not helpful’. (Russell Brands)

We have fought a long and hard war against drugs for decades now, but we still have not been able to win the battle, and if Russell Brands is to believed, the solutions we are adopting …show more content…

Drug use and crime are two things very closely intertwined. Countries with more drug abusers tend to have higher crime rates.

In 2001, Portugal decriminalized all drugs, reducing the amount of drug abusers and the crime rates in Portugal.

‘Under Portugal 's new regime, people found guilty of possessing small amounts of drugs are sent to a panel consisting of a psychologist, social worker and legal adviser for appropriate treatment instead of jail.’ (Maia Szalavitz).

A decade later, and Portugal’s results have been outstanding.

‘The Cato paper reports that between 2001 and 2006 in Portugal, rates of lifetime use of any illegal drug among seventh through ninth graders fell from 14.1% to 10.6%; drug use in older teens also declined. New HIV infections in drug users fell by 17% between 1999 and 2003, and deaths related to heroin and similar drugs were cut by more than half.’ (Maia …show more content…

Currently the intake of recreational drugs can lead to a fine of $1 million or imprisonment up to 7 years. However these harsh laws are not proving to be effective at deterring drug use. However what could possibly help Hong Kong reduce the amount of drug users, is the decriminalization of drugs.

‘As long ago as 1994, justices Neil Kaplan and Gerard Godfrey said they supported the decriminalisation of cannabis, saying drug laws were failing to curb drug use.’ (Christy Choi).

In my personal opinion, I believe that the decriminalization of drugs in Hong Kong would bring more benefits than disadvantages. Unlike Sweden, imposing harsher penalties has not proven to be successful in reducing drug abusers in Hong Kong and we need better solutions to tackle the problem. I believe that the Hong Kong government should decriminalize all drugs, by doing this they would effectively reduce the amount of people consuming drugs, thereby reducing the crime rates in Hong Kong. We have seen this solution working in Portugal with crime rates in Portugal falling significantly.

Global

Show More
Related

Bennett Drug Policy And The Intellectuals Analysis

304 Words | 2 Pages

As director of the National Drug Control Policy, William J. Bennett shares his stance on the drug war in “Drug Policy and the Intellectuals”. He addresses the arguments that American’s have proposed in regard to the legalization of drugs. Bennett goes on to say that the justification behind legalizing drugs lacks the seriousness that a topic like this should have. In addition, the results would likely be disastrous. Rather than “taking the profit out of the drug business”, Bennett’ alternative is to make the usage of drugs a less appealing option.

Read More

Similarities Between Fahrenheit 451 And The Giver

727 Words | 3 Pages

The White House states, "In July 2001, Portugal decriminalized the personal use and possession of all illicit drugs" (Drugs in Portugal). Life in Portugal is free; this freedom allows

Read More

Pros And Cons Of Incarcerate Drug Abusers

766 Words | 4 Pages

While there are many reasons to be for the legalization of drugs, many people forget that the reason they’re illegal is to discourage drug

Read More

Drugs In The 1970's

407 Words | 2 Pages

Illicit drugs are drugs that have been considered illegal, such as, heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, in some locations (Levinthal, 2016). Legislating drugs began around 1900. In essence, the government let society govern the use and opinions of drugs. Most of society looked down upon the nonmedical use of drugs.

Read More

A Rhetorical Analysis Of Drugs By Gore Vidal

499 Words | 2 Pages

Overall, Gore Vidal’s argument of legalizing drugs is very compelling. The style of writing is unique and keeps the reader interested. Vidal takes a popular argument (in 2016) and provides a sound argument in support of

Read More

Opioids Satire

678 Words | 3 Pages

Opioids is a big issue because Americans are addicted to drugs especially opioids. After a surgery doctors give patients opioids because they are a pain killer. After patients have been taking opioids they soon are not in pain anymore but they keep taking the pills because it makes their body feel relieved. People get addicted to this and can’t function without them.

Read More

The Decriminalization Of Drugs In The United States

1077 Words | 5 Pages

For example, agencies have been established with the sole intent to manage drug use and distribution and technology has been exclusively developed to detect the presence of drugs. Yet, evidence has indicated that such exhaustive efforts have been relatively unsuccessful. First, it has been assumed that drugs have perpetuated violence in society and based on this rationale, it was believed that by the suppressing the pervasiveness of drugs that incidents of violence would simultaneously diminish. However, reality has failed to align with the expectations that had initially been anticipated. Research findings have suggested that the decriminalization of drugs would result in a less adversarial drug market in which conflicts have tended to arise among dealers as well as between dealers and buyers (Common Sense for Drug Policy, 2007, p. 21).

