Argumentative Essay on Drug Legalisation in the U.S.

America is one of the countries which is facing drug abuse crisis, increased drug related violence and drug addiction cases. This has led to an argument on whether drug legalisation should be implemented as a strategy of curbing the negative effects associated with drug abuse. Supporters for drug legalisation have highlighted that legalising drugs will encourage safe use and protect humanity (Amy, Amanda, Shyanika, Jessica and Andrea, N.P).

However, opponents of drug legalisation have purported that legalization of drugs could result in effects such as human damage and disruption of legitimate business systems (James, N.P). Drug legalization can increase drug related deaths, increase the number of addicts, affect culture, increase financial burden on the government and disrupt legitimate business systems.

The legalisation of drugs will destroy humanity through drug-related deaths and increased addiction. According to (James, N.p), a society with a psychoactive drug industry will mean that drugs will be sold everywhere and will be available to a wider population including those at risk such as chronically ill patients. This will increase the health hazards to the vulnerable population and will also increase the rate of drug overdose and drug related deaths (James, NP).

This was supported by (Rebecca, N.p) who explained that traffic accidents related to marijuana in Colorado (a state which legalised drugs) have increased by 48% since 2013. Furthermore, the rate of drivers who tested positive of marijuana during traffic inspection doubled by 21% in 2015 (Rebecca, N.P). This research shows that if drugs are legalized, the country will continue to face an increase in drug-related death through accidents and those who die from chronic illnesses fuelled by drug consumption.

Drug legalisation will also have an impact on the American culture. According to (James, N.P) legalizing drugs in America will be more of a cultural revolution than a mere policy change. Although psycho active substances like alcohol have been legalized, Americans have failed to live within the capacity of safe alcohol consumption (James, N.p). By adding on drugs to an alcoholic society, there will be negative implications on culture and that culture of alcohol and drug abuse will be passed on to future generations. Therefore, legalising drugs will not only lead to human death but will decrease the moral values of society and create a culture that is not safe for generations to come.

In addition, drug legalisation will substitute legitimate business and threaten the purpose of organisations such as the FDA. According to (James, N. p), drug legalization affects legitimate businesspeople and existing corporations such as the FDA as they will be forced to forego their stringent standards on drug approval. This was supported by (Colleen, Susan, Elizabeth, Alene, Jeff, Sarah and Emma, N.p) who explained that the FDA has a role of ensuring that any over the counter drugs sold to the public are safe for public consumption. However, legalising drugs will be contradictory to the mission of the organizations as some drugs such as crack are not safe for public consumption. Therefore, by legalising drugs, policy makers will be putting the health of the public at risk as they will be consuming drugs that are not approved according to the stringent measures of the FDA.

Drug legalisation will also lead to the disruption of normal business systems as companies and agricultural industries will channel their production to the drug industry which is more profitable. According to (James, N.p), the drug industry has been known to be more profitable, as a result, entrepreneurs will reap more profits and increasing their demand for drugs from suppliers. This will lead to a shift in the agriculture business as some American farmers will then abandon their current crops and focus on psychoactive substances such as marijuana which have more profits (James, N.p). There will be low supply of other agricultural produce and prices for products will increase. The increase in prices will have ripple effects on consumers and the economy. Therefore, drug legalization will have effects on existing business systems and the economy.

Legalising drugs will also increase financial burden on the government, create a controversial role for the government and increase its liability for death and injury drug-related cases. According to (James, N.p), if the government approves a nationwide supply and retailing of drugs, it will be faced with the liability of injuries and any genetic damages that might be caused by drug sales.

In addition, the government will also be faced with an increased financial burden of funding and building a health care system that provides psychological and medical support to addicted drug users (James, N.p). This was supported by (Colleen at el, N.p) who explained that treatment and psychological support is not cheap, as a result, the government will have to carry the financial burden of supporting the system. Therefore, legalizing drugs will not only increase financial burden on the government but will create an irony as the same government which is legally supplying drugs is the same which is treating the victims.

However, supporters of drug legalization advocate that legalizing drug sale will help the government to determine various ways in which prevention measures can be implemented amongst the groups that are at risk. (Amy et al, N.p) strongly argues legalization of drugs will trigger different psychological processes such as self-control and risk perception. In their study (Amy et al, N.p) found out that it will be easier for government to find different ways of implementing interventions such as awareness campaigns as legalized consumption will trigger positive moral responses.

This argument was also supported by (Colleen et al, N.p) in their study which was aimed at finding the arguments for and against drug legalization. Their study found out that legalisation of drugs was a better alternative as it will support safe injection practices. This will also benefit the government in that there will be reduced addiction cases, reduced drug wars and violence, and hospitalization cost (Colleen et al, N.p). Therefore, by legalizing drugs, prevention measures can be implemented, and safe injection practices will reduce social ills and hospitalization cost.

Admittedly, drug legalization can encourage prevention measures and safe injection practices, however, the argument against drug legalization have shown that legalizing drugs have far-reaching effects on humanity. Drug legalization increases the rate of drug-related accidents, deaths, encourages a drug addiction culture and increases the financial burden to the government. In addition, by taking into consideration the analysis of (James, N.p), drug legalization will disrupt the normal business systems and encourage a drug-based agriculture industry. This will lead to an America which has an economy that focuses on the high profits in the drug industry and does not take into consideration the negative effects on humanity and the economy.

In conclusion, drug legalization can increase drug related deaths, increase the number of addicts, affect the American culture, increase financial burden on the government and disrupt legitimate business systems. America is one of the countries that is facing a drug abuse crisis. While drug legalisation can be a solution to the problems of drug abuse such as drug overdose and hospitalisation, legalising drugs has more rampant effects to humanity and the economy. In addition, drug legalization will disrupt the normal business systems and encourage a drug-based agriculture industry which affects economy. Therefore, policy makers must take into consideration the long-term effects of drug legalisation such as increased financial burden to the government, increased social ills and loss of human lives.