Please discuss the pros and cons of the legislation designed to regulate and prohibit drug use in this country. What has been effective? What has not? Where do you think the country is headed in dealing with this issue?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

This question will provoke strong opposing opinions and is designed to do so.
• The "War on Drugs" was a response to a frightening trend in American society to disregard laws and indulge in the experimentation and use of a variety of drugs. One may think of jazz musicians introducing cannabis to wider audiences, cocaine becoming readily available in the 70s and 80s, "crack" cocaine following, and the experimentation with hallucinogenics during the turbulent 60s. To established society this phenomenon was scary and difficult to understand.
• The effectiveness of strict laws and minimum mandatory sentences is open to question. While perhaps effective in addressing trafficking in drugs, too often "mules" or innocent spouses have been caught up in this law enforcement effort. There are large numbers of women in Federal prisons serving long sentences for minor participation. Until recently Federal law provided for harsher sentences for "crack" cocaine than powder cocaine and this clearly resulted in harsher sentences for minority offenders. There has been a great expenditure of money and resources fighting drugs. Violence is often involved in these operations.
• Decriminalization and legalization seem to be looping back around as considerations in hard economic times. Strange alliances have developed in arguing that legalization, regulation and taxation are more effective in containing drug use and also an attractive revenue source.
• It is unlikely that opposing factions will ever agree on the effectiveness of America's strict response to the increased use of illicit drugs by her citizens. Some say it has contained the problem and point to decreased use; others point to the cyclical nature of drug use and point out that these strict laws have not stopped people from consuming and our prisons are full of drug offenders.
• There is also the theory that drug use is tied to poverty, educational deprivation, broken families, and decreases in social services and support. These are political land mines and there are no easy answers.