At a young age we learned that violence is a poor way to solve our problems. The vast majority of us live our lives in this fashion, refraining from using violence to solve our disputes. However, when solving drug abuse, society has abandoned this simple and logical morality.
Not only is decriminalization of drug use a morally acceptable solution, it is also practical, as peaceful solutions usually are. In 2001, Portugal decriminalized the use of all drugs, including “hard drugs,” which are considered highly dangerous and addictive. In 2009, a study by the Cato Institute reported that deaths and diseases associated with drug usage had dramatically decreased in Portugal. It was also reported that none of the “nightmare scenarios” touted by opponents of legalization had occurred. In 2011, it was reported that serious drug addiction in Portugal was reduced by half from its level in the 1990s.
Portugal’s program is more humanitarian, and it has also been cheaper than the war on drugs. In the United States’ 40-year war on drugs, $1 trillion have been wasted and 37 million nonviolent drug users have been imprisoned.
If legalization of hard drugs has been vastly successful in Portugal, shouldn’t the legalization of “soft” drugs be successful in America or Michigan? Multiple researches have shown that marijuana has no physically addictive qualities, and that it has less mind-altering capabilities than alcohol.
Drug users should be held accountable for their actions while under the influence just as drinkers of alcohol, but this does not mean that recreational use cannot be done in a responsible manner.
Robert Fox, accounting sophomore
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