Illegal Drugs

Illegal drugs are drugs which have limitations on their ownership or use by a government, and
are illegal in certain situations (meaning a person is not allowed to have them). A drug is any
chemical that affects the human body or mind when it is swallowed, breathed in, or consumed in
another way. A psychoactive drug is a drug that affects the brain. Some controlled drugs are
allowed if you have permission (called a "prescription") from a doctor. Other drugs are illegal
meaning you are never allowed to have them. Individual countries and places have different laws
about different drugs, and there are also international treaties against some drugs. The most used
drugs are not illegal for example cigarettes.

There are many categories (types) of psychoactive drugs. These categories have subcategories
(categories within categories). For example, benzodiazepines and opiates are both subcategories
of depressants. Some drugs such as ketamine have elements of two categories (hallucinogens and
depressants). Every drug is different, so it is important to know the effects of each individual
drug, not just the general group.

Hallucinogens Edit
Hallucinogens change the way people see, hear, feel or think. The three main groups of
hallucinogens are: psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants. Each group has different effects.
They may cause hallucinations, when a person imagines something that is not really there.

Stimulants Edit
Stimulants speed up the central nervous system. People using stimulants may feel happy and
excited, and have more energy, concentration or motivation. Stimulants make it difficult to sleep.

Depressants "Downers" Edit

Main page: Depressant
Depressants are drugs which slow down the central nervous system. People using depressants
may feel happy and content, as well as sleepy and relaxed. Depressants often slow down bodily
functions such as breathing and heart rate, and may make it hard to speak (slurred speech) or
move properly in large enough doses, in which case they may be harmful.

Anti-psychotics Edit
Antipsychotics are drugs which balance people's moods or stop hallucinations. Many anti-
psychotics are legal prescription drug such as anti-depressants (which are used to help to stop
people feeling depressed).
Address the real issues The use of illegal drugs is harmful to the user
For too long policy makers have used
and all those with whom the user comes in
prohibition as a smoke screen to avoid
contact. There are over 40 million illegal drug
addressing the social and economic factors that
users in the world today and America is the
lead people to use drugs. Most illegal and legal
biggest market for drugs. There is more drug
drug use is recreational. Poverty and despair
dealers in this country, than there are dentists.
are at the root of most problematic drug use
Illegal drug abuse must be stopped; it hurts our
and it is only by addressing these underlying
society, hurts us, and, most of all hurts the drug
causes that we can hope to significantly
user. Drug users are parasites, feeding off
decrease the number of problematic users.
society's money, taxes and insurance. Drugs
have very harmful effects on the user and the
people with whom the user interacts. The user
is affected in many ways.
The most popular drug in America, alcohol, is
generally thought of as socially acceptable and
relatively harmless. But it can have devastating
effects. Alcohol might seem very harmless, but
it can harm the user very easily. Alcohol is
easy to obtain and consume. It is taken as a
beverage and, since it is legal, it can be
purchased at the corner store. The immediate
effects on the user are relaxation and a slight
anesthetic effect. Alcohol is a very addictive
drug. There are more than 18 million
alcoholics in America, an indication of how
widespread its harmful effects are. Alcoholics
normally drink a lot on mornings and
weeknights, at times, which separate them for
normal "social" drinkers. Often, the alcohol
will bring out a violent temper and often,
alcoholics abuse, physically and mentally, their

Eliminate the criminal market place
The market for drugs is demand-led and
millions of people demand illegal drugs.
Making the production, supply and use of
some drugs illegal creates a vacuum into which
organised crime moves. The profits are worth
billions of pounds. Legalisation forces
organised crime from the drugs trade, starves
them of income and enables us to regulate and
control the market (i.e. prescription, licensing,
laws on sales to minors, advertising regulations
etc.)
friends and family. Drinking makes the drinker
feel he is more confident. The drinker thinks he
is in control, even if a little high and he might
get behind the wheel of his car and go for a
drive. Drunk driving is deadly. Hundreds of
thousands of people get killed every year due
to drunk driving. Other physical effects of
drinking are vomiting, passing out and
sometimes, if enough alcohol is consumed over
a long enough periods of time, or if mixed with
other drugs - death.
Drug addicts need money to support their
habits, and all users, addicts or casual users,
are careless and reckless when under the
influence. Drug users commit property crimes,
such as robbing a house or a store. Drug users
also commit personal crimes, like mugging,
armed robbery and even murder. Drug use,
itself, can be a crime. It makes innocent
citizens scared to walk out of their own homes,
in their own neighborhoods. Drug abuse must
be stopped. We should attack the supply and
demand. We should keep drugs from entering
the country and incarcerate dealers and
smugglers. To attack the demand, we should
educate young people on the risk of bodily
harm, mental harm and the damage to family
and relationships. Legalization of some less
harmful drugs, such as marijuana, might help
reduce the crimes associated with them, but it
 would be hard to regulate and legalization
would only eliminate some of the direct
criminal results, not the actual harm of the
drug. Drug abuse is a plague to society and
must be stopped. It is hurting our country by
causing increased crime and soaring insurance
rates, stealing tax dollars, hurting families, and
hurting children. If fighting drug abuse were
made a top priority, we could probably wage
an effective war, through education and
enforcement of laws, to stop drug abuse.

