Decriminalization of Responsible Drug Use, Coursework Example

Drug users have been the significant casualties of the ongoing global war against drugs. Drug use has been criminalized and vilified over the past decades forcing the users into an awkward margin of the society, which is associated with imprisonment, harassment, torture, and denial of essential social services in other countries. Drug users have been exposed to poor health, violence, and discrimination, contributing to the spread of HIV. Decriminalizing drug use and possession of individual users will help minimize the ongoing stigmatization and discrimination, limiting the users to access essential health care services, legal services and reduce harms associated.

To achieve the minimization of these effects, legal houses, for instance, the House of Representatives, should change the current laws. This is when the globe is fighting to reduce discrimination and stigmatization of others; thus, the concerned houses in each country should refocus and revisit the global approach concerning drug policies that will focus on putting human health and rights at the center. Therefore, legal Houses should work hand in hand to change the current laws to protect human rights and the general welfare of its citizens.

The drug war has been on since the 1970s, which has led to a significant increase in incarceration and marginalization of more than 10 million Americans. The majority of the people are the poor and those of color, which has created a problem while reducing drug-related harms (Yu et al., 2020). Decriminalizing drug use will help reduce the number of people taken to the criminal justice system for a drug violation. More than 50 000Americans are incarcerated in prisons for drug possession and use; thus, decriminalization will reduce arrested people, several incarcerated people and increase uptake into drug treatment (Rochette & Racine, 2021).

Statehouses have a role to re-think and focus on changing drug laws and policies to reduce the effects caused by criminalization. Decriminalization does not affect drug use rates; thus, about the current congestion in prisons and the rise of Covid-19 rules, prisons should be de-congested through a change of policies. The current laws exploit the poor and those of color; thus, a change of laws will ensure equality and stereotype reduction.

References

Rochette, M., Ewusi Boisvert, E., & Racine, E. (2021). Legalization of Drugs and Human Flourishing. The American Journal of Bioethics, 21(4), 23-26.

Yu, B., Chen, X., Chen, X., & Yan, H. (2020). Marijuana legalization and historical trends in marijuana use among US residents aged 12–25: results from the 1979–2016 National Survey on drug use and health. BMC public health, 20(1), 1-10.