I started this paper with the purpose of composing about the differences and its effects of the drug policies in the US compared to Europe. But since drug policies in Europe diverge much between all the different states it encloses. I optioned by comparing the drug Torahs in the US with the 1s of my ain state. Portugal. This determination was most right since both have such different attitudes towards their population drug job.
In one manus we have the United States of America with a really high punishment for drug ownership and traffic and on the other we have Portugal which decriminalized the ownership of all drugs. maintaining merely an administrative misdemeanor. Although many factors are to be considered. like the size of both populations. Portugal’s is of 10 million people. and many cultural background differences. one can compare the consequences and place a tendency on the consequences. It is of import to understand that punishments in Portugal are manner smaller that in the US.
The maximal prison punishment is of 25 old ages with the inexistence of decease punishment and that Portugal did what it did non because they gave up on the war on drugs. but because they felt there was a demand to happen a different attack. since condemnable punishments were non working. In the United States drug policies are really rigorous. In an article written by Jonathan Caulkins and Pete Reuters they evaluated the consequences of these Torahs and offered some options that would necessitate small alteration to the system. They start by informing the reader about the different drug epidemics and their clip frame.
They explained that the first 1 was heroine. subsequently cocaine. following it came cleft and in conclusion were the Methedrines. These were the large drugs that changed the attitude of America’s politicians towards drugs. Drug related disbursals in the US history for 40 billion dollars that the authorities spends every twelvemonth. Of class were speaking at all degrees. including prison. bar. intervention and policing. Drug bar plans are non highly effectual but are inexpensive and yes it is a good attack to contend against adolescent drug usage.
Mass-media runs seem to bring forth no consequence. since you’ll a adolescent will watch them. alter the channel and happen some show that supports the usage of drugs. Making intervention on drug maltreaters seems to bring forth a large impact on the population being treated. Although it is reasonably expensive for the authorities they manage to command possibly a one-fourth of the addicted population and remedy a fraction of those. Even if they end up get worsing there is still the success of dropping the condemnable rates of those persons. salvaging money to the province in the terminal.
Most of the US drug attempts go towards drug Torahs and the enforcement of them. It is at this point that we start to oppugn the effectivity of the US in commanding its addicted population. One billion is spent every twelvemonth at the beginning of production like the Andes and Colombia. but the consequences are really weak since there is much will to do money bring forthing coca foliages and marihuana in those countries. 2. 5 billion are spent in interdiction and although it has some success. there are merely excessively many holes to shut.
Most of the money spent by the US on drug related jobs is on enforcement. Since the start of rough punitory action towards drug maltreaters and distributors in the 1880ss there has been an addition of 400 thousand people to the US prisons population. There are presently half a million people populating in American prison cells. That doesn’t seem really right in a state that defends freedom on top of everything. There are as many inmates in America as in the whole European continent which as a manner bigger population that the US. exceeding by at least 300 million.
Most of these people were arrested for drug distribution and some for ownership accumulated with other charges. The inquiry is “Does tough enforcement work” . because Americans are passing a whole of their revenue enhancements moneys to do certain the streets are clean and they would trust it is working. “The theory is that tough enforcement will raise the hazard of drug merchandising. Some traders will drop out of the concern. and the balance will necessitate higher compensation for taking greater hazards. Hence the monetary value of drugs should lift.
It should besides do drug traders more cautious and therefore do it harder for clients to happen them. So the cardinal inquiry is whether the immense addition in captivity over the past 25 old ages has made drugs more expensive and/or less available” ( Reuter and Caulkins. 206 ) . They subsequently explain utilizing some math that the monetary value really dropped and that this theory is non working at all. The point is. excessively much money is being spent to maintain this people in gaol with small return. There has been some lessening on the sum drug users. but possibly non for the right grounds.
Imprisoning people may hold some consequences. but it is manner excessively expensive for the small consequences. More money should be spent on handling people since at that place seems to be plenty to imprison them. In 2001. Portugal. my place state. took the determination to legalize all drugs. Note that they did non legalise drugs. Technically drugs ownership is still illegal and you will still have and administrative punishment. but you would ne’er acquire jail clip for it. Distribution is still a condemnable act and hence there are bounds for how much person can hold in its ownership to be considered personal usage.
To give an illustration of how it works. conceive of a immature adult male is traveling into a concerto and while look intoing is properties at the entryway they find a gm of marihuana. The bulls will likely take the weed from its ownership. but will non make more than advice him non to transport these kinds of things around. Now. in instance he starts protesting and doing a dither about it. so they’ll take him in and he’ll likely pay a all right. In instance they found something considered of higher hazard. like diacetylmorphine. so they will take him to the constabulary station. he’ll likely spend the dark and so he’ll be forced to prosecute intervention for his dependence.
This legal solution as produced many good consequences and has been extremely appreciated by other European states since it has produced great consequences. In 2009. Glenn Greenwald wrote an article named “Drug Decriminalization in Portugal: Lessons for Creating Fair and Successful Drug Policies” where he exhaustively analyzes the consequences of this option and compares it to other states. The writer refers to the consequences as really good and in my state it is a really popular step where. although there are still some alterations needed to be done. everyone agrees that the decriminalisation of drugs is here to remain.
There were some frights when it was implemented. like the fright of the younger coevalss to accept drugs as a good thing or that our capital would go a new Amsterdam with much “drug tourism” . The writer shows us tremendous sums of informations comparing the before and after consequences of the decriminalisation where. drug related diseases decreased. higher authority drug use decreased. drug use in younger populations decreased and many others. There is still one thing that did non rather work out. Marijuana usage increased across most of the age groups.
It might be connected to the fact that “weed” is really in trend now but it is still refering. since even if there are non any existent wellness jobs related to it. there are many people who merely acquire truly unproductive. In this instance I speak for myself since I have many friends that got caught in the weed job. I myself enjoy it on occasion and understand that it is non something you should make every twenty-four hours. Still. the consequences beat about every county in Europe and that has to intend something.
It is a reasonably inexpensive step since you decrease drastically the people traveling to imprison and you start handling them alternatively. Of class this works in Portugal because we have free wellness and although we pay more revenue enhancements. I personally feel comfy knowing that my state would non allow me decease for being hapless. But that’s another narrative. It is true the united provinces are the best in many facets. but in this instance I can state that my state did really good in happening a inexpensive solution for what as a “growing disease”
