Cannabis, Legalisation of Summary: Should Cannabis/Marijuana be legalised?

print this page Discuss topic Introduction Author: Jern-Fei Ng ( Singapore ) Jern-Fei was a former Octo-Finalist at the World Universities' Debating Championships and the former Director of Debating of the Cambridge Union Society. He is presently studying on the Bar Vocational Course in London. Created: Tuesday, November 07, 2000 Last Modified: Tuesday, November 07, 2000 Context The debate regarding the legalisation of drugs, particularly that of soft drugs like cannabis (or marijuana) is capable of being characterised as one which pits the concept of freedom of the individual against the concept of a paternalistic State. Advocates of legalisation argue, amongst other things, that cannabis is not only less harmful than legal substances like alcohol and tobacco, but as a matter of fact has been proven to possess certain medicinal properties. In stark contrast, those opposed to legalisation argue that the legalisation of cannabis will act as a precursor to increased addiction to hard drugs, and will necessarily lead to an increase in the crime rate itself. Arguments Pros 1. Although cannabis does indeed have some harmful effects, it is no more harmful than legal substances like alcohol and tobacco. As a matter of fact, research by the British Medical Association shows that nicotine is far more addictive than cannabis. Furthermore, the consumption of alcohol and the smoking of cigarettes cause more deaths per year than does the use of cannabis (e.g. through lung cancer, stomach ulcers, accidents caused by drink driving etc.). The legalisation of cannabis will remove an anomaly in the law whereby substances that are more dangerous than cannabis are legal whilst the possession and use of cannabis remains unlawful. 2. In recent years, scientists and medical researchers have discovered that cannabis possesses certain medicinal qualities that are beneficial. For instance, it is now acknowledged that the use of cannabis helps to relieve the suffering of patients afflicted with multiple sclerosis (MS). The latest research that was conducted by

the Complutense University in Madrid indicates that cannabis has the potential to kill cancerous glioma cells. Governments should acknowledge such findings and legalise cannabis in order to alleviate the pain of patients who are afflicted with such diseases. 3. Individuals should be given the freedom to lead their lives as they choose. Of course, such freedom is not absolute and laws should intervene to limit this freedom, especially when the rights of others are infringed. In the case of the use of cannabis, it is a victimless crime, insofar as nobody other than the user him/herself experiences the effects of the use of the substance. Hence, the State should not act in a paternalistic fashion by legislating against something which harms only the actual user. 4. There is no empirical evidence to suggest that the use of cannabis will necessarily lead users onto more dangerous narcotic substances. It is undeniable that there are a large number of people who use the drug despite it being unlawful to do so. Rather than turn away from this problem, the government should instead face up to reality. The legalisation of cannabis will enable the government to regulate its use thereby protecting its many users from harmful abuse of the substance. 5. Presently, cannabis is sold by dealers who have connections with the underworld. The legalisation of cannabis will help facilitate the sale of the drug in establishments like Amsterdams "coffee houses". This will shift the sale of cannabis away from the criminal underworld. The severance of this criminal link will ensure that the users of the drug no longer need to come into contact with organised crime. CONS 1. Unlike alcohol and tobacco, cannabis has a hallucinatory effect on the mind. This is inherently dangerous in itself. Furthermore, just like other drugs, there are many individuals addicted to cannabis who will resort to crime in order to fund their addiction. The legalisation of cannabis will lead to the drug becoming more readily available, which in turn will mean that many more people will gain access to it. This will subsequently lead to an increase in the crime rate. Initial statistics from the Netherlands shows that the decriminalisation and eventual legalisation of cannabis did led to an increase in crime in Dutch society. 2. The US and the UK governments have been at the forefront in supporting scientific researches into the utility of cannabis as a medical product. However, even though evidence may show that the legalisation of cannabis will bring about relief for sufferers of, amongst others, MS, we should exercise caution against legalising it because the use of cannabis itself also brings about harmful sideeffects. More importantly, it is submitted that the legalisation of cannabis will give rise to a host of social problems. The detriments of legalisation far outweighs its benefits. We can thus safely say that the present approach represents the most proportionate response to the issue at hand. 3. The State is justified in introducing legislation to prevent individuals from causing harm to themselves. For instance, in many countries, there are laws requiring the wearing of seatbelts in cars. Moreover, as this has article has pointed

out, the use of cannabis does lead to medically and socially harmful effects which affect the other members of society. 4. The legalisation of cannabis will lead to users moving on to using harder drugs like morphine and cocaine. This would ultimately lead to an increase in social ills in the community as well as the need to spend more State funds on rehabilitation programmes. 5. It is not inconceivable that the same criminal elements who now sell cannabis will, when the drug is legalised, diversify its business and set up "coffee houses" themselves. In effect this will do nothing to separate the sale of cannabis from the criminal underworld. Conversely, it will give them a legitimate base from which to operate their activities. Motions This house believes that cannabis should be legalised This house supports the legalisation of drugs This house advocates change in our present drugs policy