Drugs, Decriminalization of: Cultural Concerns

Authors

Stephen J. Morse, University of Pennsylvania Carey Law SchoolFollow

ORCID

Stephen Morse 0000-0002-7260-5012

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2015

Abstract

This article defines drugs and decriminalization, addresses how the debate about decriminalization has changed in the last decade, considers whether criminalizing recreational drug use is a legitimate infringement of individual liberties, and provides an analysis of the costs and benefits of decriminalization, including the uncertainties involved. It concludes that the outcome of decriminalization is inevitably uncertain and that much depends on the details of the decriminalization scheme.

Publication Title

International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences

Publication Citation

In International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences, 2nd ed. (James D. Wright ed., Elsevier 2015)

Repository Citation

Morse, Stephen J., "Drugs, Decriminalization of: Cultural Concerns" (2015). All Faculty Scholarship. 2686.
https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/faculty_scholarship/2686