This nation's so-called war on drugs has been a miserable failure. It hasn't'
worked. The drug problem is getting worse. I think it is the number one problem facing
this country today. I think that we as people and our politicians really need to put all of
our options into perspective, and one of the things we need to talk about is
decriminilization.
Common sense or logic would dictate that when you take this issue on, when you
talk about legalization or decriminalization, if you are going to talk about that, you are
going to have to talk about taking it in steps, and certainly the first step would be
marijuana. All of us can make a list out of friends that have used drugs. Are our friends
criminals for using drugs? Yes, they are today given the laws that we have. Should they
be criminals? Are they criminals? For the most part, no they are not. We are talking about
federal law, and I see this as a national issue which is an extremely tough issue with
politicians. There isn't a bigger taboo topic because if you're going to talk about
legalization, you're talking about making it readily available for kids, but I read in a poll
that 95 percent of kids in high school say illegal drugs are readily available. I know this is
a fact because I once was a high school student and had the unfortunate experience to see
this all around me. I don't know how it gets more readily available than that. I'm not
advocating breaking the law, but personally, I don't think you should go to jail for
smoking marijuana. I think 75 percent of the people in this country would say, no, you
shouldn't go to jail for smoking marijuana.
700,000 Americans are in jail or prison on drug related charges. That is
something I have a problem with and think we as people and a democratic country is
something we need to deal with. I am very confused about this issue and I am deeply
concerned and feel this is something that needs to be dealt with and handled properly
according to the facts. I am talking about legalization and decriminalization, but I'm
definitely not condoning drug use. From what I know and what I see as an American
citizen on a day to day basis it seems like there is no political support and no one is trying
to do anything about it. We're spending more and we're locking more people up for drug
use in today's society which is a definite cause of the overcrowded prisons in our country.
In order to lower our incarceration rates and move towards a country that the average American can call free there needs to be a federal change in marijuana laws. Today’s younger (and sometimes older) culture and society uses marijuana. A step in the right direction is decriminalization of marijuana, and possibly legalization.
Marijuana, the most abused drug in America, has had a lot of publicity recently. Marijuana has caused multiple economic problems within the U.S. A controversial question has arisen from the increased popularity and troubles of this drug. The question is whether or not the U.S. government should legalize marijuana possession and sale in the country. Many Americans believe that the drug should be legalized for various reasons; others, however, are against the legalization of the dangerous drug. While legalization has both pros and cons, the positives of legalizing marijuana for those people over the age of twenty-one far outweigh the negative aspects of legalization.
...ailable, they could be required to go to free rehab programs and support groups because money should not be a factor in attempting to reduce the use of drugs in our world.
Marijuana, or Cannabis, is a plant that has been in use since ancient times. Cannabis has had significant affects on history and societies throughout the years. It is a plant that can grow in any environment, with the exception of the Arctic Circle. Up until recent years the Cannabis plant has never been looked upon negatively. The debate on Cannabis has started again; with some people thinking that it should be legal and others thinking that it should stay illegal. It is time for people to see Cannabis as what it really is and not as what manipulative advertisements have shown it to be.
The harsh punishment for drug crimes in the United States of America is not working. “With roughly half a million people behind bars in the U.S. for nonviolent drug offenses, drugs are as plentiful and widely used as ever” (Grenier, 2013). Even with very harsh long sentences and many people imprisoned drug use is as common as ever in America. ‘We cannot close our eyes anymore’ to the cost in human lives destroyed and taxpayer dollars wasted” (Holcomb, 2015). Harsh drug penalties are destroying American citizens lives and is costing a lot of money from taxpayers. “Yet, people who want treatment can often expect to endure an obstacle course just to get help” (Grenier, 2013). The Unites States government is spending a large amount of money on arresting and imprisoning drug users, yet are putting little to no focus on funding drug medical help for
Marijuana is the most habitually used illegal drug in the U.S. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a recent government study shows that over 98 million Americans over the age of 12 have tried marijuana at least once in their lifespan. Preview of 3 Main Points: Today I am going to give you three informative points about marijuana and the legalization of it. First, what exactly is marijuana? Second, how does it affect us? Third and finally, I will speak about when it became illegal and the trend of states now legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. Using these three points, I am going to attempt to enlighten you about marijuana and the legalization process.
