Several debates on legalizing the drug use with a lot of opposition to legalizing because there are major concerns on the public health effect of the drugs. A lot of evidence has shown drug has a threat to public health and community safety. If drugs are legalized their availability and intake would be increased hence increased negative health impacts. There exist different types of illegal drugs that include marijuana, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, amphetamines and club drugs. In this paper, the safety of the community will be analyzed if any type of drug is legalized. The factors associated with drug legalization will be discussed as well as the negative impacts the drugs have to the community. However, recommendations will be provided on the appropriate actions to be taken in regard to legalization of drugs and community safety.
Factors associated with drug legalization.
The proponents of legalization of drug use feel that if these illegal drugs are allowed just like alcohol and tobacco the country would benefit. A belief exists that if drugs like marijuana were legalized, the country would realize another form of cash crops. It would not only boost the economy because of the cash received from it but because of the jobs that will be created in cultivating and selling of the drug. The government will save the money they use in controlling illicit drugs that have been increasing. In the financial year 2015, the US government budget for $ 26 million and the amount increased to $ 31 million in 2016. The other reason for support of legalization of drugs is the myth that it will reduce harm.
Drugs addicts use drugs inappropriately and mostly hide in areas that are fit sanitation-wise. They also share needles, which increase their chances of contracting other communicable diseases. They do all this because they have to hide from the law enforcers while consuming the drugs. The drug addicts also lack access to needles they need for intravenous drug use. Legalizing the use of drugs will lead to the abolishment of discrimination against the drug takers and more so, will reduce issues of death due to drug overdose because the drug users will be free to seek medical attention.
Moreover, the proponents of drug legalization believe that if drug use control failed in the 19th century, it will succeed neither in the 20th century nor in the 21st century (Caulkins, et al. 868). For instance, illicit drug use increased from 8.3% in 2002 to 9.4% in 2013 among a population of 12 years and above in America.
Drug abuse effects on community safety
The consequences of drug abuse do not only affect the drug abusers but also the society- family, friends, business and government assets. The most common effects of drug use on the drug consumers are premature death, ill health, and sicknesses. Drugs have side effects such as nausea, respiratory depression, nausea, and urinary retentions. Others such as cocaine as physiological consequences such as increased heart rates, high body temperatures, and effect on the alertness of the users. With the above effects, the productivity of the users reduces as many ends up depending on their families and those without people to care for them go to the streets.
Many of drug addicts have lost their source of income because of failing to show up in work and when they show up, they are high on drugs hence, and they are not able to be of use in the organization. Moreover, the premature deaths due to overdosing in America have increased by 137%.
Apart from the consequences that affect the drug users, other drug-related harms affect the wellness of a community. Among them is the issue of disease transmission. Disease transmission can be sexually or through sharing of needles. In America among the new infections of HIV/AIDS, injecting drug users account for 8%. Moreover, 14 % of people living with AIDS acquired it through sharing of needles while injecting drugs. The greater populations of this group are the African Americans. When looking at sexual transmission of diseases, when these users get high on drugs, they engage in unprotected sex, which risks them to getting sexually transmitted diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS. Generally, drug users are more likely to commit crimes compared to the nonusers.
Another social concern of drug abuse is the drug use leads to increased crime and violence. In America, 80% of the convicted offenders are drug users. There are mainly three types of drug-related crimes. Use-related crime is one of the crimes the drug users commit. In this type of crime, drug users commit crime because of effects of the drugs has and how they affect their thought processes as well as their behavior. It may because of hallucinations the drug users receive from the drugs. For instance, some can be involved in road accidents and work accidents because of driving and working under the influence of drugs respectively.
The other form of crime is economic-related crime whereby a person commits a crime as way to raise money to acquire the drug. For instance, a drug user can be involved in prostitution or stealing as a way to get money for buying the drug. Finally, system-related crimes are those crimes that arise from the organization of the drug system (Cole, 482). This may include conflicts in manufacturing, the rivalry between drug distributors, transporters among others.
Another social concern of drug abuse, the society is tasked with taking care of the drug addicts. Drug addicts require rehabilitation and treatment that are costly. Apart from the rehabilitation and treatment costs, the society, especially the friends and families, are forced to take care of the families of the drug addicts especially for those who had children because they can no longer provide for the family. The little they manage to get, the drug addicts channel it to acquire the drugs and quench their thirst for the drugs. Some of the families of these drug addicts are stricken by poverty and other economic problems because their only sole winner can no longer bring anything to the table.
Implication of these effects on the safety of the community
If illicit drugs will be legalized for use, the society will have to live with the above negative effects of the drugs. However, what cost will the community pay? Legalization of drugs will lead to implication on the safety of the community. These implications are categorized into three namely security implication, public health implications, and economic implications. Security implication concerns the crime and violence because of drug use. As discussed in the section above, drug abuse lead to crime and violence in the society.
Legalizing of the drug use will hence lead to easier availability and access to the drugs and in return, it means increased number of drug addicts. With many people getting involved in crimes, the security of the community will be threatened. It will also threaten the growth and development of the young children in the community. They will be introduced to drugs at their tender age and this may affect their ability to pay attention to education. Instead, they will be involved in criminal activities. The other implication of drug use on the community is the effect on the public health safety.
The issue of homelessness has increased in America. Thirty-one percent of the people living in the streets are drug users. While living in the streets they are at risks of getting several diseases that may come from the dirty places they live as well as the cold they are exposed to. This affects the public health safety of the community.
The diseases can also spread to people who are not taking the drugs hence affecting the whole community at large. Finally, the economic safety of the community will be affected. Most of the people involved in drug abuse are young people. This group of people is considered as the productive group of the community. With them been involved in drugs, they will have to be dependent on other people and will not take an active role in working and paying taxes used to improve the community. The community also spends many resources in their efforts to get the drug addicts help in rehabilitation centers and other forms of treatment.
Conclusion and recommendations
Legalizing the use of drugs would not ensure the safety of the community. The research has discovered that drug use has several negative effects that impact both on the individual using the drugs as well as the society. They include poor health, premature deaths due to overdose and from accidents occurring from people working and driving while they are under the influence of drugs. Use of drugs also has effects on the security and the economic status of the users and that of the community. Legalizing drug use may not solve public health and other safety issues.
Research shows that passing policies that allow free use of drugs will not reduce the harm caused by the drugs but instead it will increase the harm because the availability and access will be access. Besides, the economic benefits of legalizing drug use are overstated because they fail to consider the amount of money that will be spent in rehabilitation and treatment of the number of drug addicts that will be increasing. Due to these reasons, the government and the stakeholders should continue to oppose drug legalization in order to ensure community safety. Instead, they should embark on prevention of drug use, especially to the youths. They should also ensure there are recovery support programs that are easy to access to the drug addicts (Reuter, 78).
Finally, the government should ensure appropriate criminal justices policies are put in place to ensure the cycle of crime and drug use is broken. Taking into effect the above recommendations, the safety of the community will be ensured and the community will continue to grow without threats in its security, economic status as well as the public health.
Works Cited
Caulkins, Jonathan P. et al. "Design Considerations For Legalizing Cannabis: Lessons Inspired By Analysis Of California's Proposition 19". Addiction 107.5 (2011): 865-871. Web.
Cole, Thomas B. "Mexican Drug Violence Intertwined With US Demand For Illegal Drugs". JAMA 302.5 (2009): 482. Web.
Reuter, Peter. Understanding The Demand For Illegal Drugs. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2010. Print.
