1. What specific findings from the article stood out most to you? Why?
One of the things that stood out to me the most was Nixon’s speech: ‘"If we cannot
destroy the drug menace in America, then it will surely in time destroy us"’. This statement is
completely true and it shocked me to know that the war on drugs began in the 1970s, yet drugs
are still a prevalent abuse today.
Another thing is that it is quite literally a “war” on drugs. The US is supplying military and
troops overseas to stop drug smuggling and abuse in other countries. We have positioned many
government agencies to reduce the drug flow. The fight to stop drugs has become a literal fight.
2. Does the evidence suggest the War on Drugs has been successful? Why or why not? Explain
in detail.
The evidence suggests that the War on Drugs has been successful in limiting drug use,
however, it will never be able to completely eradicate drugs. “Still, prohibition does likely make
drugs less accessible than they would be if they were legal. … And illicit drugs obviously aren't
available through easy means — one can't just walk into a CVS and buy heroin. So the drug war
is likely stopping some drug use: Caulkins estimates that legalization could lead hard drug
abuse to triple, although he told me it could go much higher”. On the other hand, “there's no
good evidence that tougher punishments or harsher supply-elimination efforts do a better job of
pushing down access to drugs and substance abuse than lighter penalties”. So, we have been
successful in busting certain drug operations, trying to limit supplies, and limiting recreational
and in general, use of drugs. But due to the magnitude of the drug problem in the world, we may
never be able to make a true difference.
3. Read the drug legalization/decriminalization debate section in chapter 13 of the course
textbook (if you are using the 3rd edition of the textbook, this will be a different chapter- Drug
and Sex Crimes). Make an argument for or against drug legalization/decriminalization and
support your argument(s) with evidence from the readings and the article. Feel free to use
outside sources if you want.
Drugs should not be legalized. More specifically, highly addictive drugs that do only harm
to the user and others — such as marijuana, heroin, cocaine, etc — should not be legalized.
The legalization of these drugs is likely to make the use of them skyrocket, as “legalization could
lead hard drug abuse to triple, although he told me it could go much higher” (Lopez). Paul stares
says something similar with, “Relaxing the availability of psychoactive substances not already
commercially available, opponents typically argue, would lead to an immediate and substantial
rise in consumption”. Legalizing these hard-core substances will undo the progress we’ve made
on limiting drug use. It will make our country feel less safe if people are able to walk around
while doing drugs. A drug-encouraged society is not one that children should grow up in. These
substances can seriously impair thinking and rationale, which will likely cause crimes to increase
as the consumption increases as well. Overall, highly addictive drugs or harmful substances
should not be legalized.