The Pros And Cons Of Decriminalization

1410 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Should drugs be legalized pros and cons

Decriminalization is defined as: elimination of criminal penalties or removal of legal restrictions against. It is a topic in relation to drugs and Canada has still not come to a conclusion on the issue. As stated in the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) report from 2010, Canada is one of the world’s primary source countries for illicitly manufactured synthetic drugs, particularly MDMA (“ecstasy”). Certain individuals argue that if all drugs are legalized, our society will be safer and drugs will be clean which will reduce the number of overdoses and deaths due to laced drugs being consumed. In the article The Surprising Truth about Heroin and Addiction by Jacob Sullum, it is stated that “… drugs such as nicotine and cocaine [are] not truly addictive; they [are] merely habituating”. The question should not be “Should Canada Legalize all Drugs?” it should be “Which Drugs Should Canada Legalize?” The pros and cons must be considered and nothing is always just black and white when it comes to such unpredictable matters. Alcohol was illegal back in 1920 and the law was repealed in 1933. It takes time to consider all possibilities with legalizing something and is not taken lightly with the government or law enforcement. People also need to take into consideration the addictiveness of each substance and if making that legal will create a greater problem than they currently have. All drugs should not be legal in Canada but certain ones should be considered. The Canadian government and law enforcement should look at each drug individually instead of putting them under one canopy. This will ensure that each drug is carefully and strategically researched in order to make an accurate decision on the legalization of the particular substance. Pick and choose wisely Canada, because certain drugs should be left

Show More
Related

  • Justin Trudeau: The Promises For Canada

    1401 Words  | 3 Pages

    Justin Trudeau, newly elected prime minister of Canada, and the Liberal Party made many promises during their election campaign to better the lives of the Canadian people, economy and make a positive change. With that being said he and his liberal party promised to legalize cannabis. In this paper, I will outline the promises made by Trudeau, discuss why Trudeau and the liberals are making this promise, explain how the promise will be kept and provide information to shed light on how legalization is a good idea for Canada.

    Read More

  • The Canada 's Drug Problem

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bruce K. Alexander’s essay “reframing Canada’s drug problem is about how the focus needs to be shifting from intervention to prevention

    Read More

  • Drugs In Canada Essay

    1671 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to the oxford dictionary the term drug is defined as “A medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body” .Broadly speaking drugs can be classified into two group’s pharmacological drugs and recreational drugs. Pharmacological drugs are usually prescribed by doctors or pharmacist and recreational drugs are usually legal or illegal drugs. Pharmacological drugs are chemical substance used to cure or prevent diseases or to enhance the physical and mental well-being of a person. Recreational drugs are chemical substances that affect the central nervous system which are generally used to have a good time or for enjoyment purposes because these help in forgetting unhappy memories for a time being and create pleasure. Unfortunately both the pharmacological and recreational drugs have created problems in the Canadian society. A UN report said, "The global drug trade generated an estimated US $321.6 billion in 2003”, and Canadians are among the top participants on illegal drug.

    Read More

  • The Legalization of Marijuana in Canada

    1859 Words  | 4 Pages

    In reaction to this, some Canadians complain that legal substances as alcohol and tobacco kill more people and wonder why marijuana, as a soft drug, is not decriminalized to become controlled substances. In fact, the time has come to rearrange the idea of the legalization of marijuana for the sake of society.

    Read More

  • Decriminalization of Marijuana in Canada

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    Marijuana is currently a hot topic of debate throughout Canada, and has been for the past few years. Marijuana was first banned in 1923 under the Opium and Drug Act, but since 1997 the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act have controlled it. In 2000, over 30,000 Canadians were charged with possession of marijuana. Currently, the marijuana laws are not enforced equally across the country, which has prompted the interest in changing the laws or possibly decriminalizing marijuana. Also, those convicted of marijuana related crimes usually don’t go to jail, but they do receive a criminal record.

    Read More

  • Legalizing Drugs

    1323 Words  | 3 Pages

    Drug legalization is an enduring question that presently faces our scholars. This issue embraces two positions: drugs should not be legalized and drugs should be legalized. These two positions contain an array of angles that supports each issue. This brief of the issues enables one to consider the strengths and weakness of each argument, become aware of the grounds of disagreement and agreement and ultimately form an opinion based upon the positions stated within the articles. In the article “Against the Legalization of Drugs”, by James Q. Wilson, the current status of drugs is supported. Wilson believes if a drug such as heroin were legalized there would be no financial or medical reason to avoid heroin usage; therefore, anybody could afford it (367). Wilson stated that during 1960’s, British physicians were allowed to prescribe heroin to addicts until the number of addicts increased fivefold. He argued that cocaine is not a “victimless crime.” Addicts victimize children by neglect and spouses by not providing (370). Wilson upholds that illegality of drugs increases crime because users need to pay for their habit (372). He believes the benefit of illegal drugs is it forces patients who enter under legal compulsion to complete their treatment due to the pressure and drug-education programs in the schools (374). Wilson is convinced the difference between nicotine and cocaine is that while tobacco shortens one’s life, cocaine debase it and destroys the addicts humanity (375). Wilson’s argument is strong because he demonstrates his knowledge of the subject and supports it with many clear, scientific facts and historical examples of drug usage. He interprets facts differently by seeing “logical fallacy and factual error” (371) in what other perceive as being a true. He also acknowledges his opposition by addressing how the advocates of legalization respond to his position. Wilson recognizes that that he may be wrong about his conclusions of drug legalization. Yet he states if he is wrong, money will be saved, while if he is right, and the legalizers prevail, then millions of people, thousands of infants and hundreds of neighborhoods will live a life of disease (377-8). In the article “Drug Policy and the Intellectuals,” by William J. Bennentt, drug legalization was not supported. Bennett wants to address the “root causes” of drugs by means of...

