Drug Policy
The drug policy currently in force in the USA imposes a blanket ban on all types of drugs without reference to relative harmlessness and side effects. As a result, the criminal justice system is clogged with people convicted for possession of relatively harmless drugs like marijuana and cannabis. Amidst increasingly fervent calls for a review of the drug policy, it is imperative to assess the drug policy of the Netherlands.
Netherlands’ drug policy is based on the concept of ‘normalization’, wherein the effort is to focus on the overall environment of people, and address all aspects of socio-economic life, so as to prevent any section of the populace from slipping into the margins of society and turning anti-social. Based on this overarching concept, Netherlands has endeavored to provide a safety net to drug users, educate them on the composition of drugs they use and to provide safe government controlled outlets for the consumption of soft drugs. Netherlands is constrained form extending its accommodative approach to hard drugs due to its commitments towards international treaties calling for action against drugs.
It would be worth considering relaxing the norms of the drug policy in the USA. The Netherlands model could be taken as a template. However, the jury would be out on whether a country as large as the USA with more divergent population would be able to replicate the Netherlands model without major disruptions in the body politic in the interim. A more nuanced approach to the issue would be required.
Therefore, the USA may consider decriminalization of softer drugs, instead of outright legalization. Decriminalization would involve removal of criminal and monetary penalties for possession of softer drugs such as marijuana and cannabis, without reference to the actual usage of the drugs. Issues such as taxation of use of the drugs and their sale in controlled environments would be left to individual states to implement (Thimmesch). This approach would ensure that there are no ‘one size fits all’ solutions, and tailored solutions regarding actual consumption are applied at the state level.
Work Cited
Thimmesch, Nicholas. “There’s a Big Difference between Legalization and Decriminalization.” DailiCaller.com. Oct 25, 2013. Web. June 27, 2015.
