Legalise currently illegal narcotics and prostitution



Is there any logic behind keeping drugs illegal?

This article will look at the issue of illegal narcotics and prostitution in the United Kingdom and ask the question: is it really beneficial to maintain the ban on these two aspects of society? Does keeping drugs and prostitution illegal make us safer as citizens in the United Kingdom or create more problems than it solves?

There is an immense cost to the taxpayer in trying to police and punish those who carry drugs. This uses up valuable resources, especially in a time of economic hardship and fiscal retrenchment, which could be better used funding other more constructive projects in society, such as more funding for schooling and higher education or schemes to get unemployed people skilled and back into the workplace.

The battle against illegal drugs is one that simply cannot be won. It drains a lot of money and time with no perceivable benefit. By criminalising possession of drugs you make otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals. Instead of dealing with the harmful effects that drugs have on communities, you are dealing with the consequences.                                                                                                                                      

Many who take drugs are forced into crime, which transcribes into a social cost for everyone, and makes neighbourhoods more dangerous. This acts as a vicious cycle. It can destroy already less advantaged areas of the UK, areas such as Hackney in London, Motherwell, Govan, in Glasgow, Small Heath and Sparkbrook in Birmingham and the Guernos, near Merthyr Tydfil. These areas do not need higher crime rates. From an economics perspective, restricting supply (adding an element of risk to the supply of drugs), puts the black market price for drugs above the natural market clearing price and increases the difference between the price of supply and the price that can be demanded. Consequently, this means that the drugs cartels can harbour artificially high profits, which then go into committing crime and adding an even larger social cost. .

Legalising drugs would allow the government to have more control over the industry. The government could regulate the sector through taxation: the social cost would become more socialised. It would put drug barons out of business: buy safe legal drugs from a high street shop or some dodgy stuff off a street corner at an exuberant cost?                 

Also, by legalising the sector, it can help those who find themselves wanting to give up but prevented from doing so for fear of being labelled a criminal, or facing a penal sentence. The government would be able to offer support to people that would be more compelled to come forward for help and advice. If the government legalised currently illegal drugs, it could ensure that minimum standards are complied with, making it safer for those who are addicted.

The argument that by legalising drugs more people would be attracting to drugs seems 'non-sensical'. Just because a product becomes legal does not mean the populace will suddenly start buying it?



Above: The Red Light district of Amsterdam,
the Netherlands

The second consideration is whether prostitution should be completely legalised in the United Kingdom (referring to English and Cymraeg/Welsh law, and not Scots law). In much the same vein as the previous argument, it seems that the government cannot help those who find themselves trapped in this profession without knowing who they are.

In completely legalising the profession, the government could do more for the women and men who are compelled into prostitution as a form of income. Instead of pushing the problem into the dark alleyways and background of society and forgetting it exists - effectively turning a blind eye - it would be more constructive to do much the opposite. By completely legalising the practise, the government could encourage these people to seek advice on retraining for a profession which offers more dignity and workers rights for the employee.

By making the profession illegal, it forces the abuse of rights, without the possibility of the vulnerable seeking help. Even for those who willingly partake in the profession, the illegal nature of the profession makes it dangerous, with a plethora of harmful consequences on wider society. Legalisation would allow government intervention to divert people from the industry.

This article, as I mentioned at the beginning, has been attempting to answer the question as to whether keeping drugs and prostitution illegal has any benefits for the nation. As I hope this article shows, it would appear evident that keeping these two aspects of society illegal has few benefits for either the citizenry at large or those directly involved.