Table Of ContentDRUG
LEGALIZA-
TION
A PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS
CHRIS MEYERS
Drug Legalization
Chris Meyers
Drug Legalization
A Philosophical Analysis
Chris Meyers
George Washington University
Washington, DC, USA
ISBN 978-3-031-17004-1 ISBN 978-3-031-17005-8 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17005-8
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P
reface
Drugs and drug policy affect the lives of millions of people every day,
sometimes for the better but more often for the worse. Most people are
well aware of the potential detrimental effects of illicit drugs, though they
can also be beneficial when used responsibly. But drug prohibition can be
equally detrimental for those whose lives it affects. My own family pro-
vides good examples of both.
I have an older brother who has struggled with addiction to alcohol
and methamphetamines throughout his adult life, much of which was
spent either homeless or in jail. My older sister, by contrast, has been
impacted more by the prohibition of drugs than by personal use. Though
she developed a serious cocaine habit in her 30s, her real troubles began
when she was coerced into selling coke after her drug dealing boyfriend
skipped town. She was later tortured by her drug cartel supplier and then
busted by the feds for trafficking.
Thankfully, I have been much more fortunate in my experiences with
illicit drugs. Two of the best decisions I ever made (both of them rather
late in life) were to start growing marijuana and to start using psychedel-
ics. But this book is not about personal experiences, mine or anyone else’s.
Although I may toss in the occasional story for the purpose of illustration,
the focus of this book will be on evidence and arguments.
My aim is to provide a critical and balanced review of the drug legaliza-
tion debate, examining and assessing arguments on both sides. This book
should be of special interest to students studying moral philosophy, politi-
cal science, or public policy since we will examine many important moral/
political issues, including liberty, paternalism, punishment, political
v
vi PREFACE
obligation, legal moralism, utilitarianism, justice, the nature of law, rights
and liberties, and the public good. Nevertheless, the book is written pri-
marily for activists, policy makers, and concerned citizens interested in
drug policy and related social and political issues. Both reformers and their
critics would benefit from a careful, structured, comprehensive analysis of
the arguments on each side of the debate.
Washington, DC, USA Chris Meyers
c
ontents
Part I B ackground 1
1 The Question 3
2 Just the Facts 25
Part II M orality 53
3 Religious Prohibition of Drug Use 55
4 Is it Morally Wrong to Use Drugs? 71
5 Morality and the Law 99
Part III L iberty 119
6 Liberty and the Right to Get High 121
7 Libertarianism and Laissez Faire Legalization 143
8 Paternalism and Preventing Self-Harm 163
vii
viii CoNTENTS
Part IV Criminal Justice 179
9 Crime and Punishment 181
10 The War on Drugs and Civil Rights 203
Part V The Public Good 225
11 Social Consequences of Drug Prohibition 227
12 Social Consequences of Drug Legalization 253
13 Alternatives to Prohibition and Legalization 273
Part VI I mplementation 295
14 Belling the Cat 297
Index 307
PART I
Background
CHAPTER 1
The Question
Like most professional philosophers, I am a theory guy. My line of work
involves analyzing concepts and constructing arguments; I leave the story-
telling to the historians and the journalists. While this book reflects that
theoretical orientation, I want to start with a little anecdote to help frame
the primary question of our inquiry. It is a story of how, on one early
spring afternoon in 2016, I found myself strolling along the hiking trail of
a small town in Mississippi, tripping out of my gourd on psilocybin
mushrooms.
Needless to say, that is not how I usually spent my Sunday afternoons.
But I had been reading a lot about drugs for this book and the research
sparked an interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. I had
learned about a UCLA study in which psilocybin was given to twelve ter-
minal cancer patients suffering from severe anxiety and depression [1].
With the help of the drugs, these patients were able to come to grips with
their impending mortality. After the experiment, all twelve participants
registered much lower levels of anxiety and an increased sense of peace and
acceptance. All but one showed decreased signs of depression. The psy-
chedelic trips allowed the patients to think more objectively about the
difficulties they faced, without the despair and fear that would normally
accompany such thoughts. These benefits continued long after the effects
of the drugs had worn off—for weeks or even months.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature 3
Switzerland AG 2023
C. Meyers, Drug Legalization,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17005-8_1
