Decriminalization On Drugs

Currently, drugs are on the list of the high concern for Americans. We consider it 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. Too many people believe that drugs are only an inner-city problem, but in reality they affect all of us - whether you use or not. Marijuana has carried a lot of negative and unnecessary stigmas over the year, but the time has come to shake that bad reputation. If the United States adopted a policy towards the total decriminalization of marijuana, the country would benefit from many economic advances and overall crime rates would be reduced. In my opinion, the current drug policy of our government is failing to do its job.

Marijuana is more dangerous than cigarette smoking. Two marijuana joints create more airway impairment than do an entire pack of cigarette (Miner 44). One joint contains three times more tar than cigarettes do and is considered four times more dangerous (Courtwright 54). It dramatically increases the pulse rate and blood pressure during use. If marijuana is legalized, many suggest that lung cancer rates will increase as the amount of marijuana use increases (Miner 44). These are all valid arguments, but cigarette smoking is legal, a booming business in fact, and causes the same exact problems. In addition, alcohol has many discouraging effects, especially when over used, yet is also still

The push for legalization of cannabis is making news across America just as it did in the 60 's. Shirts are being worn with slogans like "Keep America Green." Marijuana use is glorified in movies like Dazed & Confused and referenced by music groups like Cypress Hill and the Black Crowes. Increasing public support and media attention will slowly force the legalization issue into the forefront of the political discussion. If the widespread acceptance continues among the powerful new voting block- college students- the policy towards marijuana could change in the near future. Weighing both the costs and the benefits the decriminalization/legalization of marijuana seems inevitable now that many of the purported myths about its harmful effects have been proven false. The current war on drugs is clearly failing- costing us too many lives and too much money. There are many benefits to be gained from the cannabis plant: increased tax revenue, safety due to governmental regulation, decreased crime, decreased use of hard drugs, and the environmental benefits of hemp are just a few mentioned above. With all these reasons taken into consideration, the decriminalization/legalization of marijuana seems like a