My Civic Journey - Drug Decriminalization

Drug decriminalization is to legalize the use and possession of currently illegal drugs.
This issue impacts numerous people in many ways, making it an important issue. Drug
decriminalization would save the government from spending billions of dollars on police, courts,
and prisons enforcing drug laws. In replacement, they could use the money to focus more on
providing and improving treatment and rehabilitation for drug addicts. That way, instead of
simply removing the problem by imprisoning substance abusers, we could work to fix it by
helping them move on from their addiction and rehabilitate them to become productive members
of society. Also, drug decriminalization would adversely affect those who sell illicit substances.
Illegal drugs would become less valuable if they were legal and accessible. Furthermore, the
production, importation, and exportation of those substances could become more visible and
controlled by the government.

Initially, I knew little to nothing about drug decriminalization, illicit drug use, and how we
deal with it. So when I first heard about drug decriminalization, I was against it. I already
understood that substance abuse was a mental problem. I even acknowledged that we had to
change how we regulate the issue. But I didn't know how we could accomplish that without
severe consequences. What changed my opinion was watching the videos of how other
countries and such dealt with drug abuse. They showed me how legalizing drugs would be more
beneficial, which made me more confident that drug decriminalization would do more good for
society than bad. The first video taught me that the threat of imprisonment only makes the
situation worse; addicts force themselves into high-risk behaviors to avoid detection. Moreover,
they resort to numerous things that could kill them to ease their addiction. Due to this, people
who need or want help don't receive it but go to jail. However, if drugs are decriminalized, drug
use could be treated as a health issue. Thus, as mentioned before, instead of attempting to
remove the problem by imprisoning substance abusers, we could fix it by helping them move on
from their addiction. In addition, this policy would permit progressive ways of dealing with the
issue, for example, safe injection sites. Safe injection sites are hygienic facilities where people
can consume drugs under medical supervision. These places allow people to use drugs but in a
modulated way. So the use and distribution of substances are always under control. Vancouver
and Toronto can be proof that safe injection sites are an improvement, as they have stopped
several overdoses and doctored drugs from being used. I fall on the bottom left of the political
spectrum near the center. Being on the left means I am open to change. For this reason, my
change in opinion is a logical result. Furthermore, the fact that I think the government should
decriminalize drugs and focus on helping drug users makes sense as well. Since falling on the
bottom of the spectrum indicates, I believe the government should use laws to ensure equality
and protect the vulnerable.

Many people would agree with my opinion and vice versa. Those who disagree would
have more of a conservative view on things; they wouldn't want change and are more
comfortable with how things currently are. But an unchanging world wouldn't allow things to
improve, advance, or be attempted to achieve either. I recognize not all traditional values need
to be changed or discarded. But just because something is normalized and long-established
doesn't always mean it's good; progress exceeds the need for convenience and tradition. The
idea that drug decriminalization would allow easier access to drugs, therefore, create more
substance abusers is an old and traditional way of thinking. It is also why people would be
against legalizing illicit drugs. But in current times, with the technology and research we have,
drug decriminalization would allow us to control and effectively deal with the root cause of why
it's an issue; drug addicts and drug sellers. People who know this would agree with my opinion,
for instance, the families and friends of substance abusers and organizations like The Canadian
Drug Policy Coalition. The Canadian Drug Policy Coalition is an advocacy organization that has
been active throughout Canada and internationally since 2010. Since then, they have been
striving to end the harm of drug prohibition by advocating and raising awareness.