In 1971 President Richard Nixon would come to coin the term “war on drugs.” This term represented the United States’ policies of drug prohibition, as well as military aid and intervention to enforce the policies. The ideal was to rid our country of the dangers that come along with use of drugs by discouraging the production, distribution, and consumption of the illicit substances. In doing so the U.S. Government hoped to squash the demand, and in affect the efforts of cartels to continue to smuggle the drugs into our country. Over 40 years later we can see this effort has failed. We jail more of our own citizens than any other country on the planet, the demand for drugs is higher than ever, and cartels are far more powerful and profitable than ever. Yet the United States has stayed the course with its stance on the issue.
No devout citizen will never support the legalization of cocaine, heroin, or any of the dangerous hallucinogens in the world. However with that being said, the state of North Carolina and the country as a whole should strongly consider the legalization and regulation of marijuana for both medicinal and recreational use. In 2009 38% of American adolescents used marijuana within a year of being surveyed and 20% within a month. Almost a 10% increase in numbers from a similar 1991
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The youth of our nation are the highest percentage of recreational marijuana users of any age group. Studies show 31% of Americans aged 18-25 have used marijuana within the past year; the second largest age group bring 12-17 at almost 14% (Greydanus). With so many of our young people trying marijuana we are jeopardizing their future success with the war on weed. Many young Americans become open to the idea of marijuana simply because so many of their peers have tried it. It is shameful and unjust we continue to arrest so many of our own youth at the profit of gangsters in another