Drug and substance use primarily involves consuming specific chemicals to experience a physical or psychological pleasure. According to Rolles, more than 250 million people worldwide are drug users, and over 30% of these suffer from drug and substance-related illnesses. Besides, extensive public health studies have established drug and substance use among the top risk factors associated with chronic illnesses like tuberculosis, liver cirrhosis, and cardiovascular diseases (Rossato et al.). Much worse, recent statistics point out that drug use is increasing, particularly within the younger generation, despite the measures to curb drug consumption (Domingues et al.). Due to this situation, governments and health organizations are questioning the efficacy and outcomes of strict drug laws. More importantly, other quarters propose alternative measures like legalization and decriminalization to mitigate the drug and substance use epidemic. This paper argues that decriminalizing drug usage is the best possible way of reducing drug and substance abuse.
According to ADP, decriminalization involves removing all criminal penalties related to drug use and possession. In simpler terms, drug decriminalization makes it legal for people to consume or carry around specific amounts of drugs without being arrested or charged in a court of law. Notably, drug decriminalization is not the same as legalization, making it entirely illegal for people to produce, consume and transport any size or amount of drugs. Drug decriminalization has controversy and a persistent debate mainly on the implications of such a move in the United States and other countries. Nevertheless, several U.S states, some European countries, and other parts of the world have decriminalized drug usage.
Undoubtedly, decriminalizing drug and substance use is a bold move considering the implications of drugs on society. Regardless, various studies have shown that drug decriminalization might be the best possible way to deal with the global drug menace. According to ADP, decriminalizing drugs would reduce mass incarceration. More than 40,000 people in United States prisons are currently doing time for misdemeanor possession or low volume drug distribution. Logically, these prisoners would consume fewer state resources if drug criminalization had taken effect when they were arrested. In this light, it does not make sense for them to spend time in prison, increase jail costs and waste public resources bearing the weight of their offenses. Countries that decriminalize drug usage have lower incarceration rates and healthy prison populations than the United States.
Besides saving the resources spent on prison systems, decriminalizing drug usage also reduces the costs involved in law enforcement whereas redefining the fight against crime. Law enforcement officers often spend considerable time and resources pursuing, arresting and interrogating petty drug offenders. With drug decriminalization, such mechanisms would counter high-volume drug trafficking operations or armed robbery. Again, decriminalizing drug usage would give judicial officers ample time to deliberate on critical offenses and other matters. Moreover, decriminalizing drug usage would help end the stigma associated with drug and substance use in society. Due to the negative aspects of drugs, most users face stigma and are seen as irresponsible and deviant (Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS). If all countries decriminalized drugs, petty drug offenders would experience less shame, stigma, and hatred from society. More importantly, they would be ready to seek treatment since they would not be judged according to their misgivings.
Further, decriminalizing drugs would end the epidemic by shifting the priority from punishment to health and safety for drug users. Due to punitive policies and lack of understanding, the fight to reduce drug usage has primarily become an affair to punish drug users and offenders (Vogel). Although drugs have continuously ravaged all communities, the recent offensive against the drug trade is focused on ending rather than restoring the lives of former drug users. For instance, political leaders from across the world have enacted policies to legalize the killing of even petty drug offenders (Johnson). If drugs are decriminalized, nobody would be willing to punish drug users, and thus, they would be able to seek treatment. Again, decriminalizing drug use would eradicate the present restrictions on harm mitigation services like medical marijuana, heroin-assisted treatment, and drug checking (Volkow).
Lastly, decriminalizing drug use has succeeded in various countries, and thus, it is critical in the fight against drugs. For instance, since Portugal decriminalized low volume drug possession in 2001, crime rates, HIV diagnoses, incarcerations, drug use, and overdose have significantly reduced (Domoslawski & Siemazsko, 2011). Besides, in the Netherlands, decriminalizing drug use has enhanced justice because prosecutors cannot charge offenders for having small drug doses for personal use. Like Portugal, the Netherlands has a significantly lower addiction rate compared to the United States. Other countries where drug decriminalization has worked include Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico (ADP).
Although criminalizing drugs is wasteful, futile, ineffective, and harmful, there are numerous concerns linked to decriminalizing drug and substance use. Firstly, decriminalizing drugs will adversely affect vital sectors, including education, employment, and child welfare. For instance, it will become more acceptable for people to use drugs at work or school. Much worse, decriminalizing drugs will increase the risk of drug exposure to children and teenagers who make up a considerable portion of the present drug users. Secondly, although substantive studies show that decriminalizing drugs reduces usage, crime, and other vices in some countries, such research cannot apply to all countries since drug usage within a population depends on diverse and intricate factors. For instance, Ximene et al. pointed out that some of the decriminalization policies in Portugal have resulted in contradictions within drug laws and have failed to reduce the social stigma linked to drug and substance use.
Besides, if governments decriminalize drugs, the current pressure to legalize drugs will increase without carefully considering the consequences. Additionally, even though decriminalizing drugs would save state resources used by the criminal justice system, it would increase the burden of treating new drug addicts and thus increase healthcare costs. Lastly, decriminalizing drugs would eradicate the current moral and legal restrictions on drug use and increase the supply of drugs in our communities. In such a situation, more people will be willing to experiment with drugs.
This paper argues that decriminalizing drug usage is a better alternative in the fight against drugs and substance abuse. Regardless of the impacts of drugs on society and the problems that might emerge due to decriminalizing policies, decriminalization has succeeded specific U.S states, some European countries, and South America. In addition to the benefits of decriminalizing drug usage, it is pretty evident that the punitive measures implemented to curb drug and substance use have failed miserably as the global population of drug users has been increasing. From this perspective, decriminalizing drugs is a better option since it provides a different outlook on addressing the present situation and averting a looming crisis.
Works Cited
Alliance, Drug Policy. “Approaches to decriminalizing drug use and possession.” (2013).
Domingues, Liz Paola, et al. “Drug Use and Substance Use Disorders in Brazil and the World: Epidemiological Data.” Drugs and Human Behavior. Springer, Cham, 2021. 27-38.
Johnson, David T. “ABOLITION LITE AND EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLING IN THE PHILIPPINES.”
Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS. “Health, Rights and Drugs—Harm Reduction, Decriminalization and Zero Discrimination for People Who Use Drugs.” (2019).
Rolles, Steve. “The rise and fall of the drug free world narrative.” Research handbook on international drug policy. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2020.
Rossato, D., et al. “Risk factor for tuberculosis: diabetes, smoking, alcohol use, and the use of drugs.” J Bras Pneumol 44.2 (2018): 145-52.
Vogel L. Decriminalize drugs and use public health. CMAJ. 2014; 186(10):E356. doi:10.1503/cmaj.109-4820
Volkow, Nora D. “Addiction should be treated, not penalized.” Neuropsychopharmacology 46.12 (2021): 2048-2050.