    Read More

  • Decriminalize, Don't Legalize

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    As human beings, we are naturally curious about different things in our society. We want to absorb as much knowledge as possible, whether it is in a classroom environment or by experiencing it ourselves. When it comes to illegal drugs, people want to experience it for themselves since it has a different effect on each individual. In the United States, the drug use is quite high. Different legislators and philosophers believe that legalizing drugs will have more benefits than harms to our society. I believe that it will be the opposite. In this paper, I will present several arguments about why certain drugs should not be legalized, but decriminalized instead.

    Read More

  • Deliberation and Legalization of Marijuana

    1217 Words  | 3 Pages

    Deliberation on the legalization and regulation of marijuana is divisive where one side argues for its economic contribution through taxes while the other argues against it because of the health concerns associated with prolonged marijuana use. On one hand, there are social and health issues that arise at the expense of marijuana legalization, which is bound to encourage prolonged use among youth who are then vulnerable to addiction and mental health problems. On the other hand, the economic and tax benefits that comes from legalizing marijuana are undoubtedly important because the money from the taxes can help regulate the consumption and prevent youth be affected by this drug as it’s has been done with tobacco and alcohol. Therefore, marijuana in British Columbia should be legalized and regulated owing to its economic advantages; also the reduction of organized crimes will benefit society greatly, since the income generated would be used to mitigate marijuana perceived health risks, which have not been verified as opposed to alcohol and tobacco.

    Read More

  • Pros & Cons of Legalization of Marijuana

    1651 Words  | 4 Pages

    Introduction The legalization of marijuana is considered a controversial issue, something that can benefit people for medical purposes, but what about recreationally? Marijuana has been illegal since 1937, but there’s never been a bigger push for legalization. There are several reasons why it is illegal, because of government propaganda and big industry not wanting to lose money, but this will be discussed later. The purpose of this paper is to educate, theorize, and discuss various aspects of marijuana, such as its history, development, and the advantages and disadvantages of marijuana legalization. Finally, my personal reflection on legalization and marijuana in general will be discussed.

    Read More

  • Decriminalization of drugs

    819 Words  | 2 Pages

    The second claim is no mystery that prisons are getting overcrowded and numbers are growing rapidly. Decriminalization can reduce the amount of inmates in prison by forty percent and be put in forced rehab. In rehab they will get help for their addiction and hopefully become clean and not go back to old habits. Also the sale of drugs can drop since the user who were once customers will be clean to be able to fit in as productive member of society rather than as a convicted felon and also hurt drug trafficking and sa...

    Read More

  • Decriminalization On Drugs

    359 Words  | 1 Pages

    After reviewing the two outlooks on drugs, paternalism and liberty, I believe the argument for liberty is more philosophically sound. While I do not believe full blown legalization is the best idea for our society, I do believe the utilitarian point of view on drugs is the best compromise. Friedman argues that the war on drugs is too costly, and that the best solution would be just to decriminalize them. With the process of decriminalization, it will lower street crime, sale to minors, and outlaw the advertisement of drugs. Instead of informing the public about how bad drugs are, I believe decriminalizing them would educate the public on what they would be taking and if it really a good idea to put that in their body. Bennett and Wilson fight

    Read More

  • Benefits Of Legalization Of Drugs

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    Prohibition did not work with alcohol and it is not working with drugs. We as a country need to come up with better solution legalization and regulating all drugs would be beneficial all around. Money spent on battling the war on drugs could be used in far more beneficial ways.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Legalizing Marijuana In Canada

    482 Words  | 1 Pages

    There is no doubt, that marijuana should be legalized in Canada and sold just like alcohol. There is one thing in this world that is ultimately the driving force for decision made every single day around the globe. That is money. If the Canadian government legalizes marijuana, the potential to make astronomical amounts of money is truly a reality. Canada is going to generate 124 billion dollars in revenue each year off of the sale of marijuana, the government is expects to save an estimated 1.5 billion dollars by releasing incarcerated prisoners each year, the government is going to save 6 billion in wood pulp production and an increase of tourism is expects to generate an excess of 30 billion dollars for the Canadian government (Beckl). In

    Read More

  • The Decriminalization Of Drugs

    879 Words  | 2 Pages

    There has been a big debate about drugs in America, but how much do drugs really affect the people? Despite the consequences drugs are used by many people, I believe if we have the same system towards drugs as Portugal it could benefit the people. If a person is caught with drugs or caught with someone who has drugs they are immediately put in jail, but depending on the quantity, drug, past convictions, and who has it comes up with how long you’d be in jail. While decriminalizing drugs can help with such things as getting people help with drug addictions and not get a huge fine for getting caught with drugs, how can we be sure it won’t affect us negatively?

    Read More

  • Essay On Decriminalization Of Drugs

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    I do not believe that all drugs should be legalized although the extent to which legal action is taken should be changed. All drugs should be decriminalized, which would significantly change the prison population statistics where we don’t have over 75,000 individuals in prison due to a drug offense. Although there should be some type of fine or other consequence for the possession and use of certain drugs and to determine which drugs are illegal should be based on the mindset it causes for a person. Drugs that affect behavior and cause a decrease in functionality of a person to the point where they are in a mindset to harm others and unable to function in society should deem the drug illegal while drugs such as marijuana should be illegal because there has been no evidence against it that is causing harm to others or even death for those who partake using. Therefore, as a whole I believe to an extent there should be legalization of drugs but those that can put other individuals in society at risk should remain

    Read More

More about The Pros And Cons Of Decriminalization

Open Document