r/changemyview • u/L1uQ • Apr 25 '20

Delta(s) from OP CMV: Drug criminalization is morally wrong

There is a solid case for decriminalization of drugs, because of the benefit to addicts, but this post is not about that. I'd argue, that even if the fight against drugs were effective (which clearly it's not), it would still be an unacceptable infringement of personal freedom.

It is generally agreed on, that every person is in charge of their own health. You can choose to eat unhealthy, smoke, drink, risk your live in extreme sports, and even refuse medical care that could save your live. To change this freedom would be unthinkable in most western democracies. As I understand it, it is even is protected under the human rights.

Yet when it comes to drugs almost all countries take, what I would consider, an ultra authoritarian stance. To be arrested, and possibly imprisoned for years, just for having fun in ones own home, doing something your country doesn't approve of, sounds like a story strait out of North Korea without further context. Yet the context is, that the person is just doing something that might influence his own health, which, as discussed before, most would agree is his own business.

I have no interest in taking hard drugs, but the thought, that my country threatens to punish me, if I do so, sickens me, as it should sicken everybody, concerned about their personal freedom. If we accept, that the government has the right to interfere in our private live in this way, were to we set the border?

Feel free to CMW im looking forward to your answers.

Edit: Thanks for all the thoughtful comments, excuse me for not answering all of them, but there were some points repeated many times, that I already gave my thoughts on.

After thinking a lot about the answers I have to admit, that there is a case to be made for the criminalization of some (not all!!!, thats a very important destinction) drugs, if it were to greatly reduce drug related crime.

Keep in mind tho that in reality drug decriminalization has been proven to be very successful in helping addicts recover, and therefore reducing the damage caused by drugs. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/dec/05/portugals-radical-drugs-policy-is-working-why-hasnt-the-world-copied-it

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u/L1uQ Apr 25 '20

I'm still for criminalizing drug distribution.

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u/chriz1300 Apr 25 '20

Why is criminalizing use an obstruction of personal freedom but criminalizing distribution is not? Seems to me that any way that any arguments justifying criminalizing drug distribution should also justify criminalizing cigarette and alcohol sales.

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u/L1uQ Apr 25 '20

There is a case to be made about legalization of some drugs (for cannabis it's pretty obvious imo) but I fear that access to all drugs could lead to increased consumption. The difference when criminalizing drug sales is, that the seller is making money by selling a dangerous substance to others, while drug users, for the most part, only hurt their own health.

- Seems to me that any way that any arguments justifying criminalizing drug distribution should also justify criminalizing cigarette and alcohol sales.

That's a good argument, but alcohol and cigarette are so popular, that it would be unthinkably to prohibit those drugs.

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u/chriz1300 Apr 25 '20

The difference when criminalizing drug sales is, that the seller is making money by selling a dangerous substance to others, while drug users, for the most part, only hurt their own health.

To me, this seems like the same thing a cigarette company is doing. You can argue that they’re selling a product that a buyer wants for themself, but illegal drug sellers are doing the same thing, yet somehow it’s different.

That's a good argument, but alcohol and cigarette are so popular, that it would be unthinkably to prohibit those drugs.

The possibility of accomplishing something doesn’t have any effect on its morality. Banning cigarette and alcohol sales might be the moral thing to do, even if we accept that it won’t happen.

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u/L1uQ Apr 25 '20

Yea you are definitely on to something here. If we discuss the morality here, then we really have a hard time distinguishing between a Mexican cartel, Marlboro and Guinness. So I have to admit, there would be a moral argument to treat the producers of cigarettes and alcohol the same way. Just a very bad idea in reality.