Philosophy Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophy Paper - Essay Example The logical question that one might ask with relation to the drug laws relates to two primary premises. The first of which is concentric up on the question of what document or law allows the state to determine what substances should and should not be termed legal. The second premise is concentric upon the level of freedom and personal responsibility should be championed over the ability of the state to restrict certain substances. This brief essay will discuss these premises and attempt to draw an overall level of inference from them as a means of adequately answering prompt 3 that has been enumerated on above. The first premise of such an argument necessarily is concentric upon the fact that there is no legal basis for the government/state to restrict an individual with regards to the substance that he or she chooses to engage. ... ns can and cannot be engaged upon, it is the ultimate responsibility of the user to ensure that their actions do not break any other laws nor endanger the lives of any of their fellow citizens. As a causal mechanism to help understand this premise one need only to consider the current litany of rules that help to define the use of alcohol within our current society. Alcohol itself is heavily licensed, restricted for sale to minors and probationers, and further governed by a stringent level of laws that seek to define the way in which individuals within society can imbibe of it and in so doing revoke their rights to operate machinery or engage in other forms of nominally responsible activities which could endanger the lives of their fellow citizens. Those that do not agree with such a premise would argue that due to the fact that drugs are inherently destructive to the person’s overall health, it is the responsibility of the state to regulate such substances and outlaw them as a means to protect the health of society. Unfortunately, such an argument is a very slippery slope as it encourages a form of judicial activism with very few constraints. As a wider and wider swath of society becomes active in encouraging key food groups to be outlawed, soda sizes to be decreased, and a litany of other actions, it is easy to see that the level to which personal responsibility I championed is steadily decreasing; whereas the level to which the law is relied upon to enforce a sense of morality upon the populace is seemingly ever increasing. The slippery slope argument that has been referenced with relation to unhealthful food is more than just a means to illicit a response from the reader. Municipalities and governments around the world are beginning to mandate what foods their