Drug liberalization  

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- +'''Drug liberalization''' is the process of eliminating or reducing [[drug prohibition]] laws. Variations of drug liberalization (also spelled ''liberalisation'') include '''drug relegalization''', '''drug legalization''', and '''drug decriminalization'''. The reasons given for this include the failure of current policies, the revenue to be raised from taxing drugs, the right of adults to live their life without interference from the government and the reduction in crime it is claimed will come with liberalization.
-A '''permissive society''' is a society where [[social norm]]s are becoming increasingly [[Liberalism|liberal]]. This usually accompanies a change in what is considered [[deviant]]. While typically preserving the rule "do not harm others" ([[harm principle]]/[[non-aggression principle]]), a permissive society would have few other moral or legal codes (no [[Victimless crime|victimless crimes]], for example). Aspects that often change as a society becomes more permissive:+
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-* [[Sexual freedom]] increases. This includes the freedom to take part in sexual activities which were previously considered unacceptable or even criminalized, such as [[BDSM]], [[Sexual fetishism|fetishes]] and [[homosexuality]]. Freedom to view violent and sexual material including [[Film|movies]], [[music]], [[art]] and [[literature]] increases, and [[censorship]] of these and other arts decreases.+
-* The power of [[Religion|religious groups]] subsides, often accompanied by a rising [[secularism]].+
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-The most cited example is the [[social revolution]] and [[sexual revolution]] of the 1960s in Europe and America, giving rise to new attitudes toward [[artistic freedom]], [[abortion rights]], [[homosexuality]], [[drug liberalization]], and [[capital punishment]]. Also commonly mentioned is the general loosening of Britain's former adherence to [[Victorian morality|Victorian values]].+
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-Though some view permissiveness as a positive, [[Social conservatism|social conservatives]] claim that it destroys the moral and sociocultural structures necessary for a civilized and valid society. For example, lower [[divorce]] rates, decreasing the incidence of [[sexually transmitted disease]]s, and controlling [[crime]] are all desirable.+
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-Others answer that these problems are themselves outcomes of the very repressiveness that seeks to eliminate them, where citizens thinking, speaking, and acting freely have contributed to a society where [[Freethought|freethinkers]] thrive, without having to fear repression through intolerance.+
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-During the 1970s and 1980s, some British sociologists took a more sceptical approach to the question of the sixties 'permissive society', noting that it actually resulted in only partial and amended regulation of previously illegal and or stigmatised social activities. For example, the [[Sexual Offences Act 1967]] decriminalised homosexuality, but at an unequal age of consent, twenty one (although it was subsequently reduced to eighteen (1994) and finally, age of consent equality at sixteen (2002), additionally, the 1967 act only decriminalised homosexuality under limited circumstances. Similarly, the Abortion Act 1967 did not allow free access to abortion for women who needed it, but required them to obtain medical permission and imposed time limits on terminations of pregnancy. Furthermore, as with the case of [[cannabis]] decriminalisation, some instances of liberalised social attitudes were not met with legislative change. It is therefore important to note that the extent of 'permissiveness' that occurred in the sixties may have been overstated. Some would argue that in the case of [[LGBT rights]] in the United Kingdom, Western Europe, Canada and New Zealand, the initial changes were only a prelude to further periods of legislative change: [[anti-discrimination law]]s, [[same sex marriage]] or [[civil unions]] and [[gay adoption]] have all occurred since the initial decriminalisation of homosexuality. +
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-As well as this, there have been further periods of social reformist legislation that have not similarly been described as evidence of a 'permissive society.' These include the passage of legislation that decriminalised [[prostitution in Australia]] and [[prostitution in New Zealand]], as well as the decriminalisation of [[medical marijuana]] across many US states. The term appears to have been historicised.+
==See also== ==See also==
-*[[Cultural liberalism]]+* [[Drug policy reform]]
-*[[Civil libertarianism]]+* [[Pure Food and Drug Act|US Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906]]
-*[[Sexual repression]]+* [[Drug prohibition law]]
-*[[Sexual revolution]]+* [[Arguments for and against drug prohibition]]
- +* 2011 [[Global Commission on Drug Policy]]
 +* 2009 [[Latin American Initiative on Drugs and Democracy]]
 +* [[The War We Never Fought: The British Establishment's Surrender to Drugs]]
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Drug liberalization is the process of eliminating or reducing drug prohibition laws. Variations of drug liberalization (also spelled liberalisation) include drug relegalization, drug legalization, and drug decriminalization. The reasons given for this include the failure of current policies, the revenue to be raised from taxing drugs, the right of adults to live their life without interference from the government and the reduction in crime it is claimed will come with liberalization.

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