The following essay deals with one of the most sensitive and at the same time the most worrying issues on the international scene. As far as drugs are concerned, it seems that, generally speaking, despite the countless debates that have arisen over the years, society does not seem to be able to find an agreement or a middle way. In popular culture, we generally define all psychoactive substances that have addictive components and are generally illegal as drugs. The fight against drug trafficking has an economic cost, because they have to invest in security. The production and distribution of medicines is currently associated with extremely high costs, due to strict prohibitions. This is a complication that could very easily be solved if measures were taken to promote the legality of the use and sale of drugs. How is this an advantage, you may ask? Well, it is common to hear testimonies from addicts resorting to measures such as prostitution, theft or other destructive activities in order to be able to pay for their needs and addiction. In 2015 alone, a survey of middle school students was conducted in Argentina, where 66% of the population reported using legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco, and 23% confirmed using illicit substances such as marijuana. In addition, thanks to the work of the Colombian Drug Observatory, it has been established that 52 1/2% have used marijuana in the past year. In Guatemala, 11.31% of respondents said they had used marijuana “at some point in their lives.” Based on this information, we can conclude that the situation in other Latin American countries is quite similar. The legalization of drugs would eliminate the fear of selling drugs, which would be an enormous influencing factor in the social problem that this implies, that is, the thousands of human losses that occur, the destruction of families, etc. On the basis of the arguments presented so far, and without ignoring the economic meaning of this whole affair, it is not inappropriate to recall also the high expenditure that the state has incurred in the war on drugs. These funds could be earmarked for more relevant purposes such as executing real criminals such as murderers, rapists, thieves, corruption, etc.

It would also mean a considerable reduction in the number of detainees, as they would not be filled with traffickers or drug users, but with people whose crimes deserve to be punished to the full extent of the law. Reproduction – from the Internet – of the arguments in favor of the article “Ten reasons for the legalization of drugs”, by Juan Carlos Hidalgo, collaborator of the Project for Global Economic Freedom of the Cato Institute, who presents a counter-argument in response to each element. Drug prohibition had catastrophic consequences very similar to those of alcohol in the 20s in the United States. However, instead of acknowledging the failure of such policies, most governments around the world have insisted on spending more resources and violating the freedoms of their citizens to stop the illegal drug trade:1 “Legalization would end the lucrative part of drug trafficking. by bringing to the surface the existing black market. And with the disappearance of the clandestine nature of drug trafficking, the social problems associated with this activity diminish considerably. The current drug prohibition does not stop the market, it has simply overwhelmed it under the guise of illegality, and if a business is a crime, criminals will participate. Answer. Legalization does not reduce the profitability of an addictive product. See the case of tobacco. According to the WHO, only five countries (the United States, China, India, Russia and Brazil) consume more than two billion cigarettes per year, resulting in a turnover of US$331.5 billion in each country, the equivalent of the best-selling brand in dollar terms.2 “Legalization would significantly reduce the price of medicines by ending very high production and brokerage costs. which implies prohibition.

This means that many people addicted to these substances do not have to steal or prostitute themselves to pay the currently inflated price of these substances. Answer. The same WHO report notes that in many underdeveloped countries, tobacco use accounts for up to 10 percent of household spending for millions of poor families.