Posted: March 24th, 2021

Discuss the War on Drugs v. Harm Reduction

This discussion is a 300-400 words essay . Discuss the War on Drugs v. Harm Reduction. Which seems to be a reasonable path to follow? Why? What problems will that path present?
Course: Criminal Justice
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– Sample Essay Question Answer –

War on Drugs v. Harm Reduction.

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War on drugs concerns all the measures governmental and non-governmental organizations take in stopping the cultivation, illegal distribution, trading, and illicit use of drugs. War on drugs is a campaign that many countries worldwide have initiated to control the adverse effects resulting from the use of illegal drugs (Werb, 2018). On the other hand, harm reduction entails all the efforts and policies that aim to minimize the negative impacts resulting from drugs in the social, health, and legal context (Brunt, 2017). Harm reduction is different from war on drugs since harm reduction positively embraces the drug users and considers drug use as any health challenge. Harm reduction aims at changing drug users and bringing them to a complete stop of using drugs without discriminating or forcing them to stop.
War on drugs is an excellent path to follow when addressing the illegal use of drugs. The war on drugs is better than harm reduction because the war on drugs aims to reduce illicit drugs. Over the past years, countries that have joined the war on drugs have experienced positive results since illegal drugs’ circulation is reducing (Werb, 2018). The reduction of drugs’ circulation has made it hard for the drug user to access drugs since the government is taking legal actions against drug dealers. Therefore, a continuous campaign on the war on drugs is an effective way of addressing the challenge of illegal drug use.
However, some problems will arise as a result of the war on drugs campaign. One of the issues is that drug dealers are developing dangerous ways of transporting drugs, especially from one country to another (Werb, 2018). An example of a problematic way dug dealers are using to transport drugs is by implanting drugs on other innocent people. These innocent people are landing in the hands of legal officers without any way of justifying themselves. Another problem is that the war on drugs creates violent conflicts between drug dealers and regular police officers. The violent clashes result in drug dealers killing police officers and police officers killing the drug dealers to stop them.

References
Brunt, T. (2017). Drug checking as a harm reduction tool for recreational drug users: opportunities and challenges. Lisbon: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction.
Werb, D. (2018). Post-war prevention: Emerging frameworks to prevent drug use after the War on Drugs. International Journal of Drug Policy, 51, 160-164.