Drug Use

6 Pages 1573 Words

“Drug addiction is a state of periodic or chronic intoxication detrimental to the individual and to society, produced by the repeated consumption of a drug (natural or synthetic)” (Szasz, 328). Since drug addiction is so detrimental to society, why would the legalization of drugs be a good idea? The legalization of drugs would only be benefiting those who are addicted, or it would only encourage new users and addicts. John Hospers thinks that drug use should be legalized as long as there is no great harm to others as a cause. Drugs cannot be used without the consequences of harming others, possibly hurting children and prompting their drug use, or recruiting new users to a certain kind of drug, and therefore, should not be legalized.
John Hospers’ position states that all drugs should be legalized as long as there is an age limit on who can buy and receive these drugs. He believes there should be no laws at all against the use of the drugs, meaning that there is no limit to how much of the drug can be taken as long as the use of the drug does not harm anyone else. There are harms related to the illegality of drugs, such as crime, but “no one knows how much they would be reduced if drugs were legalized” (Wilson, 339). A great amount of money is involved also. In order for law enforcement to continue this war on drugs, billions of dollars must be spent each year. This is a large amount of money, but using this money in order to crack down on drug use is only to protect society. There are a few reasons why drug legalization could be a decent idea, but the harms that would result are too great, and therefore, John Hospers’ view about legalizing drugs does not hold strong.
It is not possible to use a drug without posing a threat to others. Even if the person taking the drug does not intend for anything to happen, he or she may indirectly harm anyone he or she may come into contact with. Drugs have negative effects...