Legalisation Of Drugs



Legalisation Of Drugs

Introduction

In July of last year the debate on whether cannabis should be legalised was rekindled by the Home Secretary, David Blunkett. He announced the reclassification of cannabis from a class B drug to a class C which is the lowest classification for an illegal drug and puts it on par with anti-depressants and steroids (24/01/04.bbc.3425549). More recently in an interview Frontbencher Jenny Tonge {Lib Dem}said in an interview with BBC News that she had sympathy with the view that cocaine should be available over the counter like alcohol. In a frank admission She said the UK's drugs policy was "not working and needed a radical overhaul". Going onto say she argued that " cocaine is a difficult one, but I would agree with a lot of people that you would do less damage if cocaine was actually legalised and sold at registered outlets like alcohol than leaving it to the boys on the streets I am not claiming to have the answers, but I am saying that present drugs policy is not working. The way cannabis is treated is a joke, a complete joke. That should be used like tobacco, taxed like tobacco [and] let's spend the VAT on something." ( 22/04/02.bbc/1942743).Whilst she did go onto later admit there would still be a market for a black market Rightly or wrongly she believes that if drugs if more were legalised there would be no excuses for an addict having to commit crimes to feed their habit.Here intrinsically is the debate set within the question should all drugs be legalised ? More so when we say drugs to be legalised it is the belief and argument of this paper in what we are really discussing here is should the first drug to be legalised be Marijuana. Whilst there are valid arguments in existence on both sides of the argument the aim of this paper will not be to provide a solution to the problem that currently faces our society but rather to examine both sides of the debate and if there is any validity in their argument . The stakeholders involved in this debate include the state ,media , governments, research groups, pharmaceutical companies, drug users, teenagers, terminally ill patients, medical practitioners, and society.

Discussion

The main issue for proponents of the legalisation or decriminalisation of drugs is that, it some [marijuana] amongst others can be used as a form of medicine, relieve stress, does not lead to harder drugs, and can generate revenue. Opponents however, believe that marijuana will serve as a 'gateway' drug, increase significantly in supply, is not beneficial as a drug to patients, and will encourage illegal activities (Inciardi.1999). Whilst we live in a feel-good-quick society, fuelled by consumerism that continually seeks short-cuts to instant gratification (Ritzer.2000). Presently there seems to be in existence no one authority or government in the world that is dealing or coping with its drug problem and making progressive steps forward.

Although, society has a drug problem, not everyone in ...