Introduction
Although having a drug-free America has been one of the primary goals of all American leaders, achieving this has been one of the hardest tasks for most leaders, because of the diverse nature of views held by different individuals. The increased rate of drug abuse in America has not only affected America as a continent, but also the entire world’s criminal justice system, because of the numerous drug trafficking avenues, which it has opened and the rich market it provides for most smuggled drugs.
Annually, as a result of the increased drug cases, the federal government spends millions of dollars on the criminal justice system and on governmental initiatives aimed at eliminating drugs from the streets. Therefore, drug abuse is a practice that needs serious governmental interventions, because it is a problem that has affected not only adults but also children who are the future of America. Practically, it is almost impossible to wage a war on drugs or enforce tough and intelligent means of enforcing criminal laws in an environment where the use of illegal drugs is not a criminal offense.
In addition, although devoted studies, prevention, and offering treatment to affected citizens can help to minimize the effects associated with drug abuse, this will not offer lasting solutions to the problem of drug abuse in an environment where authorities have decriminalized the use of drugs. Hence, considering the numerous negative effects associated with decriminalizing the use of drugs, and for purposes of protecting America’s future generations from the negative effects of substance abuse, the government should not decriminalize drugs.
Why the Government Should Not Decriminalize Drugs
Due to the varying views held by different individuals on the effects of decriminalizing drugs, over the recent past, most societal and governmental initiatives aimed at eliminating substance abuse have achieved little, because of the escalating number of substance abusers. Most individuals who support the decriminalization of the use of drugs base their primary argument on the premise that, drug decriminalization is not the same as drug legalization.
Hence, because of this, many believe that the former can help to reduce crime and save thousands of dollars, which the government spends annually on the criminal justice system if it is allowed. Yes, although decriminalizing the use of drugs is not the same as legalizing the use of drugs, both practices make drugs readily available to any abuser. Therefore, to a larger extent, most supporters of the decriminalization debate rarely take into consideration the numerous negative effects that can result from decriminalizing the use of drugs. Any attempt to decriminalize drugs can be a clear indication of a government’s failure to protect its future generations from dangerous acts of present generations.
Such is the case primarily because; there exist numerous negative effects associated with substance abuse, as compared to the benefits that can accrue from decriminalizing the use of drugs. For example, individuals can’t work to desired standards when intoxicated with drugs.
Yes, in this scenario, although the government in conjunction with industries may impose tough working rules to eliminate working while intoxicated with drugs, it is very hard to eliminate this like a practice in a state where drugs are decriminalized. Hence, decriminalizing the use of drugs can be very dangerous, not only to the wellbeing of individuals or societies, but also to the sustainability of governments, because human labor is one of the primary factors of production.
One primary reason why governments should not allow the practice is because; decriminalizing the use of drugs will give societies chances of accessing drugs easily, thereby increasing drug abuse. This scenario has happened in other global communities that have decriminalized the use of drugs. For example, when the Italian government decriminalized the use of heroin, one of its primary goals was to reduce the number of heroin abusers.
Achieving this goal has been one of the hardest tasks for the Italian government, because presently Italy is one of the countries with the highest number of heroin abusers globally. One primary thing that most supporters of the debate on decriminalizing drugs assume is that, most substance abusers are teenagers, who are very hard to control and monitor. Although decriminalizing the use of drugs may prohibit the selling or giving of drugs to certain age groups, it is very hard to control teenagers’ access to drugs, as most of them can do anything to get what they want. In most contemporary societies, taking drugs is a stylish and trendy way of life among teenagers.
Therefore, because it is almost impossible to tame substance abuse in an environment where the use of drugs is allowed, controlling the use of drugs by prohibiting on basis of age groups can be a very hard task for any government, regardless of the toughness of any substance abuse controlling measures in place.
Presently in the U.S., substance abuse is one of the primary problems facing the youth; hence to abolish or minimize chances of the practice occurring, the government should decriminalize the practice to save its future generation from destruction. As research studies show, the as compared to adults who use drugs (more so marijuana; a legalized drug in some states) keeps on increasing annually, as more youths can easily access some drugs. This means that, if the government or states decriminalize the use of more drugs, likelihood of a bigger proportion of individuals becoming abused is high, as this will increase the availability of more varieties of drugs.
In addition to increasing the rate of drug abuse, decriminalizing the use of drugs can increase accident and crime rates, because the likelihoods of many individuals performing their duties while intoxicated are likely to increase. This is supported by the fact that, since alcohol was decriminalized in the United States, the number of accidents associated with drunk driving has increased over the recent past, although there are tough governmental penalties on individuals who are caught driving while drunk. Moreover, considering the fact that some types of drugs, for example, cocaine and heroin are very addictive, chances of accidents increasing are high if the government decriminalizes the use of such drugs.
Although most supporters of the call to decriminalize drugs argue that, decriminalizing drugs will reduce the crime rate, as this will make the drug trade more open; hence, eliminate the operation of dangerous syndicates and drug traffickers, to a larger extent this is a fallacy. Such is the case primarily because; decriminalizing the use of drugs will mean that, demand for certain drugs that are not manufactured in the U.S. will increase.
Hence, to increase the supply of such drugs, the government will be forced to open its borders to allow a free flow of drugs to meet its citizenry’s demand. This can be very detrimental to the security of not only America, but also to the entire world because to increase their profits, drug traffickers may engage in other practices such as are smuggling of weapons. It is purely illogical to argue that, a government can decriminalize practices that carry big criminal penalties, without affecting the criminal justice system negatively. Therefore, to ensure that the U.S. safeguards its citizenry from any external security or terrorism threats, it is important for the government to completely illegalize the use of any illegal drugs.
On the other hand, although to some extent, the argument of most supporters of the decriminalization debate that, the price of combating crime in an environment where the use of drugs is decriminalized is lower than in environments where the use of drugs is not may be right, on thing that they forget is that, it is human life that is involved here. Although it might be cheaper in environments where the practice is decriminalized, any drug abuse habit affects the human life and interferes with the peaceful coexistence of human beings.
Frankly asking, is human life worth the several million that the government can save by decriminalizing the use of drugs? it is important for the society to note that, although the government may save some money spent on the criminal justice systems, such money is again channeled to other social amenities, for example, drug -rehabilitation centers. Any drug that is prohibited is dangerous for human consumption; hence, regardless of the motive behind the decriminalization of the use of any drug, governments should consider the significance of a healthy nation first.
Conclusion
In conclusion, considering the detrimental nature of effects associated with drug abuse, governments should not decriminalize the use of any illegal drug. Governments can achieve this by enacting tough stricter legislation, for purposes of safeguarding the wellbeing of their citizenry. To tame the number of drug-related criminal cases, the government should channel more resources to educational programs that involve the use of services of health practitioners and other educational agents to educate the masses on the significance of avoiding substance abuse. On the other hand, for purposes of rehabilitating the affected, it is of great significance for the government to offer them rehabilitation and guidance services, because addiction can sometimes be a psychological problem that needs serious attention.