Author and Artist: Lucy Chen
Editors: Yanxi Chen and Jasleen Matharu
The illegal drug market will be eliminated, quality and pricing will be regulated, and law enforcement expenditures (such as arrest and incarceration) will be reduced, according to proponents of drug legalization. They assert that if narcotics from marijuana to heroin are more or less habitually available, as are alcohol and cigarettes, governments will spend less on law enforcement, gain from a new source of tax revenue, and see a decrease in drug-related crime.
Regardless of their political inclinations or social distinctions, the discussion highlights that individuals want to live in a safe society. Multiple tactics are used in a contemporary drug control policy, each of which tries to tackle a particular component of the drug problem in the nation. Demand reduction, supply reduction, eradication, education, and therapy are some tactics. Despite some significant victories, none of these regulations have been able to bring down drug abuse to a level that is considered acceptable by most of society. The military, local schools, federal, state, and local police departments, as well as commercial enterprises, are all responsible for fighting drug misuse in communities and schools. Drug control began with a slew of Federal regulations intended to limit the production, distribution, and use of harmful substances.
While you might believe that legalization can only take one of two forms—yes or no—it is crucial to understand that each kind of legalization has its advantages and disadvantages.
One strategy to make drugs (like marijuana) lawful for recreational use is to permit their production, distribution, and sale but prohibit their commercial usage. This type of legalization prohibits the branding and advertising of products created by businesses to aggressively boost sales, consumption, and profits. This is what currently occurs with alcohol and what continues for a very long time with tobacco.
One goal of legalization is to enrich a select few business people. Recent legal changes would be restricted to decriminalization if they were about ending the War on Drugs. Instead, various commercial interests participate in the legal marijuana industry in Colorado and elsewhere. To entice investors and sell goods like marijuana food, oils, and other products, they have established private equity firms and fundraising groups. We also know that these sectors of the economy target the underprivileged and disenfranchised, and we can anticipate that the marijuana sector will do the same to boost earnings.
Addiction is linked to your brain. Whether it be food, sex, marijuana, or heroin, your brain understands it craves more of that regardless of the addiction. Legalization has the intention of enriching a small group of businesses. If recent legal reforms were intended to end the War on Drugs, they would be limited to decriminalization. Instead, a range of business interests is involved in Colorado's and other countries' legal marijuana industries. They have established private equity firms and fundraising organizations to tempt investors and offer things such as marijuana edibles, oils, and other products. We also know that these economic sectors focus on the poor and the disenfranchised, and we can assume that the marijuana industry will do the same to increase profits.
Citations:
“Legalization of Drugs.” Legalization of Drugs, Legalization of Drugs, Office of Justice
Programs, Corporate Author Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Address 1120
Connecticut Avenue. (n.d.), 31 July 2022, https://www,ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-
library/abstracts/legalization-drugs.
“The Science Behind the DEA’s Long War on Marijuana.” Scientific American, Downs, 19
April 2016, Retrieved 31 July 2022, https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-
science-behind-the-dea-s-long-war-on-marijuanan/.
“ The Science.” Smart Approaches to Marijuana, Learn About Sam,
https://learnaboutsam.org/the-issues/big-marijuana-claims-vs-the-science/.
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