Should Recreational Drug Use be Criminalised? (Part 1)

During this Background Briefing we continue to look at the regulation and control of drugs by presenting the views of the philosopher Douglas Husak about the justice of drug laws in the United States.

Douglas Husak combines hard fact and rigorous moral reasoning in his cogent analysis of the drug law debate in his book “Legalize This! The case for decriminalising drugs.” We summarise his arguments – and do not offer our own view - to help the reader decide how they feel about the central question of the justice of drug laws. Whilst Husak argues about the situation in the US, much of what is said is relevant to the UK.

“I think the sheer scale of incarceration of drug users makes prohibition the worst injustice perpetrated by our system of criminal law in the 20th century. Only the institution of slavery and the despicable treatment of the Native Americans are greater injustices in the United States.” Douglas Husak