Reflection 7: The Straight Dope—Understanding World Drug Laws

We are all familiar with drug laws in the United States. On the federal level, 100% of all  recreational drugs are illegal. It's roughly the same at the state and local level, with the exception of marijuana, which is medicinally available in several states—recreational marijuana is only legal in Colorado and Washington. And while opposition to America's "War on Drugs" is growing, our country is unlikely to dramatically change course anytime soon. But how do international laws and attitudes on drugs compare to our own? What countries take a different approach to illegal drugs than us? What can we learn from other countries and what can some from the United States? Finally, what should we, as tourists, know about drug laws in certain countries? For example, how can a seemingly drug-accepting society actually spell trouble for tourists engaging in narcotics?

Include at least two of the following pieces in your discussion:

• "The World's Scariest Places to be Busted for Drugs" (The Fix)
• "The High Lands: Exploring Drug Tourism Across Southeast Asia" (Atlantic)
• "Holland's New Marijuana Laws are Changing Old Amsterdam" (Newsweek)
• "Drug Dealers Brazenly Plying Their Trade on Ibiza's Chic Beaches" (Daily Mail)
• "I Went on a 'Make Your Own Cocaine' Tour in Colombia" (Motherboard)
• "Marijuana Laws Around the World: What You Should Know" (Denver Post)

Requirements:

• MLA Style
• 1.5 pages in length
• Works cited page

Due: Th 4.28