These days, people are facing life difficulties that make them more vulnerable. Life requires a lot of risks to make a living and to fight against hunger. Although, there are many reasons for drug addiction, hard work these days is becoming a major cause for many people. Lots of abusers try to get money to buy drugs. Although, Saudi Arabia is a very religious and conservative country with a “dry law”, Saudi Arabians are keen on using whiskey and hashish. This is a wealthy nation, in which a certain percentage can easily afford it. Nevertheless, drugs should be illegal in the country to reduce the proportion of drug abusers and to keep people from thinking about using drugs. There are strong reasons against legalization of them, for example, a large proportion of homeless drug addicts are a social burden on the government that impacts it negatively, also an increase of crimes, black markets and formations of local gangs affect society in a bad way. The Islamic law strongly prohibits any use of drugs, except when drugs are used in hospitals for medical purposes. Also, drugs promote diseases and affect the health. Unfortunately, some opponents still argue that drugs should be made legal in the country. By doing so, they are not aware that legalizing drugs will cause new troubles for its people.
There are always lots of issues that concern legalization of drugs. Besides, certain questions may arise in relation to them. A topical question is: how can we know that legalizing drugs will be a good or a bad thing for society? Supporters of drug prevention in Saudi Arabia say that drugs should be illegal because of the troubles the government are facing, and the fact that drugs lead many addicts to facing problems, committing crimes, and developing diseases by circulating used needles. To reduce these problems, the government should not make the drugs legal in Saudi Arabia. According to Sheik Abdullah al-Sheik, the Chief of Public Security in Saudi Arabia in 1980s, “The illegal drug trade can be reduced because of a tightening grip against suspected dealers” (The Globe and Mai). Moreover, legalizing drugs could cause thousands to be killed by drug addicts and drug dealers in many countries around the world. As alcohol-and-drugs trade creates black markets, it gives rise to gangs and crimes. Even if the government legalized drugs, there would still be black markets and crimes. Most of Saudi Arabians are deeply afraid for fear of getting killed. Therefore, the religious police – the mutawa - are threatening smugglers to keep the order. Because the mutawa prohibits all parties and social activities in the country, illegal goods from black market are on the increase. As we know, Saudi Arabia has become a target for a chain of drug dealers to do their business and to smuggle their goods, most of which come from Afghanistan. Since many people have little money, but no jobs, the drug dealers use Saudi Arabia to gain profit. Many Saudi are taking drugs in their homes, as opposed to public places. Society of Saudi Arabia becomes more and more affected. A dangerous thing is that the dealers are focusing mostly on the teenagers, who are in high school, by encouraging them to take the drugs to concentrate and do well on their exams. The dealers approach young people, especially in the exam period. The people in Saudi Arabia know that the high percentage of drug addicts is increasing, which causes a lot of homeless people, who are living below the poverty line because they are spending their money on expensive drugs. Each country in the world has its problems with drugs and many teenagers often join the gangs to make some money, and many babies have been affected because their mothers were using drugs during pregnancy.
Saudi Arabia will never make any type of drugs legal because of many important reasons. The main reason, however, is Islam and the Islamic law says that drugs and alcohol are illicit and prohibited due to their side effects - the only exception is the use of certain drugs in medicine. The Saudi Arabia law prevents using or trading any kind of drugs. There are high penalties for breaking the law. According to a Report published by General Ahmed bin Mohammad Bilal, the Director of Public Security in Saudi Arabia in 1987, “The kingdom has never had one incident of growing, producing, or making illegal drugs of any kind and that the death penalty has been applied to deter drug traffickers, smugglers and carriers” (Riyadh Daily). Legalizing drugs would affect many people and the percentage of addicts would increase, as a result diseases would spread and create a number of social problems. According to a report by the National Geographic in the film “The world's most dangerous drug,” meth users have a lot of mental problems and diseases, and the program shows how meth creates bacteria in the gums and causes the teeth to fall out, and makes many scars in the body. There are many side-effects of every drug. For information, 30% of amphetamines worldwide, used in the form of tablets, come from Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities confiscate millions of tablets each year. Furthermore, the government spends a lot of its budget to fight drug users and to treat drug dealers, as well as to educate the children about drugs and their effect on the human body. According to Christian Science Monitor, “Government should resist the temptation to spend large amounts of money on drug education and treatment programs”. Moreover, drugs promote diseases and affect the health. It is also known that scientists have made some experiments on the mice and the results showed that some of the drugs make upheaval and the drug addicts start to imagine unreality because the drugs affect their brain, which causes serious mental problems and even the destruction of the nervous system.
Opponents argue that drugs should be legal because a prohibition creates a desire among many people to use them. Moreover, there are a few types of stimulant drugs to help users manage their stressful and hard jobs day-to-day to make a living. Some of these drugs help to renew energy that is essential in work, sports, or when going for pleasure, even if the drugs reflect badly on their health. Drugs are more often used with athletes to help them achieve their goals by gaining power and energy. Also, if drugs became legal, there would not be gang wars and the prices of drugs would lower. The government would eventually benefit from taxing the drugs. According to an article “Legalizing drugs reduces crime” that refers to drug problems in Scotland, “If drugs were legalized, they could be taxed, users would know what they were buying and the crime rate would plummet as addicts would no longer have go and steal, beg or turn to prostitution to fund their habit” (The Herald). According to the opponents of drug laws, legalizing drugs would be beneficial if under strict control and rules. There are some points of the opponents that I agree with, but some points that I disagree with. The biggest point, however, is that legalizing drugs would influence many people and make some of them use drugs, whether for personal purposes or for experiment. According to The Post-Standard, “If experimentation increases because of easy availability, addiction will certainly increase”. In addition, there are many types of drugs that are dangerous, because some of these drugs influence people as much as they leave their jobs and become homeless. Addicts tend to create gangs that sell or steal drugs; as a result the level of terrorism increases in many countries. According to Current Health Teens, “Drug trafficking -- the illegal buying and selling of drugs -- contributes to crime and violence around the world and even helps fund terrorism”. Besides, drugs usually generate unwanted crimes and killing, also groups of gangs, which means that violence and trouble it causes in society is the direct consequence. According to the Wikipedia, “In 2002, in the U.S., about a quarter of convicted property and drug offenders in local jails had committed their crimes to get money for drugs”. Moreover, drugs have created black markets for all types of drugs, which produced new gangs, crimes, and killings. Even if the government made a decision to legalize them, such markets would still exist and the crimes would be on a rise.
In conclusion, legalizing drugs could encourage people to use drugs to experiment, which means that the percentage of drug users would increase for certain reasons, such as sports, jobs, or pleasure. Illicit drugs are like a spider web that spreads its net to suck in more and more people who cannot resist temptation. Unfortunately, addiction rates are rocketing in the country: more and more young patients are showing up in rehabilitation centers as drug addicts. Sadly enough, many more drug users remain untreated, because the problem is not exposed, but remains hidden. Even when people realize that they desperately need professional help, fear of exposing their sins remains stronger. However, legalizing drugs would, eventually, cause many more troubles for the government and the nation as such. Similar to other countries, the Saudi government is conducting an educational campaign against drug addiction. It cannot lose its grip presently; otherwise Saudi Arabia will end up with a destroyed generation of addicts. The only way out of the situation is to never legalize drugs to keep down the high rate of drug addicts and to save the country from a new wave of drug dealers and black markets.
Reference
Constantine, T. “Legalizing drugs is no solution.” The Post-Standard 4 (1990). PDF file.
“Drugs dealing cut, Saudi official says.” The Globe and Mai 11 (1987). PDF file.
"Drug related crime." (n.d.) Wikipedia. Web. 3 Feb 2011.
Hey, Robert, P. “Drug legalization debate escalates.” Christian Science Monitor 12 (1989). PDF file.
“Legalizing drugs reduces crime.” The Herald 12 (2010). PDF file.
“Saudi Arabia’s efforts to fight narcotics; Saudi-French symposium”. Riyadh Daily
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Weir, K. “Drug war”. Current Health Teens 37.6 (2011): 10-12. PDF file
The world’s most dangerous drug. National Geographic, Film. Feb 19 2011. DVD.
