“Maybe there would have been a better way to drag this [measure 110] down the path,” prosecutor Schmidt said of the implementation. But the Multnomah County prosecutor said a tremor was needed. Simply tinkering with drug and drug policy has not worked. Considering that legalization would likely lead to an increase in the supply of drugs, the Standard Economic Model predicts that the amount of drugs used would increase and prices would fall. [37]: 428 However, Andrew E. Clark, an economist who has studied the effects of drug legalization, suggests that a specific tax or sin tax would counteract the increase in consumption. [36]: 3 In addition, legalization would reduce the cost of mass incarceration of marginalized communities that are disproportionately affected. Of those arrested for drug possession or drug-related offenses, the majority of those arrested are black or Hispanic. [39] Decriminalization is not synonymous with legalization. Legalization means that once a drug is banned, it is legalized under federal or state law. Decriminalization means that a once-banned drug is still prohibited by law, but the legal system will no longer prosecute or criminalize a person if they carry less than a certain amount. In the case of psychoactive drugs, such as marijuana, there is an extra layer, because while people make the free choice to use a drug, a portion of users suffer from a radically impaired ability to continue making that rational choice – they become addicted (about 9% of marijuana users develop a substance use disorder) and have an increased risk of also suffering from additional mental illnesses such as depression.
that are triggered by drug use. Substance use disorders then significantly affect quality of life and can shorten human life expectancy by several decades for certain drugs such as alcohol and opioids. This study hypothesized that respondents who identified a particular substance as their primary substance in the past year might be more inclined to legalize and/or decriminalize that substance (especially for marijuana). The results showed that participants who were classified as primary opioid or stimulant abuse rated the legalization or decriminalization of heroin or cocaine with significantly lower scores (indicating lower approval) compared to how those with primary marijuana use assessed the legalization and decriminalization of medical and recreational marijuana (see cells corresponding in Table 2). In response to the legalization of marijuana in Massachusetts, a consortium of clinicians and scientists issued a statement of concern in 2019 expressing their disagreement with how marijuana policy is shaped across the state. Jim Ferraris is the immediate past president of the Oregon Association`s police chiefs. “We`re going to see more and more people who need help because the drugs will be more readily available and there`s no one to control them,” he says. Hiding the legend of Jim Ferrari In addition, there are several drug-related health risks that are not addressed by decriminalization. More details on decriminalization. As the EMCDDA noted, there has been a movement across Europe in recent decades towards “an approach between the drug trafficker, who is considered a criminal, and the drug user, who is more likely to be seen as a sick person in need of treatment” (EMCDDA 2008, 22). A number of Latin American countries have also sought to reduce penalties for drug use and personal possession” (Laqueur, 2015, p.
748). Mexico City has decriminalized some drugs and Greece has just announced that it will do so. Spain also followed the Portuguese model. After waiting 10 years to see the result of the Portuguese model, which Portugal considered a success, Italy has recently followed suit. In May 2014, the Criminal Chamber of the Italian Supreme Court upheld an earlier decision of the Italian Constitutional Court in 2013 to reduce penalties for convictions for selling soft drugs. [23] [24] DISADVANTAGES: On the other hand, because psychoactive drugs, including marijuana, cause acute mental impairment when people use the drug, as well as substance abuse (approximately 9% of marijuana users), the increased accessibility, destigmatization and price reduction associated with legalization would result in a greater number of users and, therefore, more potential dangers and harms to the population (e.g., driving under the influence of drugs) and cases of addiction. Relaxing the availability of psychoactive substances that are not already commercially available, opponents generally argue, would lead to an immediate and significant increase in consumption. To support their claim, they point to the prevalence of opium, heroin and cocaine addiction in various countries prior to the entry into force of international controls, the increase in alcohol use following the repeal of the Volstead Act in the United States, and studies showing higher rates of abuse among health professionals with better access to prescription drugs.
