Legalization of all drugs

Is it possible to have a drug legalized nation or perhaps the entire world?

Drugs Legalization is legalizing the usage, selling, buying as well as the distribution of all narcotic drugs which include Cocaine, Marijuana, and Methamphetamine, etc. Drug Legalization may sound delusional not as delusional as having a 5 trillion-dollar economy by 2024. Drug legalization is a thing that would surely exist in a free society. Now, what does that mean one might ask? It is a society where all individuals act voluntarily, having the freedom to obtain power and resources to fulfill their potential. If we want to live in it one of the most prominent points of it is the right to choose. The right to not only choose what is good for them but also what can be bad for them. It is where democracy is running in its veins and to achieve the status of its true beauty, we need to allow individual freedom to the fullest and hence the need for legalization of all drugs. There are several cases of countries who have decriminalized drugs and have achieved great success like Portugal, Netherlands, etc.

Let’s talk about the case of Portugal: As soon as drugs were introduced into society, they became an instant hit. Due to the widespread use of drugs in the 80s where ten percent of the people had fallen into the pit of heroin use which included bankers, university students, carpenters, socialites, miners you name any profession you would have at least some people engaged in drug abuse and it was in a state of panic. There was 1 per cent of the population which was battling a problematic heroin addiction at that time, but the number was even higher in the south. Headlines in the local press raised the alarm about deaths due to overdose and crime rise. The rate of HIV and other sexually spread diseases’ infection in Portugal became the highest in the European Union. During the earlier days of panic when the president’s beloved state was in chaos, the state’s first instinct was to attack. Drugs were denounced as evil, drug users were demonized, and proximity to either was criminally and spiritually punishable. The Portuguese government launched a series of anti-drug campaigns thought the nations which were less like “Just Say No” and more towards “Drugs Are Satan”. In 2001, nearly two decades into Pereira’s accidental specialization in addiction, Portugal became the first country to decriminalize the possession and consumption of all illegal substances. Instead of being arrested those who were caught with a personal supply would be given a warning, a small fine, or told to appear before a local commission which may include a doctor, a lawyer or even a social worker for treatment, harm reduction, and the support services that were available to them. The opioids crisis soon saw stabilization followed by years of a substantial decrease in problematic drug use, HIV and hepatitis infection rates, overdose deaths, drug-related crime, and incarceration rates. HIV infection dropped from an all-time high in 2000 of 104.2 new cases per million to 4.2 cases per million in 2015.

One of the crucial points of democracy is Liberalization which is a process where the state lifts restrictions on some private individual activities. Its obstruction occurs when something which is banned or has many restrictions and causes it to be less autonomous. Many experts on this matter believe that making high-quality drugs cheaply and widely available will eliminate the illegal drug market. Which will also decrease the law enforcement costs including arrests and incarnation. It will help in reducing the crime rates related to illegal drug trafficking as drugs will be accessible to anyone and everyone.

Although prices have increased with the new policies regarding it, Indians still have access to the latest drugs with the minimum time lag at costs that are 10 to 100 times less than those prevailing in the illegal market. It is worth mentioning that India has always shown that it is possible to provide access to generic drugs within two to three years of the introduction of the original drugs in the world market.

A system which has regulated legalization would have a range of restrictions for different drugs, depending on their perceived risk, so while some drugs would be sold over the counter in licensed establishments, drugs with greater risks of harm might only be available for sale on licensed premises where use could be monitored and emergency medical care made available. Examples of drugs in most countries with different levels of restrictions include caffeine (coffee, tea), nicotine (tobacco), and ethyl alcohol (beer, wine, and spirits). Regulated legalization is suggested by Law Enforcement against Prohibition who object to the drug laws on the basis that they fail to achieve their stated aims like our government which only worsens the problems associated with the use of prohibited drugs, but who acknowledge and understand to minimize as there are harms associated with prohibited drugs. Not every component of drug re-legalization necessarily shares a common framework of ethics, and people will adopt this perspective for a variety of reasons. In particular, favoring drug legalization does not imply the approval of drug use. According to an Indian politician, the land of “bhang” (edible preparation of cannabis) should legalize drugs so that the government will take steps to regulate it and also reduce corruption.

Another reason why it can be believed that drugs should be legalized is based on some research on prohibition. Social psychologist Daniel Wegner studied that If someone asks me not to think about a pink elephant, the first thought will be it because that is human nature. The same way, if you put a prohibition, people are more provoked to try it out. For example, there are, in total, 29 states in India and out of those, 5 states are practicing prohibition on alcohol. Gujarat, being a dry state, is one of the highest consumers and illegal suppliers of alcohol. Also let’s talk about the drug capital of India, Punjab and its surrounding areas. There is a variety of consumer base that they have which includes policemen, housewives, professionals, businessmen as well as rich and bored millennials. Drug dealers cater to a diverse range of customers right from poor people in the villages to rich and educated city dwellers which is perhaps more than the statue of unity.

