In Defense of Dutch Drug Policy

Posted by MacDood
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Modern liberal democracies have increasingly been torn over the drug policy debate. Its polarizing effects of have developed two distinct stances: The proponents of legalization supporting the concept of "harm reduction" and the prohibitionists who support the continuation of the costly and often draconian drug war. Each camp claims that the adverse effects of drug use would be better dealt with through their methods. Prohibitionists insist the only way to solve the drug problem requires the elimination of all narcotics use through the enforcement of laws; proponents of legalization stress that the elimination of drugs is an unachievable goal and instead promote methods to remove the dangers and negative externalities from the already existing drug use. Also the larger question of which policy constitutes a more compatible relation with liberal democracy still looms. The proponents of legalization have embodied the liberal philosophy of John Stewart Mill stressing the individual's ability to make personal decisions; whereas, the prohibitionist stance implies that people are not rational consumers and must be protected from themselves. The Dutch model presents a pragmatic and successful compromise between the two camps of thought. After over 27 years of successful implementation, the Netherlands should no longer have its back up against the wall concerning its drug policy. Instead, it should begin to take the offensive. [Kuro5hin.org]