Location

Federalism & Separation of Powers

Level of Education

Undergraduate

Keywords

drugs, drug legalization, drug decriminalization, constitutional right AND drugs, economics AND drugs, health effects AND drugs, drug overdose, drug trafficking, supporters of drug legalization, opponents of drug legalization

Presenter Names and Speeches.

Macy Montgomery

Abstract

The United States has been increasingly creating lenient drug policies. Seventeen states and Washington, the District of Columbia, legalized marijuana, and Oregon decriminalized certain drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. The medical community has proven that drugs, including marijuana, have myriad adverse health side effects. This leads to two questions: Why does the United States government continue to create lenient drug policies, and what reasons do citizens give for legalizing drugs when the medical community has proven them harmful? The paper hypothesizes that the disadvantages of drug legalization outweigh its benefits because of the numerous harms it causes, such as increases in health problems, overdoses, deaths, and drug trafficking. The author uses quantitative and qualitative data: (1) court cases, (2) drug facts from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), (3) statistics on the total number of overdoses and specific drug overdoses, the groups of individuals who typically use certain drugs in the United States, and drug trafficking, (4) survey responses from supporters, opponents, and indifferent individuals of drug legalization, and (5) supporting and opposing drug legalization arguments. The paper emphasizes the worsening United States opioid crisis and rebuts the reasons for drug legalization, which include a constitutional right to use drugs and the health and economic benefits of drugs. United States government officials should wrestle with drug laws since the purpose of laws is to maintain law and order in society and keep the country’s citizens safe.

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Drug Ideologies of the United States

Federalism & Separation of Powers

The United States has been increasingly creating lenient drug policies. Seventeen states and Washington, the District of Columbia, legalized marijuana, and Oregon decriminalized certain drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. The medical community has proven that drugs, including marijuana, have myriad adverse health side effects. This leads to two questions: Why does the United States government continue to create lenient drug policies, and what reasons do citizens give for legalizing drugs when the medical community has proven them harmful? The paper hypothesizes that the disadvantages of drug legalization outweigh its benefits because of the numerous harms it causes, such as increases in health problems, overdoses, deaths, and drug trafficking. The author uses quantitative and qualitative data: (1) court cases, (2) drug facts from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), (3) statistics on the total number of overdoses and specific drug overdoses, the groups of individuals who typically use certain drugs in the United States, and drug trafficking, (4) survey responses from supporters, opponents, and indifferent individuals of drug legalization, and (5) supporting and opposing drug legalization arguments. The paper emphasizes the worsening United States opioid crisis and rebuts the reasons for drug legalization, which include a constitutional right to use drugs and the health and economic benefits of drugs. United States government officials should wrestle with drug laws since the purpose of laws is to maintain law and order in society and keep the country’s citizens safe.