Arguments for drug law reform Arguments for and against drug prohibition

1 arguments drug law reform

1.1 violence , profits of drugs traffickers
1.2 corruption
1.3 stigma of conviction
1.4 children being lured illegal drug trade
1.5 environmental
1.6 legal dilemmas
1.7 user cost of drugs

arguments drug law reform
violence , profits of drugs traffickers

prohibition protects drug cartel insofar keeps distribution in black market , creates risk makes smuggling profitable. former federal narcotics officer michael levine states in relation undercover work colombian cocaine cartels, lamar

learned not did not fear our war on drugs, counted on increase market price , weed out smaller, inefficient drug dealers. found u.s. interdiction efforts laughable. u.s. action feared effective demand reduction program. on 1 undercover tape-recorded conversation, top cartel chief, jorge roman, expressed gratitude drug war, calling sham put on american taxpayer business .

critics of drug prohibition cite fact end of alcohol prohibition in 1933 led immediate decreases in murders , robberies support argument legalization of drugs have similar effects. once involved in narcotics trade have legal method of settling business disputes, number of murders , violent crime drop. robert w. sweet, federal judge, agrees: present policy of trying prohibit use of drugs through use of criminal law mistake . when alcohol use outlawed during prohibition, gave rise gang warfare , spurred formation of of known criminals of era, among them infamous al capone. similarly, drug dealers today resolve disputes through violence , intimidation, legal drug vendors not do. prohibition critics point fact police more corrupted in system bribe money available. police corruption due drugs widespread enough 1 pro-legalization newsletter has made weekly feature.

drug money has been called major source of income terrorist organizations. critics assert legalization remove central source of support terrorism. while politicians blame drug users being major source of financing terrorists, no clear evidence of link has been provided. government agencies , government officials have been caught trafficking drugs finance us-supported terrorist actions in events such iran-contra affair, , manuel noriega isolated nature of these events precludes them being major sources of financing.

corruption

human rights organizations , legal scholars have claimed drug prohibition inevitably leads police corruption.

on 2 july 2010, former interpol president jackie selebi found guilty of corruption south african high court in johannesburg accepting bribes worth us$156,000 drug trafficker. after being charged in january 2008, selebi resigned president of interpol , put on extended leave national police commissioner of south africa.

stigma of conviction

despite fact drug offenders non-violent, stigma attached conviction can prevent employment , education.

children being lured illegal drug trade

janet crist of white house office of national drug control policy mentioned anti-drug efforts have had no direct effect on either price or availability of cocaine on our streets . additionally, drug dealers show off expensive jewellery , clothing young children. of these children interested in making fast money instead of working legitimate jobs. drug decriminalization remove glamorous al capone-type traffickers role-models young .

the lack of government regulation , control on lucrative illegal drug market has created large population of unregulated drug dealers lure many children illegal drug trade. u.s. government s recent 2009 national survey on drug use , health (nsduh) reported nationwide on 800,000 adolescents ages 12–17 sold illegal drugs during previous 12 months preceding survey. 2005 youth risk behavior survey u.s. centers disease control , prevention (cdc) reported nationwide 25.4% of students had been offered, sold, or given illegal drug on school property. prevalence of having been offered, sold, or given illegal drug on school property ranged 15.5% 38.7% across state cdc surveys (median: 26.1%) , 20.3% 40.0% across local surveys (median: 29.4%).

despite more $7 billion spent annually towards arresting , prosecuting 800,000 people across country marijuana offenses in 2005, federally funded monitoring future survey reports 85% of high school seniors find marijuana easy obtain. figure has remained virtually unchanged since 1975, never dropping below 82.7% in 3 decades of national surveys.

environmental

with respect drug crop cultivation, eradication efforts in line prohibitionist drug policies force coca, poppy, , marijuana growers more remote, ecologically sensitive areas. these crops, grown away urban centers , state presence, tend deplete forestland , expand agricultural frontier. out of fear of eradication, cultivators incentivized accelerate production cycles in order obtain highest yield in shortest period of time; pace , methods used growers neglect measures promote sustainability, exacerbating environmental impact. drug cultivators typically opt produce in areas ecosystems abundant plant biomass better conceal operations. ultimately, practice leads increased deforestation contributes greater influx of greenhouse gases atmosphere. moreover, aerial spraying of herbicides such glyphosate used in eradication , control efforts have been shown have negative effects on environmental , human health.

the balloon effect operates further drug commodity chain in countries drugs trafficked rather cultivated. eradication programs, interdiction pushes traffickers remote areas exacerbate preexisting pressures on forestland. traffickers use slash , burn practices convert forest arable land cash crop production purposes of money laundering construction of clandestine roads , airstrips. war on drugs , prohibitionist policies serve aggravate detrimental impacts of narco-trafficking on central american forests. intensified ecological devastation across cultivation , trafficking zones yet negative unintended consequence of emphasis on supply-side narcotic reduction borne poor countries.

legal dilemmas

several drugs such dimethyltryptamine, morphine , ghb illegal possess inherently present in humans result of endogenous synthesis. since jurisdictions classify possession of drugs include having drug present in blood in concentration, residents of such jurisdictions technically in possession of multiple illegal drugs @ times.

user cost of drugs

when cost of drugs increases, drug users more commit crimes in order obtain money buy expensive drugs. legalizing drugs make drugs reasonably cheap.