Decriminalize Marijuana for the Good of America
Decriminalize Marijuana for the Good of America Currently, drugs remain high on the lists of concerns of Americans and are considered one of the major problems facing our country today. We see stories on the news about people being killed on the street every day over drugs. To many people drugs are only an inner-city problem, but in reality they affect all of us - users and non-users. I believe that the negative affects we associate with drugs would be greatly reduced if the United States adopted a policy towards the total decriminalization of marijuana. The current drug policy of our government is obviously failing. Drug laws have created corruption, violence, increased street crime, and disrespect for the criminal justice system. Current drug legislation has failed to reduce demand. It's just too hard to monitor illegal substances when a significant portion of the population is committed to using drugs. (Inciardi and McBride 260) Marijuana comes from the hemp plant, which can readily be grown on fields across the nation and was cultivated heavily in colonial period. After 130 years of being legal, the potential problems of marijuana were brought into the public eye by Harry J. Anslingler, t
There are many benefits to be gained from the Cannabis plant: increased tax revenue, safety due to governmental regulation, decreased crime and use of hard drugs, and the environmental benefits of hemp to name a few. Marijuana was becoming more accepted across the nation. spent roughly one billion dollars on marijuana enforcement last year and the DEA has proposed a 400% increase in anti-pot spending, yet domestic marijuana production has been reduced by only 10%. "Legalization: A high risk Alternative" American Behavioral Scientist 32 (1989): 233-243. This policy has obviously done nothing to stop the recreational use of drugs in this country; on the contrary it is causing great harm. There are a number of myths associated with the use of marijuana and its effects on your body that people who are opposed to its decriminalization repeatedly cite. Works Cited "Bring drugs within the law. It is the enforcement of the laws criminalizing the possession, use, manufacture, and distribution of marijuana that is causing the violent crime.
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