A compare and contrast analysis of drug problems and policies in the Netherlands and the United States.
This paper discusses the growing problem of drugs in the United States and in the Netherlands. Although both countries are at opposites polls when it comes to drugs, the Netherlands is more lenient while the United States has stricter laws, it shows how neither has been successful in reducing the drug problem. It examines the laws of each country from the coffee shops selling soft drugs and the legalization of cannabis in the Netherlands to the numbers of people locked away in the States for drug use and their cost to the tax payers. It proposes minor solutions to perhaps solve some of the problems but concludes that at present there is no real solution to the international drug problem.
“The goals of Netherlands’ drug policies have been with the hope that decriminalization and eventual legalization of such drugs as marijuana and heroin will have nothing but beneficial effects. Criminal organizations that prosper under the current laws will suddenly find themselves out of business; addicts will no longer have to steal to feed their habit; and government regulators will ensure that users will not suffer overdoses or contract diseases (Schuster 25). Many Americans have argued the above in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. They feel that legalizing drugs would be the solution, but look at Netherlands, has it been the solution? Education concerning drugs they feel is important.”