SOCL 1295 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Profit Motive, Medicalization, Bathtub Gin
2 Apr 2014
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Border security: national sovereignty, corruption (police, politicians working for drug force) Drug policy alternatives: prohibition (current policy)- will be on quiz, criminalization, punitive. Building the case: in their critiques of current policies legalizers make the following ten points, 1) criminalization makes illegal drugs expensive; thus, profitable to sell (profit motive), 2) currently illegal drugs are less harmful than the prohibitionists say. And, less harmful than legal drugs (alcohol and tobacco): 3) criminalization does not deter use. Legalization would not produce a significant increase in use. Those who want to use drugs are already doing so: 4) iron law of prohibition: the more intense the law enforcement, the more potent the prohibited substance becomes. Unknowns: country of origin (where will marijuana be grown), cost of labor. Pros: legally buy from mexico, keep non-violent offenders out of prison. Cons: narcocentric focus, black market always present, some new products: decriminalization, medicalization: prescription and maintenance models, harm reduction.
