Even before it became more commonly known as the #war on drugs, there can be no doubt that the United States has struggled with the drug problem for a very long time. One of the earliest signs of this challenge was evidenced as far back as the 1890s when drugs became something that was made rampantly available on the streets.

Back in the early days, on impulse, the government believed that the best and most efficient way to curtail this ever-increasing problem was to award harsh, draconian punishments for the simple act of even possessing certain hard drugs. However, over time, it became clear that more had to be done to put this particular problem to rest permanently.

And, this was when the concept of #decriminalizing the possession of drugs came into existence.

Again, by virtue of its novelty and the fact that, in many ways, this new method of approach addressed some long-standing challenges, it wasn’t too difficult to see why more than a few people would be willing to subscribe to the idea.

However, with all of this, does that mean that drug possession should finally become decriminalized?

The answer to that question must be a firm “No” on any day!

Here’s why.

For starters, everyone fundamentally understands that, where there is no law, there can be no punishment. Now, we can also attest to the fact that, so far, the country is losing the war on drugs on many fronts. That said, the argument can be made that, without the admittedly harsh sentences that come with drug possession today, the drug problem might be even more severe than it is at the moment.

Let’s walk in imagination land for a moment. Let’s say that, tomorrow, owning drugs is no longer considered a criminal offense. What do you think would be the first offshoot of such a situation?

Without a doubt, one of the first things that we’re almost guaranteed to see with increasing frequency is that even more people would be willing to experiment with these substances. Of course, the argument can be made that the opportunity to experiment isn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, experimentation can often lead to the ultimate realization that something isn’t for you.

However, in entertaining that line of reasoning, consider the fact that quite a lot of people carry a strong genetic predisposition to drug use and, subsequently, addiction. Consequently, when such people are introduced to a clime where there are no obvious, pronounced, or immediate (legal) implications to such actions, it’s safe to say that considerable health problems are guaranteed to ensue.

These problems aren’t likely to be diminished by the existence of easier access to medical facilities either!

But even with all the above said, it would still have been so much better if it were that this was all that one had to worry about with drug possession decriminalization.

I say this because removing the legal embargo on these substances is almost certain to also lead to a massive drop in the price of the products. By extension, those who have shied away from such activities in the past on the sole ground that it was economically unsustainable will have no reason not to give in to their desires now.

Of course, don’t forget that, when price falls, this usually results in an increase in supply. All of this essentially translates to the fact that more innocent Americans would have easier access to substances that have been established to be both highly addictive and potentially life-threatening.

Now, it’s no secret that those advocating for the decriminalization of drug possession always stress that decriminalization isn’t the same as legalization. And, on paper, they are very much correct.

However, is it so difficult to see how, even though that was never the original intent, decriminalization can ultimately culminate in legalization?

I say this considering the fact that, at the moment, possession of marijuana is on its path to legalization in many states currently because of the massive tax benefits as well as treatment opportunities that are sure to come with this action.

But the rewards to be had from legalizing drugs like marijuana can’t be automatically translated to mean that good things will come from allowing other substances of this nature. Case in point, it has been established that the use of drugs like #meth can trigger significant behavioral changes that can lead to violence and suicide, among other things.

What can we rationally expect to happen from decriminalizing the possession of such a drug?

Nothing good, for sure!

Finally, arguably one of the biggest reasons that the idea of decriminalizing the possession of hard drugs is ludicrous at this point is that we don’t even possess the facilities and infrastructure to properly manage to execute such an action at this time!

To be clear, the country would have significant funds to spare if we adopted decriminalization here. This is because we would be able to divert the funds that would’ve been otherwise used to cater to things like the care, treatment, and incarceration of drug possessors.

But even with that, we would be only deceiving ourselves if we don’t acknowledge the fact that a lot, lot more has to be done if we’re to get to the point where we can decriminalize possession without putting a huge strain on the existing structure.

Not properly accounting for the consequences of decriminalizing drug possession and throwing caution to the wind can have rather grave consequences.

For sure, there is room for significant improvement with the current state of things. However, the solution at this time is NOT decriminalizing dangerous substances that we know are well capable of deconstructing the very fabric of society!