Drugs Legalization

Drugs have been a tenet of discussion since decades. At first, none of them were prohibited; people could buy cocaine or heroin as medicine at any chemist’s without presenting a prescription necessarily. In Argentina, drugs were banned for commercialization in 1926 and for personal use in 1989. Paradoxically, according to statistics, the drugs consumption has grown since then. It seems to be that a new law about drugs is required in this country.

Nowadays, drugs for personal use are banned and people who consume them can be penalised. In fact, statistics rate that 43% of prisoners who have been incarcerated for drugs, were not dealers but consumers. The ONG Transnational Institute suggested that, according to studies, the Argentinian criminal system imprisons more drugs users rather than big dealers every year. Drugs legalization will prevent consumers of being introduced into the criminal system as well as pursuing and combating traffic.

As pointed out before, the legalization of drugs will contribute to the government fight against traffic. Being illegal, drugs are sold in a black market that handles their prices. They are usually expensive because traffic controls its sale areas and competitors producing as result a disloyal competition, if there is not rivalry drugs prices raise. According to the United Nations, drugs traffic generates 400.000 millions of dollars per year, constituting the 8% of the world economy. Legalizing drugs will put an end to traffic as well as fixing a fear price for consumers.

Likewise, prohibition exposes most drugs users to major health risks. Drugs cannot be tested for quality and poisonousness being illegal. According to statistics almost the 80% of drugs have been adulterated three times before being consumed. In the world, almost two hundred people die per day because they have consumed adulterated drugs with higher levels of toxicity. Being legal, drugs will be verified as any other legal drugs reducing the risks consumers are subjected.

Moreover, many countries have found that drugs commerce produces economic profits for its inhabitants. For instance, the sale of marijuana has allowed many people to generate new sources of work. In the Spanish town of Rasquera the town hall members have allowed the Barcelona Cannabis Association to cultivate marijuana in order to obtain money for the village. In Holland, the income source of many inhabitants are the grow shops, where they work selling cannabis and other products such as seeds and pipes. Drugs legalization will contributes to the country’s economy as well as developing new sources of work.

As mentioned before, the drugs prohibition policy has not reduced consumption but it has increased it. According to statistics in Argentina, since drugs were banned to personal consumption the use of them has grown ten times. Psychological studies have shown that prohibition intensifies curiosity and raises the desires of testing. Legalization will help society to coexist with drugs as it happened with tobacco and alcohol. People must learn to cohabit with narcotics in order to reduce and internalize the harm and the risks drug abuses produce.

People who want to consume drugs will do it no matter how because it is their choice. Prohibition does not solve the problem, and as result traffic increases and consumer are criminalized. Most countries should legalize drugs in order make people conscious about the profits and losses narcotics can produce when being consumed. All in all, the current policy against drugs has shown its failure in the attempt to reduce drugs consumption and traffic.

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