Legalizing Personal Use of Illegal Drugs in the USA
Introduction
Legalizing the personal use of illegal drugs is a topic that is highly controversial and sparks questions of whether it is right or wrong. This research takes the stand that personal use of illegal drugs should not be legalized. According to Mold, legislation on illegal drugs is already present, indicating that states of the USA have passed pro-marijuana initiatives for recreational purposes (154). The research argues that the legislation focuses on the drugs’ suggested medicinal benefits while significant social factors and public health consequences are overlooked.
Main body
The study cases the consideration of the detrimental impacts of opium drugs in health practice. The USA faced an opioid pandemic, recording 650,000 opioid prescriptions, and questioning physicians’ ethics in prescribing the medication (Jones et al. 17). Additionally, the pandemic was characterized by high addiction to opium, distinctly in morphine dependency. The prescription of such drugs is not suitable due to the potential costs that outweigh the benefits.
Moreover, research findings by Leung et al. indicated that tragic incidents, such as suicide and increased road accidents, had been reported to be associated with impairment because of recreational use of Marijuana (419). In addition, the research highlights the significant challenge of regulating the sale of approved drugs appropriately. As reported by Mold, experts in cannabis cultivation classify the drug into two groups; Cannabis indica planted for the psychoactive effects and Cannabis sativa with fibrous qualities (152). The distinctions create a loophole in managing and monitoring the type of drug sold. Therefore, the enforcement of the law is limited, worsening the war on drugs while jeopardizing community health.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the research identifies that the legalization of illegal drugs, regardless of the benefits, should adequately make projections of the future consequences of the actions. The assessment should prioritize the betterment of community health rather than any political or personal agendas. However, in circumstances where legislation is passed, relevant authorities should develop appropriate strategies for regulating and enforcement. The strategy may involve policies and legal framework for the sale and use of the drugs, such as penalties for endangering the community.
Works Cited
Jones, Mark R., et al. “A Brief History of the Opioid Epidemic and Strategies for Pain Medicine.” Pain and Therapy, vol. 7, no. 1, 2018, pp. 13–21.
Leung, Janni, et al. “What Have Been the Public Health Impacts of Cannabis Legalisation in the USA? A Review of Evidence on Adverse and Beneficial Effects.” Current Addiction Reports, vol. 6, no. 4, 2019, pp. 418–28.
Mold, Alex. “Cannabis; Getting High: Marijuana Through the Ages.” Cultural and Social History, vol. 15, no. 1, 2017, pp. 152–54.