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Benefits of legalizing marijuana usa
Cause and effect of war on drugs
War on drugs, the effect
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Problem
Amidst new reports indicating the economic cost of lost productivity from drug-related
incarcerations is considerably higher than the cost associated with drug use, this brief aims to
communicate our findings regarding the social and economic benefits of federal
decriminalization of marijuana.
Outlining The Problem
In 2010, the U.S. federal government spent over $15 billion battling the war on drugs, at a rate of
about $500 per second (Miron & Waldock, 2010). The number of people incarcerated for
nonviolent offenses increases every decade, with 50,000 behind bars in 1980 and over 400,000 in
1997 (Drug Policy Alliance, 2013). Drug offenders disproportionally account for over half of
inmates housed in federal prisons and currently, over 1 million people are incarcerated for
nonviolent drug offenses every year, with marijuana arrests accounting for over 700,000
incarcerations yearly (Hill, 2013).
Figure 1. State and federal prisoners by offense (2010)
Note. Retrieved from “The American Prospect”, by Paul Waldman, August 2013.
This is an inherent problem that cost Americans billions of dollars of tax money in the year 2000
alone, Americans spent $40 billion on prisons and jails, $24 billion of which was used to
incarcerate 1.2 million nonviolent offenders (Schiraldi, Holman & Beatty, 2000). Furthermore,
the states together spent approximately $3.6 billion in 2010 enforcing marijuana possession laws,
all the while failing to capitalize on potential tax revenue (Bradford, 2013).
What
needs
to
be
done?
The United States federal government must pass legislation decriminalizing marijuana
possession and cultivation, implementing a permit system on the later, thus opening the door for
f...
... middle of paper ...
...ng
Americans on responsible use.
Conclusion
Federal decriminalization of marijuana may be a daunting task for policy makers and legislators
to fund, write, and pass; however, as the U.S. continues to slide in worldwide education rankings
(Chappell, 2013), lead the world in incarceration rate (Vicini, 2006), and accrue trillions of
dollars of debt (US Debt Clock, 2014), tax revenue from marijuana distribution looks to be a an
excellent source of revenue for the government. As a record 58 percent of the population is in
favor of legalization, and research continues to emerge highlighting the medicinal and
recreational benefit of marijuana, hard politics emerge as the largest obstacle in
decriminalization and eventually full legalization of marijuana. The proposed policy
recommendations address all of these issues, and should be acted upon immediately.
The complex issues of dealing with offenders in the criminal justice system has been a point of ongoing controversy, particularly in the arena of sentencing. In one camp there are those who believe offenders should be punished to the full extent of the law, while others advocate a more rehabilitative approach. The balancing act of max punishment for crimes committed, and rehabilitating the offender for reintegration into society has produced varying philosophies. With the emanation of drug-induced crimes over the past few decades, the concept of drug treatment courts has emerged. The premise of these courts is to offer a “treatment based alternative to prison,” which consist of intensive treatment services, random drug testing, incentives
Mandatory minimums for controlled substances were first implemented in the 1980s as a countermeasure for the hysteria that surrounded drugs in the era (“A Brief History,” 2014). The common belief was that stiff penalties discouraged people from using drugs and enhanced public safety (“A Brief History,” 2014). That theory, however, was proven false and rather than less illegal drug activity, there are simply more people incarcerated. Studies show that over half of federal prisoners currently incarcerated are there on drug charges, a 116 percent percentage rise since 1970 (Miles, 2014). Mass incarceration is an ever growing issue in the United States and is the result of policies that support the large scale use of imprisonment on
As we know the federal government spends a large portion of our budget on the maintaining of prisons. During the 2011 fiscal year it cost nearly $29,000 to house a prisoner in a state penitentiary per year as stated by the Federal Register. The funds that are estimated to keep a prison running end up running over the prediction causing them go over budget. We can account for this because according to The Price of Prisons|Oklahoma on Vera.org, here in the state of Oklahoma the Oklahoma Department of Corrections called for $441.8 million taxpayer dollars in the 2010 fiscal year. The actual cost for the maintenance of the prisons called for $453.4 million taxpayer dollars. This is about $11.6 million taxpayer dollars over the set budget for the year. This proves that there are too many things that need to be taken care of in these facilities. Much of the money went to paying employee benefits and to capital costs which is also stated in this article. Instead of using the money to pay for employee benefits they should be using it to pay for what the inmates need. This causes a strain on citizens because they are obligated into paying more taxes. The money being used on prison employee benefits could be going to other programs such as education and Social Security which would benefit more
Over the past several decades, the number of prison inmates has grown exponentially. In 1980, prison population had numbers around half a million inmates. A graph of statistics gathered from the U.S. Bureau of Justice shows that between 1980 and 2010, the prison population grew almost five times, topping out at nearly 2.5 million. According to an article in The New York Times, the average time spent in jail by prisoners released in 2009 increased by 36% compared to prisoners released in 1990. Many people, such as those at Human Rights Watch, believe that the increase of these numbers has been because of tough-on-crime laws, causing prisons to be filled with non-violent offenders. This rise in crime rates, prison population, and recidivism, has led politicians as well as ordinary citizens to call for prison reform.
