On The Decriminalization Of Psychoactive Drugs

Posted: 10/3/2019 Amended/revised: 10/9/2019

The decriminalization of drugs has been a perennial favorite topic of libertarians and others! Unfortunately, most of its advocates seem rather naive and ignorant!

From a pure individual liberty perspective there is little doubt that any adult should be allowed to consume such drugs responsibly and without harm to others. 

The rarely mentioned crux of the matter is that with such individual liberty comes significantly increased personal responsibility! Anyone who consumes psychoactive drugs should be held responsible to a higher standard. This includes e.g. more severe criminal or civil punishments for injuries or harm to others when committed under the influence of such drugs. I am not sure many of the advocates are ready for that!

Some of the pros of decriminalization:

1. Medical use and benefits if taken responsibly
2. More scientific research into the benefits of psychoactive drugs
3. More tax revenues e.g. from the sale of such drugs
4. Considerable shrinking of the black markets for such drugs
5. Considerable reduction in criminal offenses, organized crime activity and the like related to such drugs
6. Better medical treatments for addicts 
7. Far fewer accidental overdosing and far lower consumption of low quality drugs
8. Availability of affordable high quality drugs
9. Development of less addictive and less psychoactive drugs

Some of the cons of decriminalization:

1. How to effectively prevent minors from consuming such drugs? A very serious con!
2. How to effectively prevent pregnant women from consuming such drugs that have serious side effects on the unborn?
3. Potentially a massive and long-term increase in the numbers of severe addicts. Alcohol prohibition was a result e.g. of perceived high levels of daily intoxication of large numbers of individuals. The current opioid epidemic/crisis in the USA should be a warning. A very serious con!
4. Potentially an enormous increase in mental disorders due to consumption of such drugs. A very serious con!
5. Potentially a substantial increase in individual decadence and hedonism. A very serious con!
6. Potentially a severe breakdown of human relations and society (e.g. family, volunteer associations etc.). Reminder: China’s Opium wars!
7. How much power and control for governments over production, distribution, and sales of such drugs?
8. Potentially a considerable increase in traffic and other accidents due to intoxicated individuals thereby killing or harming other individuals in the act.

It should be abundantly clear from the above that the subject of decriminalization of psychoactive drugs is rarely pure and never simple at all (to paraphrase Oscar Wilde)! It is a complicated matter that defies easy solutions!

I have previously blogged here about this subject.