The main entry point of drugs into Punjab through our main border with our lovely neighbor Pakistan. According to Commandant R K Arora, a serving officer with the Border Security Force (BSF) and a professor at the Sardar Patel University of Police, Security and Criminal Justice, the producer of these drugs is Afghanistan and especially Taliban which is the world’s largest producer of heroin. A kilogram smuggled from across the border is valued nearly Rs 5 crore which is 15 times the initial value of 20–25 lakhs,” he says.

The police sources said that “Chitta” (white powder/heroin) costs an addict more than 2,000 Rs a day, making it an expensive habit. After begging or borrowing does not work then to stealing, when an addict can no longer buy his fix, the dealer has a deal for him — sell 10 and get one. This strategy helps dealers not only retain customers but also add new ones rapidly.
Even the policemen could be part of the distribution network. According to a report, more than 100 Punjab Police personnel have been arrested for smuggling drugs or abetting the trade since 2014 and the numbers are nowhere close to the total police personnel involved in this distribution. The distribution networks could be patronized by not only rogue police personnel but also influential politicians. Time and again, many politicians have been accused of patronizing the drug trade.

The price of drugs has skyrocketed due to the risk of getting caught. According to many sources, a gram of heroin costs more than 2,500 Rs in border areas which only increases with distance. “In borders areas like Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn taran and Fazilka, the price used to be around Rs 2,500 per gram till 2016. Now the price there could easily have doubled to 5,000 Rs. In cities like Ludhiana and Chandigarh, the price is not less than 8,000 Rs.” says a young businessman from Ludhiana who used to be a drug addict. “The prices are higher now due to the crackdown by the government even though there is no shortage of supply. The risk factor did absolutely nothing but take the prices a few notches up,” the young businessman said.

Hypothetically if the government decides to remove the ban on drugs, the people dealing with mental health will have better access to going to a psychologist or a psychiatrist because then people won’t look at drugs as something shameful or a taboo. This will eventually help in making the people more open-minded and understanding of other sensitive issues. Prohibition not only discourage the addicts due to the society shaming them but also the government declaring them as criminals so it means that much harder for them to seek help through rehabilitation centers due to the fear of facing jail time or harassment by the government but again they’re a minority in our country so who cares. Practically anyone who breaks the law of prohibition makes them criminals which encourages people to see the law as whimsical and unimportant, instead of something good and protecting. It did absolutely nothing to encourage the respect and obedience the law deserves and that is just preposterous. In reality, the crime rate would not increase as the people who are currently breaking the law for drug-related issues as those who are doing that are already using drugs. In reality, what would happen is it would abolish the entire drug mafia and underworld trading of drugs, it would also help us in stopping terrorism as terrorists greatly benefit from selling drugs like opium especially an organization like the Taliban from Afghanistan. Also, by the legalization of all drugs, they would have a substantial increase in the quality of all drugs so that consumer receives a very high quality of drugs which will help many addicts a longer and healthier life.

Talking about the economic factor, the apparent benefits of consumption for drug abusers tend to be temporary and are quickly superseded by considerable health and financial burden on society, there are doubtless considerable profits for suppliers and traffickers of illegal drugs. This is revealed by the readiness of suppliers and traffickers to operate in the illegal markets. Of the estimated 6.3 million current drug abusers in India, about three quarters are employed, either fully or at least part-time. This will necessarily be a great advantage because employment often facilitates social reintegration at a later stage. At the same time, however, drug-taking employees in India have been found to be absent, on average, three times more often than non-drug-taking employees; they are three to four times more likely to be involved in an on-the-job accident, injuring themselves and co-workers; and they were found to file approximately five times more workers’ compensation claims than non-drug-taking employees. Although drug abuse affects labor markets by reducing productivity in some cases, it also generates some employment, particularly in the drug-producing countries, although this is less than generally believed. Legalizing cannabis could open doors to a new cash crop with a revenue stream that has multibillion-dollar export potential and will also help to generate employment for thousands of farmers. If drug legalization occurs, it would potentially create a tax revenue of 46.7 billion dollars annually which is a massive amount of money and India is a developing country that could use that money for a lot of purposes. Also, that’s just the potential of cannabis, just imagine what revenue all drugs could in total provide to India’s GDP, unlike GST.

In conclusion, it goes without saying that what the opposition has nothing but failed instincts, not fact-based decisions. Although it can be agreed that opposition has good intentions but very bad implementations causing a devastating catastrophe just like demonetization. It can be said that legalizing drugs will be beneficial to a lot of people in such vast ways namely, the economic sector, medical center, agriculture and liberalization and giving people a more open idea about several other things.