Decriminalization of Drug Use
By Juhi Tanniru and Carolina Beirne, 5/12/2020
Against the Prospect of Decriminalization
Drug abuse is an extremely pertinent problem which continues to clutch the world in its formidable grasp – taking foothold in health care systems, social services and criminal justice. The havoc this has generated is immense, and therefore complex legalisation is not the answer. Instead, more resources and energy should be devoted to research and treatment to prevent substance misuse and addiction – not how to make these detrimental substances more readily available.
Many experts use the phrase “availability is the mother of use” against the case of the decriminalisation of drugs. The United States has approximately 6 million illegal drug users, and this figure is only set to rise exponentially should it become easier to obtain them, given the highly addictive nature of certain substances. Therefore, the legalisation of these drugs is not the answer, and rather countries should employ their resources to encourage misusers to enter treatment, thus reducing drug-related crimes. Throughout this, it is also important to reiterate that addiction is not a moral failing, but rather a complex disease and a governmental and societal failing. This mindset is essential in order to provide people who are struggling with the help they need and in turn, remove the stigma surrounding addiction.
The failures of countries with legal drug use has been demonstrated worldwide, particularly in the Netherlands, where customers can enter ‘coffee shops’ to select and purchase their preferred strand of marijuana. As a result, cannabis use amongst adolescents tripled between 1984 and 1992, and the consumption of cannabis continues to skyrocket in the Netherlands. This is particularly significant as studies have shown that marijuana use can have adverse effects on brain development and neurocognitive ability in youth. Moreover, Switzerland attempted to restrict several hundred heroin users to a small area known as a ‘needle park’ environment, however, this quickly evolved into a place where almost 20,000 addicts resided. Although the concept of a “needle park” had worked in the short term, it quickly had to be shut down before heroin use and the associated diseases took a firm grasp on the entire city of Zurich. Finally, Italy upholds laws that exempt small dosage possession from sanctions and criminal charges, and has subsequently become the country with the highest rates of addiction in Europe, with 60% of the HIV cases within the country resulting from intravenous drug use. On the other hand, Sweden’s drug use rates are a third of the European average, as a result of their successful restrictive drug policy. This was the result of increased rates of drug use in the 1990s, which elicited a police response to step up their national action against drug-use by creating a national drug coordinator.
Furthermore, modern science discovered more about the dangers of using marijuana on a daily basis. The potency of pot has more than doubled since 1983, due to higher amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive ingredient, being added to the substance. In addition, certain deadly substances such as fentanyl are commonly mixed with traditional pot. Antonio Maria Costa, Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), stated, "Today, the harmful characteristics of cannabis are no longer that different from those of other plant-based drugs such as cocaine and heroin." Aside from this, there is mounting evidence on the link between cannabis consumption and serious mental illnesses. A study carried out in the Lancet, “found a consistent increase in the incidence of psychosis outcomes in people who used cannabis.”
In essence, drugs are illegal because they are dangerous – the opposite does not apply. Today, most children don’t use these illicit drugs, but all children, especially those within a lower socioeconomic sphere are more vulnerable to fall into the trap of substance addiction and abuse. In conclusion, the legalisation of illegal drugs is certain to increase illegal drug activity and use amongst the population. Is this really a viable approach to solving one of the most prominent issues facing public health?
Drug abuse is an extremely pertinent problem which continues to clutch the world in its formidable grasp – taking foothold in health care systems, social services and criminal justice. The havoc this has generated is immense, and therefore complex legalisation is not the answer. Instead, more resources and energy should be devoted to research and treatment to prevent substance misuse and addiction – not how to make these detrimental substances more readily available.
Many experts use the phrase “availability is the mother of use” against the case of the decriminalisation of drugs. The United States has approximately 6 million illegal drug users, and this figure is only set to rise exponentially should it become easier to obtain them, given the highly addictive nature of certain substances. Therefore, the legalisation of these drugs is not the answer, and rather countries should employ their resources to encourage misusers to enter treatment, thus reducing drug-related crimes. Throughout this, it is also important to reiterate that addiction is not a moral failing, but rather a complex disease and a governmental and societal failing. This mindset is essential in order to provide people who are struggling with the help they need and in turn, remove the stigma surrounding addiction.
The failures of countries with legal drug use has been demonstrated worldwide, particularly in the Netherlands, where customers can enter ‘coffee shops’ to select and purchase their preferred strand of marijuana. As a result, cannabis use amongst adolescents tripled between 1984 and 1992, and the consumption of cannabis continues to skyrocket in the Netherlands. This is particularly significant as studies have shown that marijuana use can have adverse effects on brain development and neurocognitive ability in youth. Moreover, Switzerland attempted to restrict several hundred heroin users to a small area known as a ‘needle park’ environment, however, this quickly evolved into a place where almost 20,000 addicts resided. Although the concept of a “needle park” had worked in the short term, it quickly had to be shut down before heroin use and the associated diseases took a firm grasp on the entire city of Zurich. Finally, Italy upholds laws that exempt small dosage possession from sanctions and criminal charges, and has subsequently become the country with the highest rates of addiction in Europe, with 60% of the HIV cases within the country resulting from intravenous drug use. On the other hand, Sweden’s drug use rates are a third of the European average, as a result of their successful restrictive drug policy. This was the result of increased rates of drug use in the 1990s, which elicited a police response to step up their national action against drug-use by creating a national drug coordinator.
