Drug legalization research paper

Mar 09, 2008 - 12:22 PM PST
I had to write this for my english class, but it is a topic that I am very interested in and feel strongly about, so I really put my heart into it. So please try and look past the parenthetical citation and researchesque feel of it, and try to understand my real message. Oh yea, I couldn't figure out how to attach the political cartoon that is discussed in the first paragraph, but I think it is described well enough that you don't really need to see it.


I believe that the legalization of drugs would be much more of a benefit to our country than any harm it could do, especially in regards to our country’s crime rate, economy and public health. The political cartoon I have displayed depicts a harmless looking man who seems to be confused about his current situation alongside two armed SWAT team members, one of which is saying “Get back, he’s a drug user…he might be carrying nuclear explosives” (Cartoonstock.com). This image mocks government drug policy and opinions by making it seem as if someone uses drugs they must be a harmful, violent criminal which is obviously not the case with the man in the cartoon (Cartoonstock.com).
There is no denying that illegal drugs are related to the nation’s increased crime rate, and this is shown by the facts given from the DEA about arrestees in 1999. Out of 30,000 adult males, 10,000 adult females, 2,500 male juveniles, and 400 female juveniles Marijuana was frequently used, especially among the juveniles and adult males. In accordance, cocaine was frequently used among adult females. Nevertheless, the DEA does not provide any information on what the 1999 arrestees were convicted for, so it is possible that their only crime was possession of the aforementioned drugs.
As Bill Killion explains in his essay published in Legalizing Drugs “drugs do not cause crime, the illegal status of drugs causes all of the so-called ‘drug-related crime’” (50). Before drug laws were put into place there was no substantial black market for drugs, but after prohibition the demand for black market drugs skyrocketed, as well as the rate of drug related crime. Additionally, most drug-related homicides are not committed by people under the influence of drugs, rather than people disputing over competition in the market of drugs (ACLU). Before drugs were made illegal in 1914 “we didn’t have drug-turf wars or drive-by shootings” (Killion 51).
Lee P. Brown, the director of national drug control policy during the Clinton administration, proposes that those in favor of legalization should consider another approach for solving the drug problem, such as preventing the use of drugs and enforcing drug laws. Well isn’t that what the government has been trying, and failing, to do since the so-called “war on drugs” began? Imprisonment of drug offenders does not teach them not to use drugs; it encourages them to have personal resentment towards our country’s legal system. Bill Killion is an excellent example of that resentment. In his brief essay he writes sarcastically about the governments policies and is blatantly disrespectful. He also discusses his personal history with drugs. He has been imprisoned five times because of drug sentences, and is currently serving a 63-month sentence. He explains that serving time in prison has not made him think twice about returning to his habits of drug use when he is released, and he guarantees he will do so. He also believes that 99% of drug-related prisoners agree with him on this issue.
Drug legalization could also greatly benefit the economy. Billions of tax payer dollars, which could be put to use setting up better rehabilitation facilities for addicts, are used each year for drug law enforcement. States regulate the sale of alcohol and tobacco in regards to their strength, the time and place of sale, and the age of the buyer. The same regulations could be implemented with drugs, and an equally, if not more, profitable business could be established bringing more money into our nation’s economy (ACLU).
One of the greatest concerns with the danger of drugs is the harmful effects that the drugs themselves have on their user. Christopher Hitchens, the author of “Legalize It” attributes this effect to “the result of gangsters ‘cutting’ the stuff” (42). Most of the harm done by drugs on their users is simply a lack of quality control due to the fact that drugs can only be bought on the black market. “Dirty” drugs are much more harmful to users than a pure form, and the unavailability of clean needles poses a very high risk of HIV/AIDS for intravenous drug users (ACLU). If drugs were legalized, states would be able to monitor the ingredients and purity of nearly all drugs sold because the need for a black market would greatly decrease. Another factor in the aspect of harm to the user is the intake amount, and the time between uses. This could also be closely monitored by states by keeping records of who has been purchasing drugs along with what kind they have purchased, where they have bought it from, and how often they have bought it. In order for this process to succeed, states would have to regulate how much of a certain drug any one person is allowed to purchase at one time, and how often this amount is allowed to be purchased, similar to the system many states have set up with the purchase of over-the-counter cough medicine.
As you can see, there would be several benefits to drug legalization, including a reduced crime rate, an increasingly good economic state, and a large improvement in public health. So do not sit back in silence and let this war-on-drugs continue; write to your Congressman demanding discussions of legalization within the state government, write to the Orlando Sentinel stating the benefits of legalization, encourage your friends and fellow students to do the same, but most of all exercise your first amendment right to express your opinion on this issue and make your stance known.


Works Cited
American Civil Liberties Union. “Against Drug Prohibition.”
American Civil Liberties Union. 1 June 1995. 29 Nov. 2007. .

Brown, Lee P. “The Benefits of Drug Legalization Are Myths.” Legalizing Drugs.
Ed. Karin L. Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. 116-120.

CSL Cartoonstock Cartoon.16 Dec. 2007 .

Drug Enforcement Administration. “DEA Speaks Out Against Legalization.” DEA.
5 Dec. 2007 .
Hitchens, Christopher. “Legalize It.” Foreign Policy May/June 2007.

Student Research Center powered by EBSCOhost. Accessed from home. 5 Dec. 2007 .

Killion, Bill. “Legalizing Drugs Would Reduce Drug-Related Crime.” Legalizing Drugs.
Ed. Karin L. Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996. 49-51.

Drug legalization research paper


Channel Writing | 61 Views | 1 Comments
     

1 Comments

Mar 27, 2008 - 08:50 AM

gsxr-bandit on
dont smoke pot you will undoubtedly lose your motivation to do anything with your life, you will get caught up in your own head intellectualizing, and spend your days in a permanent state of self-reflection while your life slowly passes you bye untill you are old and broke and crazy and then you will have to sell your old wrinkly body for money
also your a terrorist