Prestigious Medical Journal Calls For An End To The War On Drugs
The war on drugs has been ongoing for many decades now and this illogical fight has failed in a variety of ways.
The war on drugs has fueled mass incarceration however, it's clogged the justice system, destroyed families and communities, corrupted law enforcement, and contributed to the erosion of civil liberties.
And one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world, the British Medical Journal, recently asserted that they agreed with such a stance. According to them, as with many others who have voiced similar opinions in the past, they say that the evidence calls for an immediate end to drug war prohibition.
Those with the BMJ believe that the drug war fuels too dangerous a threat to public health and their stance is that the drugs should be legalized, regulated, and taxed.
Though, the highly regulated route isn't exactly an ideal situation for those who would prefer their freedom to exchange with others be respected, without any intervention or force involved. There will likely be many people who will be happy to finally have legal access to something that they would previously be risking a lot for.
Even though prohibition still remains and many areas are actively fighting against drugs and drug use, the market has still managed to flourish over all these years. Trading was still possible even though there wasn't any central authority or force involved.
Safety or control?...
Ending the drug war would foster a myriad of positive impacts; likely to drastically reduce drug-related violence, fuel new innovative research, and improve the quality of life for many.
The act of using drugs is a non-violent act and a war should not be waged on people who would probably benefit more from receiving help and treatment rather than punishment, fines, and violence being exerted against them.
After all, the users and the drugs have essentially won the war. And the multi-trillion dollar battle that's continually being waged against them will only further fuel undesired consequences and that won't stop until bureaucrats and their enforcers reverse their approach.
Pics:
Pixabay
Sources:
https://www.alternet.org/drugs/world-prestigious-medical-journals-bmj-called-legalize-all-drugs
https://hightimes.com/news/british-medical-journal-advocates-decriminalizing-all-drugs/
https://www.bmj.com/content/361/bmj.k2057.full
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Drug Use And Human Rights
https://steemit.com/writing/@doitvoluntarily/drug-use-and-human-rights
Great post @doitvoluntarily ! Agreed !! The war on drugs has definitely created a police state thanks for sharing !😀👍👍👍
Couldn't agree more, the drug war is a giant joke designed in a lot of ways to incriminate poor people. Even harder drugs, such as cocaine, should be regulated in my opinion. Abuse can be prevented by proper education, not outlawing substances and treating adults like children. The only "drug education" I received as a child consisted of the DARE program which basically tried to scare us all away from drugs, rather than teaching us the pros and cons of responsible and irresponsible use. It's time we all have an honest conversation and stop licking people up..
Here here! Fantastic argument.
Did government not learn from the prohibition?
People will always find cracks in the system and exploit them, there's no stopping drug use.
The drug war has never been about ending violence, crime, or even drug use. Its been about creating a boogey-man to fear, a "them" authorities can point to when we struggle and ask why arent things going well.
It's the same as every other war since WW2: Middle East, Terror, Illegal immigration, and yes drugs.
100% true. One more talking point for news anchors to draw attention to rather than financial corruption on a large scale. Cuz lets face it, marijuana use is FAR more dangerous than the decline of our economy.
Half a gram of pot could kill a nation, apparently...
No doubt. Oh hi there local high schooler, is that a joint i see? Sounds like we better ruin your future real quick with a criminal record... Such a joke.
Good post friend is an impeccable job, I agree that continuing the war on drugs has led to the destruction of many families
Should have happened a long time ago. Im glad at least that the political atmosphere is allowing it to happen now. better late than never!
this is a great news dear friend @doitvoluntarily, with the prohibition and much less with the drug wars something positive has been achieved, it was time to raise something like that.
Thank you very much for sharing this information.
I wish you a great day
Here in Venezuela I can tell you about how dangerous the drug is, if we already beat Colombia in the sale of drugs to USA. we suffer a narco-dictatorship.
The problem is the people not cooperating with the government. I guess that's the reason why this "War on Drugs" has been in decades because people simply just don't want to change themselves.