Persuasive Essay On Illegal Drugs

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Many currently illegal drugs, such as marijuana, opium, cocaine, and hallucinogens have been used for thousands of years for medical, personal, and spiritual purposes. In the 1960s, as drugs were becoming symbols of rebellion, social disorder, and political conflict. Why are some drugs legal and other drugs illegal today? It's not based on any scientific calculation and research of the relative risks of these drugs – but it has everything to do with who and what are associated with these drugs. The War on Drugs gives harsh mandatory minimum sentences and is the reason for most of our high incarceration rates, which have led to high recidivism and community deterioration (“A Brief History of the Drug War,” n.d.).
Historically, President Nixon declared a “war on drugs” in June 1971. The size and presence of federal drug control agencies increased drastically. Nixon pushed through measures such as mandatory sentencing and no-knock warrants. While waiting for review by a commission that he appointed, Nixon momentarily listed marijuana as a drug in the most restrictive category of drugs: Schedule One. In 1972, said commission unanimously recommended decriminalizing the possession and distribution of marijuana for personal use. However, Nixon ignored the report and rejected the commission’s recommendations (n.d.).
After, eleven states had decriminalized marijuana possession between 1973 and 1977. In October of 1977, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to decriminalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana for personal use. However, the tide had shifted again within a small amount of years. Proposals to decriminalize marijuana were abandoned due to the fact that parents became increasingly concerned about high rates of teen marijuan...

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...y minimums, prisoners who are considered to be “victims” of the War on Drugs take up about 30 percent of our prison population today. Due to the fact that we have high incarceration rates, less funding goes towards rehabilitation for prisoners. Without rehabilitation, prisoners will return to a life of drugs, which means more crimes, more victims, and more pressure on the criminal justice system. This takes away the positive aspects from the neighborhood that would otherwise have a positive influence on the community surrounding. Due to the crimes brought to that area, community deterioration takes place. This causes more drug crimes to develop in and attract to that area. Progress is inevitably slow but there is unique movement behind drug policy reform right now. Our nation should look find drug policies that are shaped by scientific research rather than politics.

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