Comparative Drug Laws

Paper Summary:

This paper compares the war on drugs and drug policies in the United States to the policies in effect in the Netherlands and the outcomes of those policies. The paper points out that, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, since the Dutch government decriminalized marijuana in 1976 and allowed it to be sold and consumed openly in small amounts, usage steadily declined. Prior to decriminalization, 10 percent of Dutch 17- and 18-year-olds used marijuana and by 1985, that figure had dropped to 6.5 percent.

From the Paper:

"Following World War II marijuana use became apparent and in 1953 an amendment to the Opium Act added cannabis to the list of illegal substances but policies that required prosecution for cannabis were soon reconsidered because of the excessive force used by Amsterdam police in the response to student riots. The riots forced the government to more relaxed attitude towards drug use and de-emphasize marijuana possession arrests. In the early 1970's the Netherlands saw an increase in heroin use and a violent heroin market."

Sample of Sources Used:

• http://www.csdp.org/news/news/heareform.htm
• http://www.ojp.gov/bjs/dcf/enforce.htm#arrests
• http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/commbus/senate/Com-e/ille-e/library-e/dolin1-e.pdf p.5

More papers on Comparative Drug Laws:

• Research Proposal # 28180 : "America's Anti-Drug Laws"
• Essay # 55248 : "Punitive Drug Prohibition"
• Persuasive Essay # 119735 : "Ineffectiveness of the "Drug War"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: