Abstract This paper examines a number of crime cases and how they could have been avoided if drugs were legalized. The author compares the legalization of drugs with prohibition and the anti-phosphate laws. The paper details the harm that illegalizing drugs cause our society as well as the advantages of the medicinal uses of marijuana.
From the Paper "Many people know that most crime in America is directly related to drugs. What most people fail to understand is that there would be no need for most of these crimes if drugs were legal. Why do people have to steal to support their drug habit? Because drugs are expensive. The average cocaine dealer has to spend around ten thousand dollars a week to support his habit. But the pharmaceutical cost of drugs is only about 2% of its? street value.[i]"
Abstract The paper considers the impact on society of lighter laws concerning cannabis and whether it is a safe substance appropriate to our society. The paper has particular reference to the social climate of the United Kingdom.
From the Paper "When David Blunket announced he wanted the UK's laws covering cannabis to be eased, I had images of London taking over Amsterdam as the central drugs spot in Europe. I saw Jamaican themed 'coffee shops' lining the streets of Soho, bakers selling hash-cakes, teachers and students alike enjoying a joint to go with their lunch-time snack. A society where cannabis is fully accepted may not be so farfetched. Under the Home Secretary's scheme, the drug would remain illegal, but the punishments, with its reclassification as a class 'C' drug, would be lessened - maximum sentences of 2 years for possession and 5 years for supply would apply. But rather than arresting people caught with cannabis, police will be more likely to issue a warning, a caution or a court summons, increasing their attention on harder drugs such as coke and heroin."
