We tend to feel very superior when we read in the history books about how uncivilized our ancestors were; waging war for one hundred years back in the Middle Ages (1337-1453). There was also The Thirty- Years War (1618-1648), but again this was several hundred years ago. However, if we examine the wars of today we can see that "The War on Drugs" has been raging now as long as the Thirty Years War, and since no one is winning it seems that it could easily go on for at least another thirty years. Who knows it may even stretch to the hundred years mark.
In 2009 Dan Gillmore wrote that the war on drugs is "a futile, expensive and supremely hypocritical campaign that has caused vastly more damage, in America and around the globe, than the problems it aims to fix." In June 1955 "The Times Newspaper" in England ran an article "The Case for Heroin." In the article it was pointed out that because addicts could get prescriptions for the drug from their local doctor the number of addicts in Britain was not very high. In America, where the drug had been illegal since 1925, heroine had created major social problems. However, in 1964 when the number of addicts in Britain had grown the system of getting the drugs legally was altered. Only certain doctors working in special clinics could give prescriptions for heroin. The law became stricter in 1968 and by 1971 heroin became illegal. And with illegality came greater problems.
One of the main jobs of governments is to keep law and order in society. But by declaring drugs illegal, governments ended up doing the exact opposite of what they are meant to do: they helped increase the lawlessness in society. Part of the problem is that anyone who does something illegal is automatically classified as a felon, a person who is breaking the law. But people who take drugs are sick and in need of help and if that help does not come then they will break the law in order to get their next fix. Drugs are addictive and with the cravings of the body, come a moral and intellectual decline. Human beings in need of feeding this addiction are reduced to their most base instincts and behave much worse than animals. What the two reputable newspapers; "The Times" in 1955 and "The Economist" in 2011, showed is that illegality is making the situation worse. Treat the addicts as sick and see if a cure can be found. Don't ban the substance and it won't be so popular. The reasons for legalizing drugs are many but unfortunately the politicians do not acknowledge this or show the slightest interest in legalizing drugs no matter what facts the journalists and researchers provide them with.
An increasing number of people are beginning to question the "War on Drugs". In their book "Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know." (2011) Mark A.R. Kleiman, Jonathan P. Caulkins and Angela Hawken discuss different aspects of the problem. The book questions why drugs are not legal but alcohol and tobacco are? This is a valid question. They also analyze the criminal trade that automatically accompanies the illegal status of drugs. This book is not alone in realizing that drugs and crime are intertwined due to the fact that drugs are classified as illegal substances. The National Center for the Victims for Crime states that "more than half of all the people arrested in the United States test positive for illegal drugs. Drug addiction can lead to increased property crime and robberies. Drug and alcohol abuse contribute to higher rates of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual violence." These figures come from the U.S. Department of Justice, and are from 2007.
Is there anyone out there who would have the courage to even suggest the decriminalization of drugs? It took the American administration some years to admit that prohibition was a failure. From 1920-1933 alcohol was banned in America and as we all know from the movies, the Mafia in the form of Al Capone, Bugsy Siegal and many others, filled the gap that the government had been so foolish to create. After 13 years the mistake was rectified. But no politician on the horizon has the courage to do anything at present about the parallel situation with drugs. And so what happens is that some states made some substances, like Marijuana, legal, whereas most states still consider it an illegal substance. The impromptu judgments, along with the amount of money and time that have been invested in this war mean that most politicians are too frightened to admit the whole exercise has been a huge mistake in policy and consequently, another hundred years war seems to be in the making.
Copyright: Academic Reading
In 2009 Dan Gillmore wrote that the war on drugs is "a futile, expensive and supremely hypocritical campaign that has caused vastly more damage, in America and around the globe, than the problems it aims to fix." In June 1955 "The Times Newspaper" in England ran an article "The Case for Heroin." In the article it was pointed out that because addicts could get prescriptions for the drug from their local doctor the number of addicts in Britain was not very high. In America, where the drug had been illegal since 1925, heroine had created major social problems. However, in 1964 when the number of addicts in Britain had grown the system of getting the drugs legally was altered. Only certain doctors working in special clinics could give prescriptions for heroin. The law became stricter in 1968 and by 1971 heroin became illegal. And with illegality came greater problems.
One of the main jobs of governments is to keep law and order in society. But by declaring drugs illegal, governments ended up doing the exact opposite of what they are meant to do: they helped increase the lawlessness in society. Part of the problem is that anyone who does something illegal is automatically classified as a felon, a person who is breaking the law. But people who take drugs are sick and in need of help and if that help does not come then they will break the law in order to get their next fix. Drugs are addictive and with the cravings of the body, come a moral and intellectual decline. Human beings in need of feeding this addiction are reduced to their most base instincts and behave much worse than animals. What the two reputable newspapers; "The Times" in 1955 and "The Economist" in 2011, showed is that illegality is making the situation worse. Treat the addicts as sick and see if a cure can be found. Don't ban the substance and it won't be so popular. The reasons for legalizing drugs are many but unfortunately the politicians do not acknowledge this or show the slightest interest in legalizing drugs no matter what facts the journalists and researchers provide them with.
An increasing number of people are beginning to question the "War on Drugs". In their book "Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know." (2011) Mark A.R. Kleiman, Jonathan P. Caulkins and Angela Hawken discuss different aspects of the problem. The book questions why drugs are not legal but alcohol and tobacco are? This is a valid question. They also analyze the criminal trade that automatically accompanies the illegal status of drugs. This book is not alone in realizing that drugs and crime are intertwined due to the fact that drugs are classified as illegal substances. The National Center for the Victims for Crime states that "more than half of all the people arrested in the United States test positive for illegal drugs. Drug addiction can lead to increased property crime and robberies. Drug and alcohol abuse contribute to higher rates of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual violence." These figures come from the U.S. Department of Justice, and are from 2007.
Is there anyone out there who would have the courage to even suggest the decriminalization of drugs? It took the American administration some years to admit that prohibition was a failure. From 1920-1933 alcohol was banned in America and as we all know from the movies, the Mafia in the form of Al Capone, Bugsy Siegal and many others, filled the gap that the government had been so foolish to create. After 13 years the mistake was rectified. But no politician on the horizon has the courage to do anything at present about the parallel situation with drugs. And so what happens is that some states made some substances, like Marijuana, legal, whereas most states still consider it an illegal substance. The impromptu judgments, along with the amount of money and time that have been invested in this war mean that most politicians are too frightened to admit the whole exercise has been a huge mistake in policy and consequently, another hundred years war seems to be in the making.
Copyright: Academic Reading
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