The legalization of marijuanna Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

The legalization of marijuanna - Essay Example in regard to the crime of drug use is that it is a self abusive crime, the only victim of the commission of this crime being the person using the drug. The illegal nature of drugs creates all of the victimization associated with drug use. More specifically, marijuana has properties that have the ability to naturally support different types of illnesses. Therefore, it is ethically irresponsible for society to continue to support the criminalization of drugs, especially in the case of marijuana. Through the lens of virtue ethics, one can examine an issue in regard to moral good and moral evil (Darwall, 2003, p. 53). One of the ways in which society has collectively determined that drugs should be criminalized is through the concept that they represent a moral evil. The social point of view is that anything that threatens the perception of safety and normalcy should be criminalized in order to provide perceived protection. The problem with this point of view is that it is blind to the realities of the effects of criminalization which are creating a far more moral evil than the self abuse of drug use represents. The moral evils that are created through criminalization is that it empowers people who have constructed evil intent, most often through greed, to create collaborative efforts that are outside of the control of the state. Virtue ethics is defined by perception. An example is given by Darwall (2003), in regard to two men who can provide another with the same service or advantage, the first man doing the service because he feels it is his moral responsibility and does it through a sense of altruism, where the second man does it because it fulfills an aspect of his own greed. The discussion is centered upon which man will have the greatest amount of sentiment, in this case gratitude, from the person who receives the service. It is the perceived motivation of the person providing the service that creates the level of gratitude as a response (p. 53). The fact is,