Drug use is a problem worldwide. The world drug report showed that one in
twenty people world wide used illicit drugs in 2012.1 In addition 1
in 200 people in the world have problems with their drug use. 1 Each
country has their own laws regarding the severity of drug related crimes such
as possession, causing the prisons to become overcrowded. This is especially true in the United States where drugs were involved in 78% of all violent crime and 83%
of property crime in 2006. 2 It should also be noted that the United
States has the highest incarceration in the world. The highest incarceration rate comes with a
hefty price tag, in 2010 the estimated cost to keep one person in prison a year
was $ 31,307. 3 So how should the countries like the United States
handle this problem? Many would suggest harsher punishments and penalties for
those who are caught using illegal drugs, even though American has some of the
harshest punishments in the world for those who are caught with drugs and still
have one of the highest rates for marijuana and cocaine use. 4 Portugal
took a different approach. In 2001 Portugal became the first European nation to
decriminalize all drugs, including methamphetamines, heroin, cocaine, and
marijuana. 4 Those that were caught with small amounts of drugs are
sent to a panel for treatment. The panel includes a social worker,
psychologist, and legal advisor for appropriate treatment instead of jail. I’m sure that this was, and perhaps still is a
very controversial topic on whether this was the right approach to take but the
Cato paper reported that between 2001 and 2006 the rates among 7th-9th
grade students for illicit drugs fell about 3.5%. Also from 1999 to 2003 the
incidence of HIV infections fell about 17%. Not only did this law lower the use
of drugs but it also over doubled the number of people who were using
buprenorphine and methadone for drug treatments. It will be interesting to see
if other countries take this approach. 4
I am not sure if this will be as effective in other countries that are much
larger than Portugal, Portugal is a much smaller country with the population of
10,781,459. However, when the prohibition took place in the late 1920s businesses
failed because they could no longer make a profit. The jail systems also became
over flooded and the police could not keep up. In addition the government tax
revenue decreased just due from the lack of alcohol sales. 5 The
government benefitting from drug taxes is also currently being discussed this
week as well. The state of Colorado made the recreational use of marijuana
legal in 2012 and voted on what percent should it is taxed. The only other state where marijuana is legal
has a 25% tax and predicts that it will make profit of about 2.1 billion
dollars within the first five years.6 The question is it the best and more beneficial
choice from having strict laws or will more people be benefit from less strict
laws?
That is a very interesting and thought provoking question that you pose Nicole. I found your post to be very insightful, as this is an extremely relevant and hot topic as of recently. I would agree that the United States has a significant problem on their hands related to illicit drug use and the consequences for using them. I found Portugal’s solution to this problem somewhat lacking. I do not feel that by sending an individual to a ‘panel’ that that is necessarily a solution to the problem. I could imagine that it would bring many other problems to hand, instead of just solving the overcrowded jail issues. I cannot imagine this type of situation being effective here in America. However, I would agree with Nicole that it most likely would be more beneficial for smaller populated countries.
ReplyDeleteI think it is difficult to draw conclusions on this matter without extensive research. By legalizing the use of illicit drugs it might reduce the amount of crime committed to obtain such drugs. Conversely, it might also significantly reduce the price of such drugs thereby increasing access to their use. However, many have a negative view-point on illicit drug use. Thus, it is likely that legalizing illicit drugs may not significantly result in an increase in illicit drug use. The negative health, psychological, and economical effects of illicit drug usage are well-known and may prohibit many from seeking out such a behavior. On the other hand, legalizing illicit drugs is not likely to sit favorable with most people. As a moral issue, it seems conterintuitive to reduce the barrier for drug seeking and use. Making it easier for these people to use drugs seems immoral. I think further research is necessary to see the long-term effects of such policy changes. One thing is for certain. Something must be done.
ReplyDeleteThis question is so incredibly difficult to answer. Though Portugal had positive health outcomes, American culture is vastly different and their outcomes may not translate here. My largest concern is the many new policies that would need to be created and implemented prior to the legalization of all illicit drugs. Unlike alcohol, there is no fast way to test that an individual is currently under the influence of drugs such as; marijuana, cocaine, or methamphetamine. We need accept the possibility that many Americans will take advantage of this legalization and become a larger risk to society.
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