Global Drug Policy

DISCUSSION BOARD SCENARIO
The House Judiciary Committee passed a bill 10/6/2011 that would make it a federal crime for U.S. residents to discuss or plan activities on foreign soil that, if carried out in the U.S., would violate the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) — even if the planned activities are legal in the countries where they’re carried out. “Under this bill, if a young couple plans a wedding in Amsterdam, and as part of the wedding, they plan to buy the bridal party flavor, some marijuana, they would be subject to prosecution,” said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance.
Based on your knowledge thus far, answer the questions listed below in paragraph forms. Ensure to support your answers pros/cons.
Should the U.S. government punish American citizens traveling in foreign countries for committing acts that are legal in those countries but illegal here?
Should the U.S. legalize drugs that are legalized in other countries?
Should the U.S. follow European countries in how they treat addicts?

CHAPTER 12 SUMMARY: CHAPTER 12 SUMMARY
Global Drug Policy
In this weeks learning, we will focused on the Decriminalization, Legalization, and Harmful reduction of drugs. Most of the harmful aspects of heroin use are the result of its being illegal. We permit a wide assortment of dangerous behaviors such as cigarette smoking, drinking alcohol, skydiving, and football, acknowledging freedom to enjoy activities that may be injurious to health. Why do we single out psychoactive chemicalsbut only some of them?
Decriminalization would allow drug criminal justice resources to be used elsewhere, curtail secondary criminality, weaken or destroy drug-trafficking organizations, and allow drug users to lead healthier and more normal lives by using pharmaceutical-quality substances.
On the pro side of the argument, decriminalization would allow drug criminal justice resources to be used elsewhere, curtail secondary criminality, weaken or destroy drug-trafficking organizations, and allow drug users to lead healthier and more normal lives by using pharmaceutical-quality substances.
The con side argues that greater availability would mean that more people would be tempted to use drugs and would signal a societal acceptance of drug use. There would be no incentive for addicts to enter drug treatment, and drug use might continue beyond the typical age of remission.
Offering intelligent policy alternatives requires understanding the cause(s) of drug use: is it biological, psychological, sociological, or a combination of these? Although medical maintenance using opiates or methadone has been suggested for heroin addicts, cocaine is more problematic.
A number of countries have decriminalized marijuana, but even its medical use is a federal crime in the United States (although it is legal in some states).
In Western Europe, official and unofficial harm reduction policies have become popular, most notably in the Netherlands. Dutch drug abuse prevention efforts treat alcohol and tobacco, as well as heroin and cocaine, as dangerous drugs; legal versus illegal is not considered a sound basis for differentiation. Despite U.S. objections, Canada has been experimenting with harm reduction.

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