FREE ESSAY ON LEGALIZATION OF NARCOTICS

LEGALIZATION OF NARCOTICS

Legalization of Narcotics
Narcotics, or drugs, are substances that affect the body's functions. They can stimulate
the mind, make people depressed, or make them hyper. Marijuana, heroin, LSD, PCP,
cocaine, and anabolic steroids are all considered narcotics. Narcotics are illegal in the
U.S. Even though drugs are illegal, about 12 million people use them anyway. Many strict
laws have been passed against drugs but they seem to have little affect. People still
decide to sell or use drugs for recreational purpose. This is why narcotics should be
legalized.
Before 1914, it was legal to make, sell, or use any type of drugs. Many of the drugs were
used for medicinal use. This was before people found out how addictive and harmful drugs
were. The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 required medicine labels to show whether over
the counter drugs contained narcotics. After the act was passed, many Americans did not
buy medicine that contained narcotics. The Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914 made narcotics
illegal except for medicinal purpose. On 1919 the Supreme Court changed the Harrison
Narcotics Act. They made it illegal for doctors to prescribe narcotic drugs to addicts. 
The Controlled Substance Act was created in 1970. The CSA turned fifty-five drug laws
into one big one. This act sets the minimum penalties for the use or distribution of
narcotics. State and local governments can make the drug laws stricter, but have to
follow the minimal guidelines set by the CSA. The CSA divides narcotics into five
categories called schedules. Schedule I drugs are only allowed for controlled
experimentation. They have the highest potential for abuse. These drugs are: heroin, LSD,
marijuana, and Ecstasy. Schedule II drugs are also restricted, but can be prescribed by
doctors under special circumstances. These drugs are cocaine and PCP. Schedule III drugs
have medical use, but can be abused. These are mostly painkillers and barbiturates such
as codeine and morphine. Schedules IV and V are prescription drugs with low potential for
abuse. Tranquilizers like Valium and Librium are Schedule IV or V. Also included are
sleep aides and weak stimulants.
In 1973 the Drug Enforcement Administration was formed. The DEA is in charge of stopping
drug trafficking and those who violate drug laws. There are DEA offices in every state
and in fifty foreign countries. 
The Drug Abuse Act of 1986 made mandatory minimum sentencing laws. A person who makes the
mistake of buying, delivering, or dealing drugs can end up in prison for five years even
if it is a first offense. This makes serious drug penalties more severe than an attempted
murder crimes. 
In the 1980s presidents Reagan and Bush began a "War on Drugs". In 1981, $1.46 billion
were spent against drugs. It increased to $12 billion in 1992. The number of drug users
has gone down. However, the amount of addicts has remained steady. Two thirds of the
federal budget goes toward law enforcement. Police spend the majority of their time
making drug arrests. Most of the time, there are small-scale users and dealers instead of
big time dealers and suppliers. All this money spent on the drug war seems to have little
affect, if any, on drug users. 
In 1995, officials confiscated ninety-eight metric tons of cocaine. This was only just a
small amount of cocaine that was used that year. Now that stopping the smuggling of
marijuana has been a little more successful, more people began to grow their own. There
are many loopholes in the losing fight against drugs.
Many people think that the drug problem in the U.S. is exaggerated. Only a minority of
teenagers exposed to drugs actually use drugs regularly. Teenagers use alcohol and
tobacco more than they use drugs and both are illegal since they are underage.
Legalization of narcotics is an idea that many people support. Some form of legalization
is the best solution to the drug problem faced today in the U.S. Anti-drug laws cause
more problems than they solve. Some people believe that there should be full legalization
of narcotics. They believe that narcotics should be legal and sold like alcohol and
tobacco. Others believe in "controlled legalization". There are two forms of controlled
legalization. They are medicalization and decriminalization. Medicalization means that
doctors should prescribe drugs to addicts and it should be free. It should be treated as
a medical problem instead of a criminal problem. Medicalization is safer because it would
make addicts receive pure drugs and not die from overdose. Decriminalization means that
the use or possession of small amounts of narcotics is punishable by fines instead of a
jail sentence. This continues to discourage the use of drugs. It also makes the criminal
justice system easier by no having to deal with regular drug users.
There are many reasons why narcotics should be legalized. The fist reason is; the
legalization of drugs would make streets and homes safer. A fifth of the murders and
rapes, a quarter of car thefts, two-fifths of robberies and assaults and half the
nation's burglaries and thefts are blamed on drugs
(http://www.tty.drugsense.org/12reason.htm). The high price of drugs usually leads to a
rise in crime, for several reasons. Addicts have to turn to crime to finance their drug
habits. Dealers and buyers are most likely to get assaulted. Police officers become
targets for reprisals. The once quiet streets become dangerous battlegrounds among
dealers and gangs. If drugs would be legalized, buyers would not have to turn to crime to
support their habits. Dealers will be pushed out of the streets because customers will be
going to safe retailers.
Another reason to legalize narcotics is to reduce prison overcrowding. Prison
overcrowding is a known problem. Prisons are being filled up faster than they can build
new ones. Out of 31,346 sentenced prisoners, 9,487 were incarcerated for drug law
violations (http://www.tty.drugsense.org/12reason.htm). Prison overcrowding would no
longer be a problem since there would be no drug offenders in jail. Since many addicts
committed crimes to support their habits in the first place, there would be even fewer
criminals in jail. The prison population would go down after repealing drug laws.
Police resources to fight crimes would free up. Police officers would be able to
concentrate on real crimes rather than wasting time on small time offenders. They would
be able to protect citizens better.
The court system would be unclogged. Thousands of drug cases would be eliminated speeding
up the trail process for "real crimes". It would help judges and lawyers to handle other
cases more thoroughly. There would be more time to handle each individual case.
Legalizing drugs could also eliminate corruption among police officers. Many cops these
days can offer dealers protection in exchange for money or they can sell the drugs
themselves. 
Billions in tax money could be saved or spent on a better cause. In 1986, $6.2 billion
was spent just to stop drug traffic. By trying to arrest users and smugglers, the tax
money adds up to about $10 billion (http://www.tty.drugsense.org/12reason.htm). Taxpayers
would also save on building more prisons to incarcerate user. The extra money can be used
on better police protection or just into savings.
Organized crime would be put out of business. During prohibition, organized crime made
billions on bootlegging. The same goes for drugs. Most of the money that is made is by
selling drugs. This can save many lives.
If drugs were legal, they would come with warning labels and instruction sheets. The
drugs sold would be pure and not laced with dangerous chemicals. This reduces the risks
of overdosing and becoming an addict. If the customer knows what he is buying and knows
how much he is going to take, it would be a whole lot safer.
The lack of hypodermic needles used by drug users causes them to be shared. This can
cause the spread of AIDS and other diseases. Having needles cheap and available, drug
users have little or no risk in spreading diseases.
Legalization of narcotics is a very controversial issue. There are many reasons that
support the legalization debate. Legalizing drugs can save money on the economy and most
importantly, save lives.