¶ … DRUGS BE LEGALIZED?
Should Drugs Be Legal?" is the core debatable issue of this paper. Two papers representing different sides of the debate are summarized below. The papers represent different dimensions of the issue, not necessarily contradicting each other.
An Analysis of the Benefits of Legalized Drugs
Meaghan Cussen presents an argument in favor of legalizing drugs. In "An Analysis of the Benefits of Legalized Drugs," the author highlights various social and economic reasons to back these arguments.
Cussen's leading argument highlights how penalizing drug use violates basic constitutional rights as they give the government control over an individual's body, who wants to "pursue his own happiness." The author highlights how legalizing drugs would help prevent such compromise of civil liberties. Another argument promoting legalization of drugs is the establishment of a free trade market. Here the social benefits of legalizing drugs are demonstrated in an equal opportunity to gain by any individual who wants to participate in the trade.
The author mentions how legalizing drugs will reduce crime rate and provides various reasons to back the statement. Reduction in the cost of drugs following legalization will reduce the need to commit crime to buy drugs. Further, legalization will prevent terrorist regimes...
Also, introduction of a legal infrastructure will make it easy to settle disputes between gangs, hence introducing a better alternative to problem solving than taking up crime.
The arguments of social reform due to legalization talk about how legalizing drugs will make a provision for use of healthier substances and tools such as needles, hence promote health. Further, the youth involved in the drug trade are also exposed to other dimensions of crime in the black markets. Legalization will eradicate this exposure to crime. Furthermore, the author differentiates 'crime' from 'drugs' by segregating criminal behavior (which should be penalized) from drug use (which should not) as not all drug users end up committing crime.
Economically the tax payers' money is more efficiently utilized with drugs being legalized than otherwise as per Cussen. Further, the economic demand for drug use is not expected to grow after legalization as drugs are "necessity," not "luxury" as argued by Cussen, and hence have less flexibility in demand to grow.
In the trailing arguments of the paper the author segregate the attribute of drugs being "immoral and destructive" from being "legal." Cussen argues,.".. The legalization of drugs does not mean that government and society would sanction their…
