Opinions - Giving speech on drug decriminalization

[dark12]

Hey all,
I am giving a 10 minute speech with the intent to persuade the audience that the decriminalization of some drugs would benefit society.
I am going to try to focus on debunking some of the arguments like "pot is bad because it's illegal" by showing some statistics on how many more people are killed by tobacco and alcohol. I have also read in somewhere that marijuana users are more prone to get promotions and less prone to miss work.
I want to work the corruption of the government somewhere in there too.
I would like to touch on other drugs that should be decriminalized too, but I am not sure which ones I can get away with.

If anyone has any good sources for some information I could use in this speech I would greatly appreciate it.
Thank you!

dark12 added 1 Minutes and 26 Seconds later...

Oh and I also want to talk about how drug testing is an invasion of privacy.

[aerozeppelin123]

Go to www.tdpf.org.uk , that's the website of the leading drug policy reform pressure group here in the UK. Read their publications, they're very detailed and have very convincing arguments. It's good to mention the hypocrisy with alcohol & tobacco, but try not to come across as 'pro-drug' or anything like that, that weakens your argument. Rather, you should press the idea that drugs can indeed be very harmful, but that criminalising their supply and use simply creates further problems to deal with in the form of black markets, unregulated supply etc, while failing to do what it sets out to do, i.e. deter drug use and limiting supply.

Also don't be afraid to support the legalisation of all drugs if that's what you believe, if your arguments are strong enough then there's no need to 'tone it down' or limit it to only some drugs to make it more palatable. It could easily be argued that it is even more important to regulate heroin and cocaine than cannabis, because the more dangerous a drug is, the more important it is that we do not leave it in the hands of criminals and unregulated dealers. It doesn't matter if you're suggesting something controversial and provoke a reaction, as long as you have solid evidence and strong arguments to back up what you're saying.

[dark12]

Originally Posted by aerozeppelin123

Go to www.tdpf.org.uk , that's the website of the leading drug policy reform pressure group here in the UK. Read their publications, they're very detailed and have very convincing arguments. It's good to mention the hypocrisy with alcohol & tobacco, but try not to come across as 'pro-drug' or anything like that, that weakens your argument. Rather, you should press the idea that drugs can indeed be very harmful, but that criminalising their supply and use simply creates further problems to deal with in the form of black markets, unregulated supply etc, while failing to do what it sets out to do, i.e. deter drug use and limiting supply.

Also don't be afraid to support the legalisation of all drugs if that's what you believe, if your arguments are strong enough then there's no need to 'tone it down' or limit it to only some drugs to make it more palatable. It could easily be argued that it is even more important to regulate heroin and cocaine than cannabis, because the more dangerous a drug is, the more important it is that we do not leave it in the hands of criminals and unregulated dealers. It doesn't matter if you're suggesting something controversial and provoke a reaction, as long as you have solid evidence and strong arguments to back up what you're saying.

Thanks for the great response.
I just don't want to invalidate my argument by looking like a junkie. I pretty much look like one to be honest. So do you think I should go all the way and say all drugs should be decriminalized? I know I can think of a few reasons why it would be a good idea.
I am just afraid that people will think crystal meth crystal meth crystal meth.

[aerozeppelin123]

Originally Posted by dark12

Thanks for the great response.
I just don't want to invalidate my argument by looking like a junkie. I pretty much look like one to be honest. So do you think I should go all the way and say all drugs should be decriminalized? I know I can think of a few reasons why it would be a good idea.
I am just afraid that people will think crystal meth crystal meth crystal meth.

If you believe that the harder drugs should be decriminalised, then don't be afraid to argue the point, as long as you have evidence and solid reasoning to back it up. Sure it will be a shocking suggestion to some people but that doesn't mean it's not the right thing to do. Don't forget that many people would have found the idea of decriminalising homosexuality shocking at the time, now the idea of sending gay people to prison seems ridiculous to most western countries. Over time, I'm convinced the same thing will happen with drugs, as people begin to realise it would be far better addressed as a public health issue than a criminal justice one, it will just take a long time for the public opinion and the political climate to adjust to make that a possibility.

Although you do have a point about crystal meth, it's virtually non-existent here in the UK but I realise it's a huge issue in America and most people will be shocked at the idea of legalising something that's seen as such as major problem. Nonetheless, the same arguments apply to methamphetamine as to any other drug you just need to be firm and consistent with your arguments, acknowledging that it seems like an extreme move but calmly explaining the reasoning behind it (this is of course if you do believe crystal meth should be legalised, you might not, I'm not sure).

The key in not 'coming across as a junkie' is that you do not appear to support drug use or downplay its harms, but that it should be managed as a public health issue and not a 'war' to 'fight'. Emphasise that you are all too aware of the damage it does, but encourage your audience to think about the enormous damage that the current laws do and to think about separating the harms caused by the drug itself, and the harms caused by policy.

I had to do a similar speech for a German assignment at university recently, and found that the Transform publications really helped me make a more structured argument (not sure how well I expressed it in German though lol ).

[Alfa]

See the video on the home page.