When (and why) did we decide to make drugs illegal?

Question

What was the porpose?

To protect who (from who)?

To punish who?

To benefit who?

To deter what?

Give as much info as you can. Best answer for detailed explanation, thanks!

Answer 1

Problems relating to drug dependence have been a source of moral, medical and penal concern since the 19th Century. However while control regarding hard drugs like heroine, opium and cocaine is and has for a long time been set on a path of increasing prohibition, control regarding some drugs has largely been a story of increasing liberalization for example the 'legalization' of cannabis in the Netherlands. I say 'legalization' because technically under the dutch opium act sale and consumption of cannabis is still an offence. However a small amount for personal use is overlooked and this is arguably because of their tolerance towards recreational use. Nonetheless, one reason why some drugs have been made illegal is the contraversial subject that there is a relationship between drug use and criminal activity. Debates about this relationship with crime follow one or the other following notions: that (a) criminal lifestyles may facilitate involvement with drugs or (b) dependence on drugs then leads to criminal activity to pay for further drug use. Nevertheless in the United Kingdom a link between drugs and crime is only found among a minority of drug users (3% of what are deemed problem users to be exact). To answer your question, one could say that the illegalization of drugs is a way to protect society from users and we could go further and say they are illegal to protect the individual from him/herself. On a domestic front, policy makers and committees have considered the drugs legislation with some acknowledgment of morality, religion and diversity but have always returned to the central dispute of health and crime concerns. hope this answers your question. :)

Answer 2

Here's a theory:

They have been hard on drug crimes to keep the prisons full BECAUSE, the folks who OWN the prisons (These are owned by PRIVATE companies by the way NOT our government) make MILLIONS every year keeping the prisoners housed, fed, etc.

Each prisoner costs $40,000 per year to house.

You see, the prison business is very lucrative.

It's a business and if the laws are changed to help the business, then the prison owners are happy.

One example is the 2-strike rule (in California I believe) If a person gets convicted of the same drug crime twice, then they get VERY long sentences which means more money for the owners of the prison.

Some folks are in prison for 40 years for drugs while some MURDERERS are in for only 8 years.

(manslaughter).

Anyway, My answer is:  There's money to be made when things are illegal.

Just BUILDING a prison earns MILLIONS for the construction company that gets that contract.

Answer 3

they are all good answers but i would have put in a thing or two about pharmasutical companies.i like no 1s answer the most having been to jail myself.makes sense

Answer 4

First of all, to eliminate the leagal usage by those who would be irresponsible under its influence by using the politically correct method of mass law and order.

So that would make it to protect us from ourselves as a society and from irresponsible users alike.

Its designed to punish any irresponsible and potential irresponsible users(which can possibly be anyone regardless of race, origin, social and financial status and so on) before and after usage.

Its designed to benefit everyone in society as a whole(but noticed i said designed, considering it is a disadvantage for many as some law authorities use it as leverage to express discrimination, harassment, racial profiling and such in many cases)

So yes it is to better society, but however many find ways to use it to their advantage to express hatred and revenge in their own minds as well, so all in all it designed for one benefit, but often used for good and evil purposes.