Today’s economy is struggling and it is in dire need of relief. As of 2013, the United State’s debt was $17 trillion, and if marijuana were to be legalized than it would help raise more money. It could be taxed and distributed for consumption sold like alcohol and tobacco. Taxes on cigarettes amounted to more than $43.3 Billion in 2012 (RJReynolds). The legalization of marijuana could possibly one day make that money helping to reduce this nation's debt. But, as the United States continues to prohibit the use of marijuana, it will make the taxpayers pay more money each year on the illegal usage of the drug. The marijuana prohibition costs both state and federal governments more than $20 billion a year (CATO Institute). One drug policy could change how much it wastes on the prohibition but the government has done so. A study by the CATO institute showed that...
Mass incarceration has put a large eye-sore of a target on the United States’ back. It is hurting our economy and putting us into more debt. It has considerable social consequences on children and ex-felons. Many of these incarcerations can be due to the “War on Drugs”. We should contract the use of incarceration.
In 2013, the United States federal government budgeted $25.6 billion on domestic and international drug control. Of that amount, domestic law enforcement consumed the largest share, using $9.4 billion or 37.4 percent of the total. Incarceration operations, the most expensive part of domestic law enforcement, by itself cost $4.53 billion in 2013, or 17.7 percent of all drug control expenditures. The Bureau of Prisons spends $3.5 billion per year holding federal drug offenders in prisons, which is more than half of its total $6.9 billion budget. ,
A majority of those who support the legalization of marijuana hold that it should be removed from the criminal justice system. They argue that it should be regulated in a way similar to that of tobacco and alcohol. They hold that legalizing and controlling the drug will bring it under the rule of law and thus help in creating job opportunities in the formal economy (Caulkins, 2013). This, as they contend, will be better than the current state where it creates occupations in the illegal market. In addition, by legalizing marijuana, law enforcement resources would be freed for use in protecting the safety of the public. Also, local and state governments would obtain important new tax revenues from marijuana sales. The criminalization of marijuana use excessively harms people especially the youth and encourages high degrees of corruption and violence (Caulkins, 2013). This paper focuses on explaining the economic benefits of legalization of marijuana.
Jones, C. (2009). Ineffective, Unjust and Inhumane: Mandatory Prison Sentences for Drug Offences. The John Howard Society of Canada.
We Are Spending Too Much On Prisons Would you believe that America has spent around five hundred billion dollars on prisons? Butterfield: Why are the taxpayers of America spending so much money on prisons and not other effective solutions to stopping crime? American legislation is closed-minded about reducing crime. They believe that prison is the only solution.
However, legalization will be profitable to global economies in two ways. It will allow for money spent on drug law enforcement to be spent more wisely and will increase revenue. There have been escalating costs spent on the war against drugs and countless dollars spent on rehabilitation. Every year in the United States, ten billion dollars are spent on enforcing drug laws alone. Drug violators accounted for about forty percent of all criminals in federal prisons (Rosenthal 1996). In 1989, a Republican county executive of Mercer County, N.J., estimated that it would cost approximately one
One of the most prevalent misconceptions, Benson and Rasmussen, contend is the notion that a large percentage of drug users commit nondrug crimes, what might be called the “drugs-cause-crime” assumption implicit in the government’s drug-war strategy. If true, then an effective crackdown on drug use would reduce nondrug crime rates.... ... middle of paper ... ...
What is a drug? A drug is “a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being” (Drug, n.d). We the people have established that marijuana is an illegal drug. Lately around the United States we are starting to change the rules for that. There are states that have deemed it O.K. to sell marijuana to the public for health reasons. With this happening a lot of things are being brought up. One of the main topics that come up is the economic value that this revenue will generate and how it will affect the states.
The Topic of Legalizing Marijuana has been a very conversational argumentative issue in the American society; moreover in the American politics today. There are many good arguments on why Marijuana should be Legalize and my argument is based on facts and supporting details to prove why Marijuana should be legalize. The Legalization of Marijuana would be profitable to our government and economy, according to Evan Wood who is the founder of the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy; The U.S taxpayers have spent an estimated $2.5 trillion on the war on drugs. The Legalization of Marijuana would have a medical use, and also useful in some religions; after all Legalizing Marijuana would eliminate the cost of keeping Marijuana illegal which cost the U.S government in excess of billions annually.
As you know, Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the U.S causing a huge controversy in today’s society. I think that in some ways not legalizing marijuana could hurt us and our country. I know that you, as a member of the CALM, feel very strongly on your opinion of legalizing marijuana. The CALM does make very convincing arguments about crime, youth, and health with the use of marijuana. While some of these arguments can be persuasive to many, I think that my following propositions on crime, health, and medicinal marijuana also provide a swaying argument.