When looking at arguments for and against the legalization of narcotics in society we must take into consideration many different viewpoints, as each point of view bears its own validity regarding the concepts and issues involved in the decriminalization of drugs. We will be looking at these perspectives in the context of the positive and negative economic effects the decriminalization of drugs will have on society. First of all, we would like to look at why narcotics were originally criminalized in society, to begin with. It is widely held that drug users not only bring harm to themselves but also to others around them in forms such as the acquisitive crimes a user may commit for the purpose of generating income for the purchase of drugs (Bretteville-Jensen, 2006). Furthermore, drug use in society increases the amount of public spending on health services such as healthcare and drug treatment programs, the latter being specific to drug users and costing up to millions of dollars per year (Bretteville-Jensen, 2006). Lastly, many people in society view narcotics and the users of such substances as simply unpleasant, this general consensus may have had weight in the justification of criminalizing narcotics in Canada and the United States alike (Bretteville-Jensen, 2006). Also, if drugs were to be legali...
