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Decriminalization Debate

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Decriminalization Debate
Debates about decriminalization often focus on the conflict on the harm of drug use and the harm of drug laws. Many drug laws are imperfect and can often cause more harm than the use of drugs. Decriminalization means that a use of certain drugs is not against the law, but the production and selling of certain drugs is still a criminal act. Decriminalizing the use and possession of non-addictive drugs can help limit the harm of drug laws. I am not discussing medical marijuana in this paper because I believe it should be fully legal in every state. States should start with decriminalizing recreational marijuana and psychedelics and then consider legalizing them in a few years. In this paper, I will discuss how the recreational use and possession …show more content…
For example, psychedelics can alter your perception of reality causing you to do irrational things such as got out in public or to drive. Decriminalization may also cause people to be more fearless when using partially legal drugs. Decriminalization means that people would still have to get their drugs from criminals and that their drugs would not be regulated. Marijuana could be laced with deadly doses of other drugs or be synthetic. Psychedelics strength can vary drastically and can cause many different side effects. This means that decriminalizing theses drugs will not prevent potential harms or side effects of the drugs. Criminalizing these drugs can help prevent drug …show more content…
When the government restricts individual freedom, it can result in restrictions on a person’s purpose here in the world. Drugs are not the reason why humans live, but drugs can help a person achieve a good life. Drugs like marijuana can help people with mental, physical diseases, and even stress. Drugs like marijuana and psychedelics can help a person connect with other people or even their environment. I believe drugs can help individuals reach self-actualization. I believe theses drugs should first be decriminalized and then possibly legalized later on. Decriminalization of these drugs can help us predict that they would have on society if they were legal. “The single prediction we can safely make about decriminalization is that it will improve the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people who otherwise would be punished for their crime of using drugs for recreational purposes” (Husak 29). Decriminalizing recreational marijuana and psychedelic drugs could help lessen the negative impact of drug laws on society and help protect individual freedom in the United
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