Furthermore, modern science discovered more about the dangers of using marijuana on a daily basis. The potency of pot has more than doubled since 1983, due to higher amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive ingredient, being added to the substance. In addition, certain deadly substances such as fentanyl are commonly mixed with traditional pot. Antonio Maria Costa, Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), stated, "Today, the harmful characteristics of cannabis are no longer that different from those of other plant-based drugs such as cocaine and heroin." Aside from this, there is mounting evidence on the link between cannabis consumption and serious mental illnesses. A study carried out in the Lancet, “found a consistent increase in the incidence of psychosis outcomes in people who used cannabis.”
In essence, drugs are illegal because they are dangerous – the opposite does not apply. Today, most children don’t use these illicit drugs, but all children, especially those within a lower socioeconomic sphere are more vulnerable to fall into the trap of substance addiction and abuse. In conclusion, the legalisation of illegal drugs is certain to increase illegal drug activity and use amongst the population. Is this really a viable approach to solving one of the most prominent issues facing public health?
The Efficacy of Decriminalization
As drug addiction rates continue to rise globally, the enigma of how to put a halt to illegal drug use has drawn a variety of different approaches. One such approach is the decriminalization of these controlled substances. The idea was enacted in Portugal in 2001, and while the distribution and selling of those substances was still a crime, the use and possession of drugs was categorized as a public health issue. Thus, it was social workers, counselors, and psychologists instead of law enforcement who were forced to deal with matters relating to substance abuse.
However, it is imperative to note that decriminalization does not equal legalization, as there remain restrictions. For example, public drug use and intoxication, as well as the buying and selling of controlled substances are prohibited. The difference lies in the way substance abuse is dealt with in society, shifting from a legal stance to a treatment and recovery-focused perspective.
Reflecting on Portugal’s decision, there are many tangible long-term results that have become apparent since the decriminalization. To start off, addiction and substance abuse rates have reduced by 50%, and drug trafficking related violence has significantly declined. People who have been entered into the system for drug abuse are “much more likely to find recovery in rehab than in jail” and once their treatment is over, those individuals are equipped with a foundation that allows them to re-enter society in a positive and productive manner (Foundations Recovery Network). Socially, the negative, rebellious connotation associated with drug use has begun to fade away, as Portuguese society views addiction as a disease as opposed to a crime. Placing addicts in rehab also reduces the likelihood of them returning to drugs and related crime and financially, rehabilitation and addiction treatment costs much less compared to incarceration, allowing courthouses to have more time to focus their energy on other important tasks.
This notion has begun to take place in other countries too. Recently, a few states in the United States have passed a bill which legalizes the medical and recreational use of marijuana. In 2017, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report stated that the United State “made 1.63 million arrests for drug law violation” which was a 4% increase from the previous year. A starking 85% – 1.4 million – of the arrests were only for the possession of drugs, making that offence the number one reason for arrests across the nation (Rolling Stone). Through decriminalization, we also exponentially decrease mass incarceration, which can further lead to breaking the institutionalized racism and economic inequality that is ever so prevalent in the US
Overall, decriminalizing drug use and recognizing the mental and physical disease of addiction is a progressive way to approach addiction that allows countries to provide aid to those affected without them entering the system or building a criminal record.
As drug addiction rates continue to rise globally, the enigma of how to put a halt to illegal drug use has drawn a variety of different approaches. One such approach is the decriminalization of these controlled substances. The idea was enacted in Portugal in 2001, and while the distribution and selling of those substances was still a crime, the use and possession of drugs was categorized as a public health issue. Thus, it was social workers, counselors, and psychologists instead of law enforcement who were forced to deal with matters relating to substance abuse.
However, it is imperative to note that decriminalization does not equal legalization, as there remain restrictions. For example, public drug use and intoxication, as well as the buying and selling of controlled substances are prohibited. The difference lies in the way substance abuse is dealt with in society, shifting from a legal stance to a treatment and recovery-focused perspective.
Reflecting on Portugal’s decision, there are many tangible long-term results that have become apparent since the decriminalization. To start off, addiction and substance abuse rates have reduced by 50%, and drug trafficking related violence has significantly declined. People who have been entered into the system for drug abuse are “much more likely to find recovery in rehab than in jail” and once their treatment is over, those individuals are equipped with a foundation that allows them to re-enter society in a positive and productive manner (Foundations Recovery Network). Socially, the negative, rebellious connotation associated with drug use has begun to fade away, as Portuguese society views addiction as a disease as opposed to a crime. Placing addicts in rehab also reduces the likelihood of them returning to drugs and related crime and financially, rehabilitation and addiction treatment costs much less compared to incarceration, allowing courthouses to have more time to focus their energy on other important tasks.
This notion has begun to take place in other countries too. Recently, a few states in the United States have passed a bill which legalizes the medical and recreational use of marijuana. In 2017, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report stated that the United State “made 1.63 million arrests for drug law violation” which was a 4% increase from the previous year. A starking 85% – 1.4 million – of the arrests were only for the possession of drugs, making that offence the number one reason for arrests across the nation (Rolling Stone). Through decriminalization, we also exponentially decrease mass incarceration, which can further lead to breaking the institutionalized racism and economic inequality that is ever so prevalent in the US
Overall, decriminalizing drug use and recognizing the mental and physical disease of addiction is a progressive way to approach addiction that allows countries to provide aid to those affected without them entering the system or building a criminal record.
