Illegal Drugs Vs Legal Drugs Essay

900 words - 4 pages

Drugs are a very common part of everyday life, whether it is taking an analgesic, drinking or just smoking. In fact, it is very likely that there are drugs in your fridge or cupboard. Drugs are classified into two categories: legal and illegal. Examples of legal drugs include pharmaceutical drugs, tobacco or alcohol, while illegal drugs include marijuana, heroin, cocaine and amphetamines. The media often portrays a biased, negative view on illegal drugs, however legal drugs often have the same effects as illegal drugs, if not worse.
Statistically in Australia, there are far more health problems and drug related deaths from the legal drugs (alcohol and tobacco) than there are from illegal drugs. Illegal drugs aren’t good for anyone, especially for a teen whose body is still growing. It can cause major damage to the heart, brain and many other important organs. Cocaine for instance, can cause brain trauma, strokes and heart attacks even at a young age. Furthermore, using illegal drugs can cause many social problems as it can hinder the ability to think decisively, and clearly which then puts yourself into danger. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other published articles, researchers estimate that between 149 and 271 million people use illegal drugs worldwide. Furthermore, data from the World Health Organisation suggests that at least a quarter of a million die from cocaine alone (according to 2004) which is dwarfed by alcohol and tobacco, with 2.25 million and 5.1 million deaths respectively. However, it cannot be denied that illegal drugs can lead to severe physical health problems.
Legal drugs on the other hand, is just as damaging as illegal drugs. Many legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco (cigarette) can have a bigger impact in the long run as they are easy to access basically everywhere around the world. Recently the tax introduced on both alcohol and tobacco has increased due to violence within workplaces, pubs and clubs. In the past few months, many deaths have occurred due to the irresponsible use of alcohol especially in King’s Cross. Even so, this drug problems persists, proving my point that legal drugs are much more deadly than illegal drugs.
Illegal drugs are tried and tested and they have been around for long enough for people to know how to use them safely and know what the effects are. However legal drugs are just as detrimental as not all drugs have been tested and it takes time for governments to ban them. Legal drugs are often easier to get and carry less repercussions than illegal drugs and because of this, it is easy for cunning people to exploit this to their advantage and use many...

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