, Research Paper
The legalizing of drugs have been an issue in the forefront since the 20 s and the 30 with the probation of alcohol. Many have argued weather narcotics should be legalized or not. There are arguments supporting each side. People who are in favor of the legalization of drugs claim that drugs would increase our economy, making drugs legal will reduce the great amounts of money spent on law enforcement, and legalization of drugs would benefit the federal budget. Those who don not favor the legalization of narcotics claim; drugs would become cheaper and more accessible, drugs would cause a rapid increase of diseases, and drugs contribute to the crime rate.
Legalizing drugs would increase our economy’s revenue. The 21st amendment repealed prohibition and alcohol taxes were increased. The same thing should happen with drugs. Marijuana should be taxed heavily to increase our revenue. The same people who make would make drugs would also make pharmaceutics such as aspirin. So the quality would be assured, containing no poisons or adulterants.
Making drugs legal will reduce the great amounts of money spent on enforcement every year. Drug dealers and users are one step ahead on the enforcement process. If one drug lord is caught, another one will show up somewhere else. We cannot win. In 1996, 10 billion dollars were spent alone just on enforcing drug laws. Drugs accounted for about 40 percent of all felony indictments in the New York City courts in 1998. This figure is quadruple what it was in 1995. Forty percent of the people in federal prison are drug law violators. One can only imagine what this figure would be like today. Too much money is wasted on a cause that seems to be no end to. In 1997,a Republican county executive of Mercer County N.J. estimated that it would cost him as much as 1.7 billion dollars to build the jail space needed to house all the hard-core drug users in Trenton alone. All of this money could be used on better things.
The legalization of drugs would benefit the federal budget in two ways; the federal revenues would increase, because sale of drugs would be taxed at the point of sale. In return, the companies that make the narcotics would also pay income taxes. Second, there would be a reduction on the amount spent on law enforcement efforts to apprehend and prosecute users and sellers of narcotics. The drug enforcement authorities might reduce their budget requests, or, more likely, focus more intensely on violent crimes. The courts would be relieved of hearing drug cases, as well.
One of the greatest concerns of drugs is their contribution to the crime rate. Crime will always be a problem as long as drugs exist and are abused. “One category of crime is the victimless crime, which includes drunkenness, drug addiction, prostitution and gambling. The use of the term victimless is an extremely qualified one. It refers to acts committed by consenting adults in private; the acts involve only the participants and are not harmful to others. If arm occurs, it is inflicted only upon the willing participants. Victimless crimes are often characterized by the exchange of sought after goods and services, and they generate huge amounts of illegal income. It has been argued, however, that no crime is victimless. The drug addict suffers physical and emotional harm and often commits property crimes to obtain money for buying drugs.
Once legalized, drugs would become cheaper and more accessible to people who previously had not tried drugs, because of the high price or the legal risk. Drug abuse would skyrocket! Addicts who tend to stop, not by choice, but because the drugs aren’t accessible would now feed the addiction if drugs were made legal. These drug addicts would not be forced to kick the habit due to the availability of the drug they would partake eagerly. The temptation to use drugs would increase when advertisements for cocaine, heroin and marijuana are displayed on television. Instead of money used by employed addicts, you will see welfare funds used to purchase drugs. If welfare funds were being misused, this would cause a major problem in the economy.
Health officials have shown that the legalization of drugs would cause a rapid increase of diseases such as AIDS. AIDS poses a growing threat to addicts, and thus to society as a whole. The virus that causes AIDS is growing, due to drug addicts who share needles and syringes. The sharing of such needles by intravenous drug users helps increase the spread of AIDS. “Infection among IV drug abusers is continuing to occur at a very steady rate,” warn Richard E. Chaisson director of the AIDS service at John Hopkins University. In the U.S gay men still make up the primary risk group, although 750,000 to 1.4 million-drug addicts are believed to be at risk to AIDS nationally. The problem here is the sharing of needles, which is causing the spread of AIDS. AIDS, which surfaced in the 80 s, is now on the rise and even more deadly to IV drug users. The sharing of needles must be stopped. Many say drugs should not be legalized for that reason.
It is obvious that the legislation of narcotics would have it pros and cons. Drugs would increase our economy, making drugs legal will reduce the great amounts of money spent on law enforcement, and legalization of drugs would benefit the federal budget. Those who don not favor the legalization of narcotics claim; drugs would become cheaper and more accessible, drugs would cause a rapid increase of diseases, and drugs contribute to the crime rate. Would be the legalization of drugs be ethically right?