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The ethical
dilemma of Issue 1
By Bryan Day
Edison State Community College Student
Ohio issue 1 was on the 2018 ballot. Issue 1 was intended to
decriminalize drug offenses. Ohio and the Dayton area is known for
having one of the worst drug problems in the nation. The issue is
getting worse. Drug convictions are filling our jails and costing the
state more and more every year. Interstates 70 and 75 intersect just
north of Dayton, Ohio. This gives drug dealers an ideal location to
meet. Drug addicts are then supplied, with the issue being the worst in
the Dayton area and spreading to nearby.
Drug users understand the risk they take every time they do drugs.
Statistics show that sending an addict to jail doesn’t help them. An
addict is more likely to engage in the behavior again than not. Issue 1
would change the punishment for drug possession when the criminal has
less than 10 grams. The new punishment would be probation. The issue
would prevent criminals from going to jail. The issue would also
prevent criminals on probation from going to jail for non criminal
offenses. It also requires the state to invest the money saved from
issue 1 to be put into rehabilitation programs. Drug criminals would
also be given credit toward jail time for any rehabilitation, work, or
education program.
Is issue 1 ethical? To understand the full issue we need to ask
ourselves why drugs are illegal. Drugs are substances that are either
natural or chemical compounds that stimulate the human body.
Technically tobacco and alcohol are drugs. Alcohol has a profound
effect on the body that is very similar to the effects of heroin. I
believe that drugs should be made legal entirely. Somebody’s choice to
put into their body a substance that negatively affects them is their
own choice. Drugs are a substance that effects perception but is one
person’s choice for their body. I believe issue 1 is ethical because it
is a humanist issue. The issue pushes to help people on drugs.
Is issue 1 moral? The issue of morals is dependent on where and how you
were raised. For the number of people with children that are on drugs
or have been on drugs, their morals are being blurred. For many
Americans drugs are immoral. For others it is just something that is
part of their life. I believe that the morality of the issue depends on
the mindset of the user. If they accept the risks and do not harm
others then I believe that to be a moral way to use drugs.
Is issue 1 legal? Issue 1 is an ethical election that was on the ballot
in 2018. Issue 1 was not passed and the law remains as it is. Drug use,
as well as possession, is still illegal. This issue will not change
anytime soon as Ohio is very conservative. The issue deep down is to
target another issue that in my opinion shouldn’t be illegal. Drug use
affects the user. Drugs are very comparable to alcohol and should be
legalized because the responsible users cause “No Harm” to others and
accept risks every time they use a substance.
Issue 1 was not passed, however getting it on the ballot was the first
step toward change. Issue 1 is an idea that we should help not harm
these drug users. The majority of the population looks at these users
as less than they are. This is not moral because they are also people
just like us that are affected by a substance for which they accept the
risks. Issue 1 isn’t a legal issue as much as it is an ethical
issue. We as a population should be fighting for each other and not
think about one person as lower than you. Everybody has issues in their
life. We should fight to understand the issues that plague the nation
and think freely about the meanings and ideas behind them. We should
not try to harm others because of the decision they make, as they go
through life, that cause “No Harm” to others. We should be a nation
that bands together to help each other and make a better society. The
people who are on drugs and choose that life for themselves should not
be attacked. I believe that we as a nation should think deeper about
these issues and not just go along with what we hear. We need to change
politics from angry arguments to civil debates. We should think from a
humanist perspective.
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