Should we allow drugs and prostitution?
Over the past decades, the topic of drugs and prostitution legalization is becoming hotter and hotter. More and more developed countries are choosing to liberalize one or both of these industries, with Netherlands being the leader in this field. In many underdeveloped countries, drugs and prostitution are officially illegal but mostly unsanctioned in practice, with Thailand being one of the prominent examples.
It seems to me that the consequences and moral issues of both light drugs and prostitution legalization are quite similar, so I opted to discuss them together. I’ll go ahead and give you my opinion immediately: both should be legal, but very strictly regulated.
First of all, it is important to note that that the vast majority of the countries already formally or informally allows some forms of drugs and prostitution. Alcohol and tobacco are drugs. Pornographic actresses and gold diggers are common examples of quasi-prostitutes. The fact that it is widely considered normal for these products and activities to be legal, while the same cannot be told for marijuana or traditional prostitution, leads to a conclusion that much of the resistance to drugs and prostitution legalization comes from the general resistance to change and fear of anything new inherited in the minds of numerous people.
Many traditional people consider drug usage and prostitution degrading. The fact that they do consider it degrading has a much lower importance than the freedom of all individuals to do what they like, as long as they are not hurting the society. This is very my “strictly regulated” comes from. I believe that hurting self significantly should be illegal, as hurting self mostly leads to hurting the society. If you wander the streets wasted from heavy mind-altering and highly addictive drugs, you represent a danger to the people around you. If you get sexually transmitted illnesses and continue having sex, you are damaging the health of your society.
Two more arguments for liberalization are the facts that it is impossible to effectively control all forms of drugs and prostitution, and that letting go of the control doesn’t even lead to the increase in usage. For example, according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, the Dutch are among the lowest users of marijuana in Europe, despite the Netherlands' policy on soft drugs being one of the most liberal on the continent.
But what can and should be controlled is the quality and safety. Being a freelance business plan writer, I have recently written a business plan for a huge cannabis complex in California, and I can tell you that the legal standards and quality control are very, very high. Isn’t it better to regulate the marijuana production in order to make sure that the quality is very high thus minimizing health risks than to leave that up to illegal laboratories and criminal dealers? The same goes for prostitution, isn’t it better to make sure that prostitution is focused in a designated part of the city, that the ladies of the night have regular health checks, and that no one is forced into prostitution, or we should leave this up to pimps and dirty basements?
Many people claim that marijuana is a gateway to harder drugs. If this was true, alcohol and tobacco would be gateways to marijuana, thus you would need to ban them too should you follow that principle. One thing is definitely true: selling marijuana is a gateway for criminals to obtain huge amounts of money, which can later be used to trade heavy drugs, weapons, and humans. Cutting income from criminals and putting it into taxes later used for healthcare, education, sport etc. can only be good. If you ask me, some of the income should be used to promote responsible drugs and prostitution usage, including avoidance of excessive doses, hazardous situations, risks of sexually transmitted illnesses, and similar.
Please let me know:
- What is your opinion on drugs and prostitution legalization?
- How do you feel about my arguments?
- Do you have any additional arguments, whether for or against?
If you liked this article, then you would most probably also like my recent post: Can we admit that we’re all both good and evil to a certain point? What do we enjoy and why?
Have a wonderful day, week, and life!
Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to the images used in this article. I just found them online and wanted to share them with you.
Out of the shadows into the light. Prohibiton only helps the military industrial complex and those porked up on that aspect of it.
Thanks for the comment!
How does the drugs and prostitution prohibition help the military industry, I don't see the connection? : )
Those industries control the media and the government or at least are major parts of the DC cartel. Criminalizing victimless crimes helps those industries continue the war on the poor.
If you're referring to the fact that in the current drug and prostitution world small fish gets caught while the big fish enjoys the profit safe in the background, I hear you.
I think it is more insidious than that CO INTEL PRO and Joint Vision 2020. The MIC is planning to wage victimless wars across the planet for the next few decades. The military and it's planning apparatuses plan on continued narco wars and other things to help with Boeing an Lockheed Martin's bottom lines.
My son is an addict and I firmly believe marijuana is both harmful in its own right and a gateway drug.
Having said that - I strongly believe drugs should be legalized because once somebody is addicted - they are in many ways powerless to the addiction and no good comes from forcing them to break the law to support their habit.
I think we would be in a much better place to help them become contributing members of society if drugs were legalized.
Thanks for sharing the personal experience, I'm sorry to hear that your son got addicted.
Although there are some harmful effects of marijuana (as they are in alcohol too), there are many benefits of its legalization, including addict social marginalization prevention, as you pointed out.
What concerns me about legalization at the moment, is it is being promoted as cool rather then a way to help addicts.
I think legalization should be accompanied by the anti-smoking campaigns that targeted the tobacco industry. It is amazing the reduction in the number of people who smoke tobacco as a result of those campaigns and it did not require creiminalization.
I totally agree with your concerns - the reason why I used somewhat grim images in this article instead of happy ones, is because I didn't want to make an impression that I'm supporting drugs and prostitution just because that's now cool and mainstream.
