The Drug Problem Essay Example for Free

The Drug Problem Essay Drugs have been a consistent problem of the society. For a long time, the drug problem has been regarded as a criminal problem. Treating it as a criminal problem has only resulted in criminalization and I believe that accepting the drug problem as a social problem could prove more beneficial to the society primarily because there is nothing wrong with merely using or possessing these drugs. The laws of man are based on ethical standards and there is nothing unethical with the possession and the use of the drug. Drugs have only gained its negative image because of negative propaganda. Also, legalizing drugs would come with a load of benefits. According to Benson Roe, professor emeritus and chair of the Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of California, illegal drugs have not been proven to have any long-term negative effects on the health of people. He narrated an incident when he was removing heart valves from some infected intravenous drug users and getting curious about the effects of the drugs on the users, he went to consult the San Francisco coroner only to discover that the only deaths caused by drugs is through infection contracted through unsafe intravenous injections and very rare cases of overdose (Roe). Roe indicated that no reliable and objective evidence points to drugs as more harmful than any of the substances that are not outlawed. It is often understood that society should keep its citizens away from drugs but the reason for this is unclear (Roe). If no evidence points to drugs being harmful, I strongly believe that there is no reason for drugs to be banned from the society. Also, drugs have never been proven to cause violent behavior. This aspect of the drugs may be blamed on the media since media entities often include the phrase â€Å"drug-related† to a crime even as no direct evidence points to the as the motivating factor for the crime. Merely the presence of drugs in a crime scenario is enough for irresponsible media practitioners to blame it (Jackson, 1998) since sensationalism sells. Often, the crime is motivated by another external factor. The media is unknowingly contributing to the negative drug propaganda (Jackson, 1998). Many politicians also play as advocates of the drug laws just for the sake of forwarding their political campaigns (Jackson, 1998). Anti-drug campaigns always make use of vague and emotive statements to get the support it needs from the public (Russel, 1999). One book entitled Hugs not Drugs: A Drug Abuse Prevention Manual published in the Philippines starts off with a story of how a bright and studious teenage girl got hooked with drugs. The girl later dropped out from school and had relationships with men that took advantage of her. Many anti-drug campaigners make use of such stories to say that drugs are bad. I however believe that these stories are not proof of drugs being bad. In the case of this girl, her actions might have been motivated by something else. She may have problems with her family or may have been sexually abused which is why she resorted to using drugs at a very young age. The book also indicates that crime experts have already established a link between drug use and juvenile and violent crimes. The source of the information was however not cited making it questionable. The book also does not have a clear reference page. This kind of practice is never accepted in the academic world and is evidence of a black propaganda. Drug laws have not been helpful to the society; rather, it is the best ally of the drug pushers (Jackson, 1998). Drugs prices would not be so high if drugs were legal. Legalizing drugs would come with price and quality regulations. The price of drugs would be cheaper when regulated and the already minimal cases of death caused by infected injections and rare cases of overdose would also more likely be eliminated if drugs are to be regulated since the purity of the drugs would be assured. Also, information on proper dosage levels would be made available to the public. Additionally, the government would get additional revenue from the taxed drug trade (Roe). One country has tried legalizing drugs to regulate it. This country is Holland. They treat drugs as a social problem rather than as a criminal problem. Great Britain which implements stricter drug laws have higher crime rates of robbery, burglary, shoplifting and theft from cars compared to Holland. Having drugs legalized in Holland has generally brought crime rate down (Rose, 2002). Drugs are not evil. There is nothing wrong with possessing or using drugs. It is also not a harmful substance unlike what many people and so-called intellectuals call it. Legalizing drugs would work wonders and Holland is a living proof of it. The already minimal number of deaths caused by drugs would be reduced even more. Crime will also decrease as drugs become more affordable. Clearly, there is nothing unethical about the use and possession of drugs. Even as some people under the influence of drugs show violent behaviour, it is not a direct result of the drug. Other factors affect the behavior of a person. Ethical concepts are not used as the basis of drug laws and a law which is not based on ethical principles is not a good law. References Roe, Benson MD. Why We Should Legalize Drugs. Retrieved August 24, 2008, from http://www. druglibrary.org/schaffer/Misc/roe1. htm Osorio, Susan. (1997). Hugs Not Drugs: A Drug Abuse Prevention Manual. Manila Mail Publication Philippines. Jackson, Ted. 3 December 1998. Why are drugs illegal. Retrieved August 24, 2008, from http://www. a1b2c3. com/drugs/law01. htm Rose, David. 24 February 2002. Two Countries Took the Drug Test. Who Passed?. The Guardian. Retrieved August 24, 2008, from http://www. guardian. co. uk/uk/2002/feb/24/drugsandalcohol. Davidrose Russel, Ken. 1999 July-August. Propaganda The War On Drugs. New Dawn Magazine. Retrieved August 24, 2008, from ttp://www. mapinc. org/drugnews/v99/n711/a10. html