Drugs and Crime- Assignment 3
I wanted to remind everyone of the instructions for the final project which include: This is not a position paper for the expression of your personal feelings regarding the topic. The paper should objective and identify legitimate and balanced arguments for all sides of the topic.
Also, ensure you understand the difference between decriminalization and legalization. They are NOT equivalent terms. Decriminalized drugs are still illegal. Decriminalization only impacts the penalty (in most cases it is civil rather than criminal) but does not impact the legality of the substance.
In the same vein there are articles, and selective interpretation of articles, regarding the decriminalization of illicit drugs in Portugal that you should be aware of. It is not uncommon for individuals with a personal opinion supportive of legalization to select some information regarding Portugal’s experience that they believe supports the legalization argument and ignore those that oppose that point-of-view. Take a look at the attached article regarding Portugal’s experiment for better information on this topic.
Finally, there are very good articles out there that provide a balanced discussion on the final project topic. Here is a link to one (very short) that explains the impact of legal marijuana dispensaries on illegal marijuana distribution in the same areas Density of Marijuana Outlets Associated with More and Higher Use Among Young Adults | RAND. Also, attached is a report that describes to impact of drug legalization in Colorado over time.