Of course, I think that some of the income from new taxes should be used to promote limited and responsible drugs (including tobacco and alcohol) and prostitution usage.
Addiction is so sad. Hopefully your son conquers his addiction. I have family that also struggle with addiction. Stay strong.
It is rare for me to meet somebody who does not have a relative or a friend that has not felt the impact of addiction. I wish you family members well.
Same to your family.
I'm curious about your opinion, what did you witness with your sons experience with Marijuana over the time of him using it?
When I was at university over 30 years ago, my housemates were heavy marijuana users - very heavy. If you asked me if I noticed any effect in them, I would have said they seemed pretty chilled and were not as motivated as other friends. In short, not a big deal.
And to be honest, it is those memories I believe many people of my generation share that color our opinion of marijuana usage today.
But the sad fact is the weed our kids smoke today is much more potent then the weed our generation smoked 30 plus years ago.
So what did I witness with my son's experience with marijuana? It is not scientific, but behavioral changes far different then I observed in my housemates 30 years ago. So much so, I can tell if he has smoked in the past few days because his behavior becomes more aggravated (that might not be the right word - but it is the best I can describe it). On occasion it can make him paranoid.
What makes it even more complicated as any parent of an addict will tell you - addicts rarely have one drug of choice. Sometimes by necessity, sometimes just because they are looking for a different buzz - they do use/try different drugs.
Who knows what cocktail they have in their system on any particular day and how those drugs might interact with each other.
It is a very difficult problem that should not be criminalized and definitely has no simple solutions.
I do not know if that answers your question, but it is my opinion.
"But the sad fact is the weed our kids smoke today is much more potent then the weed our generation smoked 30 plus years ago." - Thanks for mentioning this, I didn't know that.
Thanks for the reply. I appreciate it.
I think the world would be a much happier and safer place if we legalise everything like they do in Portugal, they had one of the highest worldwide deaths from drugs and crime and with backs to the wall were forced into a radical change! The result? deaths over halved, addicts getting safe shoot up rooms with government sanctioned safe needles and drugs not that street stuff thats laced with god knows what!
Most hard drug addicts have are a health problem that needs to be treated just like alcohol is here!
Also look at amsterdam closing down prisons because there are not enough criminals, crime and deaths increasingly decreasing! But unfortunately as long as prisons are profitable and make no mistake private prisons are a goldmine thats why new prisons are being built its got nothing to do with an increase in criminal activity, we will need a severe paradigm shift for change to happen! Great post upvoted resteemed and followed!
Peace and love my friend!
Portugal didn't actually legalize drugs, rather they chose to decriminalize them. More specifically, any drug possession lower than what would be considered enough for a 10 day supply is downgraded from a criminal offense to an administrative one. This law was sufficient to dramatically reduce the need for anti-drug enforcement on the streets while still maintaining criminal penalties for trafficking. Because trafficking in its own right carries with it all sorts of externalities that increase other types of crimes, I think it makes the most sense to decriminalize drug usage to free up resources for controlling other criminal behaviors tied to trafficking.
Hi @faustiantimes, thanks for clarifying what Portugal actually did.
If drugs usage is decriminalized but not legalized, many opportunities are missed - such as quality control and transferring revenue from criminal to legal (taxable) flows.
It is interesting to note that, while drugs usage is more easily decriminalized than drug trading, the situation with prostitution is often the opposite - in some countries it is illegal to use prostitution while it is not illegal to offer it.
Thanks for expanding on my thoughts, @songe, Portugal did make great results by legalization.
Cheers! : )
thanks for the upvote my friend! followed!
You're welcome, see you around! : )
The question isn't whether or not people should be allowed to do drugs or engage in prostitution, the question is does one group of people have a right to tell another group of people who have not harmed, or initiated force against anyone else what life choices they are permitted to make. Of course the answer is no. It is either right to dictate how other people live their lives, or it is wrong. Where does it stop? If you can tell a person not to do drugs under threat of imprisonment can they tell you not to eat sugar under threat of imprisonment? The argument can certainly be made that sugar has contributed to as many, if not more premature deaths than drugs. The difference is sugars lobbyists want sugar to be legal and pharma's lobbyists want drugs to be illegal. The bottom line is locking a person in a cell for engaging in an act in which they have not committed violence against any other person is an immoral act all on its own.
Hi @tomanderson, thank you for the meaningful comment! I agree with with you and have only one note: in addition to forbidding violence, I would also prevent the most harmful and dangerous nonviolent acts, such as the hardest and most addicting drugs. Although selling, buying, and using drugs such as heroin or LSD is not a direct act of violence against someone else, it too often results in ruined lives, ruined families, extremly risky behavior, criminal acts to finance the need for more drugs etc. Cheers! : )
The formation of a society should be based on morals. Of course such a statement can be used as a form of oppression when used by those who themselves lack morals. The act of initiating force against a non-violent person who has not acted against another individual or their property is certainty immoral. That is the bases in my belief that drugs and prostitution should be legal. Their is no morality in locking people in cages for engaging in harmless acts that I personally find disgusting or offensive. Locking someone away would actually make me the perpetrator who initiated the use of violence. We live in a culture where everyone attempts to control everyone else, but a moral society provides individuals the liberty to make their own choices. For me, i would even legalize the hard drugs. Drug prohibition has made people no less likely to do drugs; but it has led to gang violence and violence on the American southern border. Individual liberty is always the answer. Government almost always worsens the problems it allegedly sets out to fix.
