Michael Huemer Americas Unjust Drug War (pg466). Peter de Marneffe Against the Legalization of Drugs (pg480)

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The debate on the legalization of drugs is one that evokes different opinions. Through the years, the meaning of harmful drugs has changed. In America, alcohol was once a prohibited drug due to society’s and the government’s view that it is harmful to users. However, with time, the use of alcohol in the country became widely accepted. Similarly, in the United States (U.S.) and other countries, the use of a drug such as cocaine was not permitted. However, as social conventions changed, countries such as Argentina and Colombia began allowing its cultivation. Such is how the status of drug use is bound to change. This essay explores the arguments of Michael Huemer and Peter de Marneffe as regards drug legalization.
On the one hand, Huemer asserts that drugs should be legalized in the U.S. Huemer makes a compelling argument for his case. He uses adequate evidence to support his argument. According to Huemer, drugs should be legalized because by criminalizing their use, the U.S. government violates one’s right to use their bodies and minds as they please. Huemer’s point here is that if one chooses to use drugs, they have the freedom to do so. Furthermore, they are not putting the drugs into someone else’s body. The key point here is freedom. We all have the freedom to do as we please. Our constitution provides this, and our government promotes it. Free will is exercisable as long as it does not cause harm to anyone else. By doing drugs, one does not cause harm to anyone else but themselves. If one experiences any serious side effects, they have no one else to blame but themselves. It is free will that enables them to do and realize this. However, by prohibiting one the use of drugs, the government denies one their right to free will, and this is the argument that Huemer makes for the legalization of drugs.
On the other hand, de Marneffe makes an argument for why drugs should not be legalized. To make his argument, de Marneffe responds to various opinions on the criminalization of drugs. These include the ineffectiveness of drug laws, the violation of rights, the high cost of fighting drug distribution and use, violence, among others. In each case, de Marneffe provides a counter-argument to help promote his view. For instance, when objecting to the ineffectiveness of drug laws, de Marneffe asserts that drug laws are essential because, without them, drug use would in...