Making drugs legal will reduce massive amounts of money spent on enforcement every year. The MPP (Marijuana Policy Project) estimates that marijuana consumers cost taxpayers more than $7 billion dollars annually (MPP). Year after year, money is thrown away trying to stem the flow of illegal drugs into our country. When one drug lord is caught, two show up somewhere else to take their place. For every drug bust, four more make it through to the United States. For example, in his book Intoxication, Ronald K. Siegel talks about the very first significant international anti-drug campaign: Operation Intercept, the first major assault on marijuana use. This operation captured 493 drug runners at the Mexican border. Very few drugs were confiscated, and no change in marijuana use inside the United States was recorded (280). Today, billions of dollars are spent each year to combat drug use, but no real concise victories are evident. Drugs are still bought, sold, and used everyday. The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse found that the number of first-time marijuana users in 1998 was 2.3 million. This number increased significantly compared to 1.4 million in 1989 (DEA). These figurers alone show that money spent on enforcement has had no effect. President Ronald Reagan said it best, "Despite continuing expressions of determination, America's war on drugs seems nowhere close to success.
... decided that it is a valid and necessary solution to our countries drug problem. By implementing such a program the American population can use its money and resources to combat the problem through the legal system. Legalization will decrease violent crime associated with drug dealers, it will decrease the number of users and will lower the wasteful cost which is connected with the current system. Such legalization will not destroy our youth in any way and will only be accessible to adults in the country. If we continue with our current system we will never solve the problem. Drug dealers and addicts will crown our prisons and plague our streets.
The public has been highly respondent to the idea of legalizing marijuana. Many states are making decisions independently from the federal government. “A growing share of the American public supports liberalizing marijuana laws. For years surveys by CNN and other news organizations have found that most Americans agree pot smokers should not go to jail. In polls taken this year by Zogby, CBS News, and Rasmussen Repor...
... legal illicit substances? And lastly, what is Marijuana’s effect on our nation and how would legalization change this?
Marijuana is a shredded mix of dry flowers, stems and the seeds of a plant called cannabis and people usually smoke it in the form of cigarettes for relaxation. Ever since marijuana hit mainstream America over 30 years ago, government prohibition of it has been the subject of an ongoing debate. Should marijuana be legalized? Proponents of marijuana argue that there are numerous medical benefits and that the drug is not more harmful than tobacco or alcohol. Therefore, prohibiting it intrudes on personal freedom. On the other hand, opponents argue that marijuana is too dangerous; its legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of kids and that marijuana use often progresses to the use of more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine. In the past decade, a number of movements to legalize the use of marijuana has been gaining momentum. According to the 2011 Gallup survey, a record high 50% of Americans say that marijuana should be legalized and this figure marks a 4% increase compared to the previous year. Support for legalizing marijuana was 30% in 2000, 40% in 2009 before reaching 50% last year. This shows that despite government efforts to eliminate its use, marijuana is becoming more popular. More and more people realize that legalizing marijuana brings a host of benefits. It not only offers medical benefits to the terminally ill but it could also be a source of tax revenues and could save the tax payers billions of dollars that is spent on enforcement costs.
Marijuana, also known as Cannabis is the third most well-liked recreational drug, which only falls behind alcohol and tobacco, in the United States (The Whitehouse, n.d.). Marijuana is made up of dried leaves, plants, stalks, and pits from the hemp plant Cannabis Sativa, which comprises of the mind-altering compound delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in addition to other associated compounds. This plant substance can correspondingly be converged in a resin called hashish or an adhesive black fluid called hash oil. Efforts to legalize marijuana for medication treatment and recreational use in the United States have grown in current years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that marijuana may perhaps assist in a reduction of nausea, encourage hunger, and lessen pain (Food and Drug Administration, 2006). On the other hand, the American Medical Association (AMA) does not tolerate marijuana as a medication (1995-2013). So many answers are needed with such contradictory opinions around this exceedingly controversial drug to decide what measures need to be taken from the federal government for a final solution.
drugs may be illegal yet we still have one heck of a problem with them; thus,
Legalization of marijuana has become an increasingly popular topic for debate in society with “sentiment in favor of legalization [increasing] by 20 [percentage] points in just over a decade,” bringing support for legalization to 52% (Dionne and Galston). The most common arguments for reforming current legislation are the following: enforcement wastes public resources, taxation can provide a new source of revenue, and enforcement of current laws is discriminatory (Dionne and Galston). It is necessary to look at the impact on the primary stakeholders by analyzing the various harms and benefits through application of the ethical theories of utilitarianism and deontology, in order to determine the solution that will result in the best possible outcome.
Some people have the mindset that since people broke the law by using illegal substances, they should automatically be put in prison, but I disagree to an extent.