Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Winless War Against Deterrence
Legalizing marijuana is hindered by those who think that decriminalizing marijuana will increase the use of marijuana in America. There is actually no relationship between increases in enforcement of marijuana laws and deterring use of marijuana. Most users also feel that they are a part of a massive body of users and that they are insignificant in the eyes of enforcement. Most marijuana users will continue their use of marijuana even after previous arrests and citations. When increasing enforcement of the current marijuana laws, the government is not successful in its target goal of curbing marijuana use. As long as the government continues to publicize that the main goal in drug regulation is to prevent or curb the use of marijuana in America, they will be lying to Americans and restricting their freedoms in the process.
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5 comments:
I agree on legalizing marijuana. The government just needs to stop trying to stop the drug cartel that gets pot into the US. They are never going to win. The cartel will always find ways around them. If they could be stopped, they would be already. I also agree that people who get arrested for use of marijuana will continue their use once they are free. It is a habit that cant be broken. So if it were legal it could help free up room in the jails for people with drug problems. It should also should be legalized for medical use because for people with cancer it has showed that it helps calm them down and are not so worried about their disease that they are in a relaxed state of mind.
Those casual users that get arrested are not going to quit and they are going to keep using. As stated by NORML, 90% of the arrests associated with marijuana are simple possesion charges related to casual users. Overcrowding of jails would be reduced across the nation.
I'm actually undecided about the legalization of marijuana. I see benefits of legalization such as better access as a means of medication and the overcrowding of jails would decrease. Also, selling marijuana can benefit the American economy as millions of the American public are users. However, questions seem to keep popping up in my mind regarding the negative aspect of legalization.
1) What are the negative long term effects of smoking marijuana?
2) How does legalization correlate with urban crime rates such as violence?
3) How does legalization correlate with driving under the influence? Alcohol wouldn't be the only drug we would have to worry about.
4) If we do legalize marijuana, how will our international reputation be affected?
Hopefully you can answer these questions for me.
Marijuana will never become legalized in america, its not that it shouldn't be its just that there is too much of a profit for the drug when it is illegal. It is also not a habit, it is a addiction. Altough almost all users of marijuana belive that if they want to quit all they have to do is make that decsion, but it is a drug that alters your state of mind, which these users are addicted to. Most users of marijuana are casual users, many people deal but the bulk are casual users, just as in other drugs.
There is definitely a market to be had with illegal drugs. However, when this market is created it brings along violence and other crimes related to the sale of drugs. When things are regulated like this on the black market, the only methods of justice/ enforcement are through violence. If marijuana were to be legalized, it would cut a huge slice out of the market and in the process reduce marijuana related crimes.
I think that if we do legalize marijuana, America will be viewed as even more progressive of a country which in my opinion is a positive thing to be viewed as.
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