pushing their wares, unresolved debate, questioning its efficiency, condemn addicts to oblivion, get off drugs, amount to, cite the example of, attitude toward use of these drugs was quite relaxed, seek drugs from pushers, prices resembling their costs, favor the legalization, take a more aggressive position, administer the drugs, to casttheir votes.
Match the words with their definitions.
| 1. pusher 2. incentive 3. free rein 4. conjure up 5. affliction 6. adolescent 7. aspire 8. substitute 9. analogy 10. hardnosed 11. flak 12. fan | a. a serious problem b. something used instead of something else c. a boy or a girl, changing into a young person d. stimulus e. deal with the situation the way you like f. want to achieve something g. to bring a thought or idea to somebody h. seller i. criticism j. to make someone feel an emotion more strongly k. tough l. a comparison between two situations or processes |
Match the pairs of antonyms.
| 1. surrender 2. distinction 3. prohibition 4. lucrative 5. frustrated 6. mainstream | a. permission b. exclusive c. unprofitable d. win e. happy f. similarity |
Answer the questions.
- Who is the drug policy administered by in Holland?
- What approach have the Dutch chosen to employ? Why?
- How is this approach different from mainstream drug war philosophy?
- Why were so many young people drawn to Amsterdam in the 1970s?
- How has the situation changed in the past years? What is the cause of this change?
- What is the key element to Holland’s drug policy?
- What is the main argument of the critics of the Dutch model?
- Why do the Dutch allude to the picturesque analogy with the sea?
6. Read the following statements. Do you think the author would agree (A) or disagree (D) with them? Write A or D next to each statement..
1. Legalizing drugs means crack will be sold like cigarettes.
2. Legalizing drugs would impede the drug pushers' business.
3. Addictive drugs should be legally available to addicts.
4. With legalization, drug pushers would disappear.
5. If drugs were legalized, police officers would be able to spend more time stopping drug pushers.
6. Drug legalization will be beneficial only if no addicts continue to buy their drugs from pushers.
7. If there were fewer drug pushers in the world, there would be fewer drug addicts in the world.
8. Drug addicts should be allowed to get drugs to help them overcome their addiction.
9. Drug addiction should not be treated as a crime.
10. Adolescents may get involved in drugs because the idea of crime is attractive.
11. The legalization of drugs will solve most of our drug problems.
12. Even though we don't know whether legalization will work, we should try it.
C. Watching and Listening
² 1. Listen to the commentary by Linda Chavez and circle the best answer.
| What has Congress been willing to do this year? | a. decriminalize drugs b. debate proposals to control drugs c. say "no" to the legalization of drugs |
| Which proposal was included in the House bill on drugs? | a. to punish drug-related murderers by death b. to make mandatory drug testing illegal c. to refuse the use of illegally gathered evidence in criminal trials |
| What is the Senate trying to do? | a. fight the House bill b. speed up the voting process c. establish a committee before the vote |
| What are politicians eager to do, according to the commentator? | a. change their constituents' minds about drugs b. delay a decision on the drug problem until November c. find a way to make the drug problem disappear |
| What policy is favored by conservatives? | a. the death penalty for drug-related murders b. decriminalization of drugs c. reducing the profit made from drugs |
| What policy is favored by liberals? | a. longer prison sentences for drug-related crimes b. legalization of drugs c. stronger law enforcement |
| What argument does the commentator have against Schmoke’s approach? | a. we would be giving in to the drug war. b. drug use would increase. c. more children would be born drug addicts. |
| According to the commentator, what will happen to the drug market if we legalize drugs? | a. the hard truth about drugs will finally be faced, b. drug dealers won't be able to sell drugs so easily, c. pushers may make more money. |
| How do most Americans deal with the drug problem? | a. they generally support the "just say no" drug policy, b. they really try to face the drug problem, c. they only talk about it. |
