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The Argument For The Legalization Of Marijuana In The United States?

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In his essay On Liberty, John Stuart Mill proposes his famous harm principle. The Harm principle states “That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others”(On Liberty pg. 49). This means that any individual can do what they want as long as they are not hurting another member of the civilized society that they both belong to. Mill argues that the government cannot hold people accountable for choices they make as long as it doesn’t harm others. The government could show it’s disapproval of certain actions but it could not infringed upon the individual’s rights. In this paper, I am going to extend Mill’s harm principle and libertarian arguments to the movement for legalization of Marijuana in the United States. I will show how the legalization of Marijuana will benefit society as a whole. The legalization of marijuana is important because it has intrinsically become a battle for individual rights and Libertarianism. …show more content…

Drug use is a choice that is made by an individual, which does not violate another person’s natural rights. Some individuals are against the legalization of marijuana by proposing hypothetical situations that try to show the harm of the drugs use such as “what if people would drive high and cause an accident”. Situations like these don’t call for a need of substance ban but rather for strict regulations just like drunk driving laws. These laws are created to ensure that those who choose to participate in these potential dangerous actions are able to enjoy their freedom of choice while protecting those that could be harms. Although there is a possibility for individualistic dangers of marijuana legalization as long as it is regulated we can allow individuals to make their own

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The exclusive meaning of 'harm' In Mill's liberal view, individuality and liberty are sovereign rights of all citizens. However, in chapter four of On Liberty, 'On the limits to the authority of society over the individual', the philosopher acknowledges one instance in which the state regulatory system should be employed, in order to 'prevent harm to others' (Mill, [1859] 2009, p.19). This perspective is called the 'harm principle', serving as a singular indicator of a need for a governmental control and a potential interference. This principle distinguishes private acts of individual selves, and acts that affect others.

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In the Harm Principle Mill suggests that the actions of individuals should be limited to prevent the harm of others . An individual may do whatever he or she wants, as long as these actions do not harm others. Mill believes in an individual’s autonomy; being self governed. We can live as we wish, and therefor also die as and when we wish. As Mill says: “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.

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If an individual’s actions cause another individual harm, then he argues that it is legitimate for the state to limit the freedom of the individual who is causing the harm. Mill believes that an individual has individual freedom and is allowed to do whatever he wishes or pleases as long as he does not harm anyone in the process. If a person wishes to induce harm to himself, he should be able to do so as long as his actions do not cause harm for other members of the society. Similarly, if a person wants to go out and dress eccentric, he should be able to do so as long as his action does not harm other people.

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In his book On Liberty, John Stuart Mill provides an ideology that justifies the interference of one’s civil liberties which then became known as the “Harm Principle.” In short, it implies that a person may do whatever he/she pleases as long as that action causes no harm to anyone else, and if it does, his/her civil liberties can be interfered with to prevent harm. One of the harm principle’s biggest appeals is that it ensures one’s individual choices that affect no one else, must be respected. One of the harm principle’s drawbacks is that it only interferes with civil liberties when you or other people are at risk of being harmed against their will. For example, smoking and the pleasure that person finds from smoking is usually a personal

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The question of man's individual freedom and liberty weighing against the dictates of rulers has steadily endured in discussion since the Age of Enlightenment, and while many Western philosophers have pondered the limits of this question, this issue remains hotly debated even today. This age-old question of how to properly balance man's rights to liberty with his obedience under authority has persisted since ancient times1. Those who have probed these ideas have laid the foundations for liberalism as an ideal. The main argument of the liberal philosopher John Stuart Mill's On Liberty is of the need for individuals to have a proper balance of liberties and freedoms in life juxtaposed with deference and respect for laws and institutions in place. Mill was correct in his assertions that liberty and freedoms for the individual would be the driving force in countering the stagnation of society.

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Whereas John Stuart Mill’s Harm Principle proffers a judicious moral schema for the regulation of societal intervention regarding individual liberty, it fails as an unequivocal method of establishing the limits of political authority within a civilised society. The aforementioned principle dictates “the sole end for which mankind are warranted, individually or collectively, in interfering with the liberty of action of any of their number, is self-protection”. This principle advocates strongly for a protection of individual freedoms essential to the advancement of a society and though insufficient on its own, it must be given proper consideration concerning limits. the principle is flawed as it operates on the invalid assumption that there

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