Much of the harm caused by drug abuse comes from the unregulated market for prohibited drugs. There is no legal incentive for manufactures and distributors to ensure the safety of their product or rely on honest, peaceful transactions with customers and rivals. If drugs were legalised, this black market would disappear and this would reduce organised crime.
by Courtney Gill
1. It will stop the amount of drug offences and prisoners overcrowding the prison population with minor drug offences (such as dealing or making drugs)
2. It will stop the risk to neighbourhoods that comes with trying to make or cultivate your own drugs and the risk it comes from increased break-ins at suspected drug houses or houses blowing up from chemicals building up
2.1. Meth labs
2.2. Better home environment - kids not being subjected to watching their parents do drugs or having drugs lying around
3. Having clinics or supervised injection sites around the place for users to have the drugs so they reduce the exposure of drugs to children
3.1. It reduces the risk of children overdosing on drugs lying around at home or being pricked by dirty needles laying around in the community parks if they can only do the drugs at allocated clinics and sites.
4. Neighbourhood would look nicer and feel safer
4.1. No suspicious people hanging around suspected drug houses
4.2. No needles being discarded in playgrounds and parks
5. If drugs were regulated they can be pre-portioned into safe amounts catered to all price points so everyone can afford
5.1. Overdose rates may lessen if they can get pre-portioned amounts
6. Doing this will eliminate pure drugs being cut with harsh chemicals that can harm users.
7. Doing this will eliminate and reduce the anxiety and violence that can be a risk of buying drugs off the street from someone you don't know or in an unfamiliar area.
8. This will promote safe needling techniques (e.g. not sharing needles, reducing HIV/AIDS, syringe swap)
9. Crime rates would drop because the need to get money for drugs will disappear or severely lessen
10. The number of illegal weapons will lessen because people won't feel the need to protect themselves when it comes to buying drugs
11. It can give incentive for people to work if the government develops a scheme similar to work for the dole where a small percentage of their salary gets paid in a credit or portion of drugs and money