Read More

Drug Trafficking Pros And Cons

839 Words | 4 Pages

They also implemented these so-called coffee shops which are allowed to store 500g of it. These are a step towards legalization, but on the bottom line, they have prevented many prosecutions for possession, as well as conflicts for the illegal sale of these drugs. This is an example of a peaceful solution, so basically, the war on drugs needs to be stopped, one way or

Read More

Substance Abuse In The Other Wes Moore

774 Words | 4 Pages

Drug Addiction Imagine a life where someone is controlled by something that doesn't have a pulse, controlled by a substance that they can see ruining their life but for some reason they can't control the outcome. Substance abuse costs the health care system about $11 billion, with overall costs reaching $193 billion. That $11 Billion dollars could go to treating the addiction rather than treating the outcome, and instead of locking up low level drug offenders, we as a society should help them through their difficult time. And according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), approximately 27 million Americans, or 10.2% of the American population over the age of 12 reported using illicit drugs in 2014. 10% of our society is

Read More

Summary Of Louis Cost Drugs For Addicts

239 Words | 1 Pages

In his essay, “Louis Cost Drugs for Addicts” (1995), Louis Nizer claims that we should offer legal, low-cost drugs to people. For his logos appeal, he mentions three reasons to support his claim. Which are the mobs would lose the main source of its income, the pushers would be put out of business, and the police and other law-enforcement authorities, domestic or foreign, would be free to deal with traditional nondrug crimes. He uses a pathos appeal when he says murder and serious crimes under the influence of drugs and talks about different types of domestic’s terrors in our nation. Finally, he uses ethos appeal when he says that the government should create clinics that provide drugs for nominal charges or even free.

Read More

Satire On Drugs

557 Words | 3 Pages

Drugs are the dangerous substances that will destroy the consumer both physically and mentally; therefore, it is necessary to determine these substances restrictively. In order to do that, I am strongly assuring that the drugs should be legalized. There are three main reasons why the drugs should be legalized: diminution of crime rates, health guarantee, and extending of drugs regulation. Drugs are one of the crime sources, although not by the drugs, itself, but the condition. Illegal drugs are rare products that could not be found in the normal market, the cost for its rarity is totally expensive.

Read More

Homelessness In California Essay

765 Words | 4 Pages

The continuous use of narcotics results in addiction, and financial struggles due to the costly upkeep. “Financial problems are one of the major side effects of drug and substance abuse” (Buaggett, 2015). Addicts cannot adequately take an active role in the economic activities, as the use of drugs inhibits the abilities of the users to earn a daily living. Due to the instability of finances, this would result in selling personal belongings to continue funding the substance of choice, and depending on the addicts living situation, this could lead to losing their house or being removed from their current housing. While being under the influence, an addicts voice of reason is jeopardized, resulting in criminal activities which raise the chances of being apprehended by the law enforcers, as well as, heavy fines are imposed.

Read More

Gore Vidal Case For Legalizing Marijuana Summary

786 Words | 4 Pages

Upon reading Gore Vidals "Case for Legalizing Marijuana" one may wonder why drugs are not legal in the United States of America. Afterall, several valid reasonings were made throughout the article. There is a demand for drugs and many people are supplying them, while also making a small fortune. If drugs were made legal and sold for high prices, their market would decrease because many people would not be able to afford them. Most people involved in the drug world do not know the consequences of that which they consume.

Read More

Essay On Decriminalisation Of Drugs

1629 Words | 7 Pages

However, there are many that argue that the decriminalization of possession of drugs would redirect focus of the law enforcement system of any country to put more effort into arresting dealers and big time criminals, instead of arresting minor criminals for mere possession, and thus be more effective. It also has more focus on the drug user instead of drug lords which is a more humane approach as compared to the others. Decriminalisation then includes diversion programmes instead of incarceration. Decriminalisation also removes the stigma attached to a criminal conviction for the use of

Read More

Argumentative Essay On The War On Drugs

865 Words | 4 Pages

As of recent, the war on drugs has been a very often discussed topic due to many controversial issues. Some people believe the War on Drugs has been quite successful due to the amount of drugs seized and the amount of drug kingpins arrested. I believe this to be the wrong mindset when it comes to the war on drugs. The war on drugs isn’t a winnable one so we must do all that is possible to assist those who struggle with drug addiction and decriminalize small amounts of drugs. These minor changes in the way we combat drugs will create significant change and have lasting effects.

Read More

More about Disadvantages Of Decriminalization

Related Topics

Open Document