Should panhandling be illegal?

Encyclopedia of Opinion

Question: Should panhandling be illegal?
Position1 of 2›: Yes, panhandling should be illegal
Argument: Panhandlers spend their money on drugs

Giving money to the panhandler freely does not garuantee that they will spend it on something that will benefit their current state overall. Panhandlers spend their money on drugs most of the time. Drugs are illegal, and they might become violent if they do not have access to drugs.

The argument

There has been no evidence that the money panhandlers get from begging is being used for their overall well being. Panhandlers often spend that money on drugs and create a vicious cycle that could make them become addicted or dependant on the drug, which can eventually lead to violence and even aggressiveness from them when they ask for money. Overall, it is understandable that homeless people or panhandlers find drugs comforting as they might help them deal or forget about their state of living. The people that give them money might not realize that they are causing them harm in the end, as they might prefer to spend that money on a short-term happiness provider, i.e., drugs, rather than a new item of clothing or a nourishing meal. Research indicates that substance abuse is more common among the homeless, who are most commonly panhandlers, as they depend on begging for money for survival. Research also indicates that substance abuse is a major factor that makes panhandlers remain homeless or in dire conditions.

Premises

[P1]There is no evidence that money given to panhandlers improves their well-being; it is often spent on drugs, feeding a cycle of dependence that can lead to aggression. [P2] Research indicates substance abuse is more common among the homeless who panhandle and is a major factor keeping them in dire conditions, so donors may unknowingly cause harm. [C] Because donations to panhandlers may not have an overall positive effect and can sustain addiction, panhandling should be illegal.

Counter-arguments

We, as a society, should not judge how these panhandlers spend their money. We spend our money freely, and so should they. Most of the time, there is no harm as they do not directly touch or interact with who they ask for money. They are most likely on the sides of the roads or intersections, asking nicely with a sign or gestures. The chances that they go violent are only if there is a prolonged interaction, which is not likely in most cases.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] The premise argues from an absence of evidence to a positive claim, asserting in the same breath that nothing shows the money helps and that it is often spent on drugs — and the studies that have looked find spending mostly on food, transport and shelter, with the aggression described attached to no source at all. [Rejecting P2] Even granting the harm described, the conclusion does not follow: the premises concern what a donor's money does, whereas the position would criminalise the person asking — which penalises the poorest party to the transaction, leaves the donor untouched, and addresses addiction by prohibiting a form of speech rather than by treatment.