I agree with you in almost everything except for the hardest drugs.
The thing is, I don't consider the sale and usage of the hardest drugs only personally disgusting or offensive, I also consider it extremely dangerous for people around whoever is doing it. Something like when someone is driving a car 250 km/h in a highly crowded downtown area - he is actually not committing any violence at the moment, but he should be stopped because otherwise he will most probably get himself and/or some other people killed very soon.
It is encouraging that our society has gotten to the point where we can have this discussion at all. Of course legality and morality do not always correlate with one another. Just as I commend you for drawing attention to the senselessness of criminalizing drugs like Marijuana, I hope you also draw attention to the predatory practices of big pharmaceutical companies. So many people blindly trust their doctors and become addicted to prescription pain killers. We need more pot smokers and less pill heads.
I really like this thought. Sometimes, although your intentions are not bad, you are hurting or highly risking to hurt people around you.
Of course, excessive usage of medicines like pain killers is a very real problem, too.
Cheers! : )
Allow ?? that means we still have a governement telling us what we can do lifenbeauty no nani state please. thank you
With love,
harj : ) xoxo
Abstract artist
(My latest artwork is "Government")
Well, I am liberal, but I don't think that we shouldn't have any rules at all.
I think that we need government, not to guide us or tell us what to do, but to support and protect us.
Cheers! : )
the road to hell is paved with good intentions
I'm sorry to tell you your not a liberal in the true sense. Your a interventionist. : )
Thanks for the open comment! : )
Well, I believe that neither absolute liberty/anarchy nor absolute interventionism/control can be good. I consider myself liberal because I argue for much more liberty than found in the current systems. : )
Ahhh a 3rd way kinda guy! : ) Wonderful socialilsm light with a velvet glove
"both should be legal, but very strictly regulated."
Exactly right, prohibition is the abdication of regulation.
100% agree
Thank you for the short but quite meaningful comment, @funbobby51, I love the "prohibition is the abdication of regulation" thought. : )
Hmm Im a pharmacist in the US and here's my take on drugs: they should be allowed to a certain extent. They can be used recreationally but they should put limits ex) 1g per Month/person. Drugs are scary... Once someone gets hooked into it its hard to get out.
Very hard to get out once you are addicted.
You need to give addicts a runway to get off.
I have seen medical professionals cut people off cold - the addict then has no choice but to turn to crime.
I agree with you, that's why I am for legalization with strict regulation.
Cheers! : )
Drugs and prostitution ought not to be allowed in a community
Thank you for joining the discussion, could you let me know what are the main reasons for your opinion?
its between consenting individuals.
If you're referring to prostitution - yes, and they are not making any damage to the society, especially if the prostitute is doing regular health checks. Furthermore, legal prostitution is always between consenting individuals, while the illegal prostitution is often forced.
I'm against all aggression. But not just prostitution.all buyers and sellers. All victimless action. No busy bodies needed or lobbying/Nannie's. Alcohol and cigarette is the biggest killer.
I agree with you except that I I would forbid the hardest drugs because they are too harmful for both the individual and the society.
Although I am for individual freedom, some (worst) things should be out of reach because a moment of weakness can ruin someones whole life.
So you want to intervene in other people's actions ? Do you have that power over others ? Do you have that power over me ? How will you stop me doing the things you don't like ? With a Gun ?
I don't want to have power, but I do want to have security and prosperity.
For example, if someone attacks me or my family or someone on the street, I want to be able to call the police.
If someone drives a car while heavily drunk, I want someone to stop him before he injures or kills someone.
Don't you want the same things? : )
Let's not get silly. Pot would be fine if it were regulated like tobacco or alcohol. Things like Meth & Heroin would become a drain on the society. No matter how many people say they would never try it if those drugs publicly available, they are highly addictive and can't be taken on a 5 minute break from work.
The reason to legalize hard drugs is to be able to help addicts.
We need to enable them to move in the right direction without forcing them into a life of crime.
I agree that we need to enable addicts to move in the right direction without forcing them into a life of crime; but wouldn't addicts be helped by offering them light drugs instead of the hard ones?
I agree with you, I would forbid the hardest drugs because they are too harmful for both the individual and the society.
Although I am for individual freedom, some (worst) things should be out of reach because a moment of weakness can ruin someones whole life.
Yes they should be allowed. Government should have no say in how people want to live thier lives. I like your detailed analysis. Good point about the Netherlands. They are always ahead of the curve on everything concerning freedom. Did you know that Portugal has made all drugs legal and crime went way down? Also it was a good insight that you made when you mentioned that all societies to some extent allow drugs and prostitution in its less overt form.
Thank you for the comment, @newcastle.
I actually did came across the Portugal info, but I had to omit some stuff as I didn't want to make article too long.
I'm glad you like my insight about the fact that we already allow drugs and prostitution in some of the less overt forms; that fact tickled my mind for a long time. : )