Illegal drugs: They are NOT just a personal decision!

Every few years there seems to be a push in politics to legalise, or at the very least decriminalise drugs for personal and recreational use. While there are some strong and persuasive arguments on the for side, I find myself strongly and unequivocally on the against side.

Personal level:

- Use of illegal drugs during pregnancy will increase the likelihood of complications with the pregnancy.
- The high costs often cause other criminality, which causes extensive damage to the individual, their family and society as a whole.
- Alcohol and illegal drugs can make people behave in unsafe, irresponsible and aggressive ways (thats why you can’t take them and be behind a wheel!)
- They are bad for your physical and mental health.
- The most negative effects are long term,  often taking years to show signs and the damage is irreversible.
- It is an unregulated industry, so dealers, middlemen and importers are free to add whatever they like into their mix to create extra profits.

Society level

- Drug addiction is one of the fastest ways to spread the HIV virus, through the sharing of needles and other drug paraphernalia. It is also spread not ujust using drugs, because of the effect of drugs on a person’s judgment.
-  Illegal drugs exact an enormous toll on society, taking thousands of lives annually and draining the economy of billions of dollars a year. Everyone pays the toll in the form of higher healthcare costs, dangerous neighborhoods, and an overcrowded criminal justice system.
- Drugs directly finance and support the black market and organised crime within Australia and overseas.
- The effects of organised crime extend internationally and in some parts of the world, threaten and destabilise governments.

There is a reason illegal drugs are illegal and they should stay that way!