Massively reduce crime

The price of illegal drugs is determined by a
demand-led, unregulated market. Using illegal
drugs is very expensive. This means that some
dependent users resort to stealing to raise funds
(accounting for 50% of UK property crime -
estimated at 2 billion a year). Most of the
violence associated with illegal drug dealing is
caused by its illegality.
Legalisation would enable us to regulate the
market, determine a much lower price and
remove users need to raise funds through
crime. Our legal system would be freed up and
our prison population dramatically reduced,
saving billions. Because of the low price,
cigarette smokers do not have to steal to
support their habits. There is also no violence
associated with the legal tobacco market.
4 Drug users are a majority
Recent research shows that nearly half of all
15-16 year olds have used an illegal drug. Up
to one and a half million people use ecstasy
every weekend. Amongst young people, illegal
drug use is seen as normal. Intensifying the
'war on drugs' is not reducing demand. In
Holland, where cannabis laws are far less
harsh, drug usage is amongst the lowest in
Europe.

Legalisation accepts that drug use is normal

and that it is a social issue, not a criminal
justice one. How we deal with it is up to all of
us to decide.

In 1970 there were 9000 convictions or

cautions for drug offences and 15% of young
people had used an illegal drug. In 1995 the
figures were 94 000 and 45%. Prohibition
doesn't work.

Provide access to truthful information and

education
A wealth of disinformation about drugs and
drug use is given to us by ignorant and
prejudiced policy-makers and media who
peddle myths upon lies for their own ends.
This creates many of the risks and dangers
associated with drug use.

Legalisation would help us to disseminate

open, honest and truthful information to users
and non-users to help them to make decisions
about whether and how to use. We could begin
research again on presently illicit drugs to
discover all their uses and effects - both
positive and negative.
Make all drug use safer

Prohibition has led to the stigmatisation and

marginalisation of drug users. Countries that
operate ultra-prohibitionist policies have very
high rates of HIV infection amongst injecting
users. Hepatitis C rates amongst users in the
UK are increasing substantially.

In the UK in the '80's clean needles for

injecting users and safer sex education for
young people were made available in response
to fears of HIV. Harm reduction policies are in
direct opposition to prohibitionist laws.

Restore our rights and responsibilities

Prohibition unnecessarily criminalises millions

of otherwise law-abiding people. It removes
the responsibility for distribution of drugs from
policy makers and hands it over to unregulated,
sometimes violent dealers.

Legalisation restores our right to use drugs

responsibly to change the way we think and
feel. It enables controls and regulations to be
put in place to protect the vulnerable.

Race and Drugs

Black people are over ten times more likely to
be imprisoned for drug offences than whites.
Arrests for drug offences are notoriously
discretionary allowing enforcement to easily
target a particular ethnic group. Prohibition has
fostered this stereotyping of black people.

Legalisation removes a whole set of laws that

are used to disproportionately bring black
people into contact with the criminal justice
system. It would help to redress the over
representation of black drug offenders in
prison.

Global Implications

The illegal drugs market makes up 8% of all

world trade (around 300 billion a year).
Whole countries are run under the corrupting
influence of drug cartels. Prohibition also
enables developed countries to wield vast
political power over producer nations under the
auspices of drug control programmes.

Legalisation returns lost revenue to the

legitimate taxed economy and removes some
of the high-level corruption. It also removes a
tool of political interference by foreign
countries against producer nations.

Prohibition doesn't work

There is no evidence to show that prohibition
is succeeding. The question we must ask
ourselves is, "What are the benefits of
criminalising any drug?" If, after examining all
the available evidence, we find that the costs
outweigh the benefits, then we must seek an
alternative policy.

Legalisation is not a cure-all but it does allow

us to address many of the problems associated
with drug use, and those created by
prohibition. The time has come for an effective
and pragmatic drug policy.