The Benefits of Regulating Now-Illegal Drugs - 890 Words

It’s 2014 and America is still wasting its money and resources. Drugs. Illegal Drugs to be more specific. The emotions that this simple word initiates in many people are so real that it has become a major focus in our culture. It seems as if everyone has their own opinion on the topic of drugs; negative, positive or perhaps neither. Who is to say which is right? Most opinions towards drugs are not without bias, and most were formed from pre-existing experiences and beliefs. People who don’t use recreational drugs don’t do so because of the health risks; people who do use drugs would whether or not they are legal. Right now drugs are looked at like a forbidden fruit not meant to be tried unless you are ready to face the outcome, but why are they looked at in this way? Some drugs are illegal largely for historical or political reasons and there is little or no evidence of their abuse or of any use at all. Peyote as an example has no record of significant abuse, and krokodil is virtually unknown in the States. The government needs to regulate sales on some of these drugs and place a tax on them to terminate the organized crime element of illegal drug sales. The United States is worried that regulating drugs will cause a sharp rise in drug use and abuse, however no statistics stating this is true have been released. The fact that they are illegal makes little difference. Nevertheless, $15,000,000,000 goes into drug prohibition every year, and has very little effect. FromShow MoreRelatedMarijuana Legalization Essay952 Words   |  4 Pagesover the age of 21 years old to use or posses no more then an ounce of marijuana in the state of Colorado. The catch to the Ballot is that the use of Marijuana in public or driving under the influence is still illegal. There are many reasons why you could say marijuana should be legal or illegal in the state of Colorado. Many may say there are positives in the passing of the ballot, such as legal ramifications, medical issues, and economic issues in Colorado. In this essay I will discuss the positivesRead MoreMarijuana Reform Essay1610 Words   |  7 Pagesviews deem the drug dangerous and debilitating, while reformers suggest that legalizing the plant would have an enormous positive impact on the economy. While others, the terminally ill, wish for the plant to be legal so it can be offered as a less toxic and sometimes more effective alternative to harsh prescription drugs. an overwhelming wealth of facts that state the benefits marijuana can have medically. It’s not hard to believe that marijuana is the 3rd most popular recreational drug in America andRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1314 Words   |  6 Pagesunacceptable and illegal substance in Canada, as well as in many other n ations. It is a drug which can alter an individual’s sense of perception and distort one’s senses, and may become addictive if used repeatedly. Although marijuana is looked down upon in society when used for recreational purposes, it serves several beneficial purposes in the medical field. The legalization of marijuana is a prominent growing issue in several Canadian provinces, as it is allegedly believed to benefit the CanadianRead MoreRhetorical Analysis Of The Speech Why We Need End The War On Drugs 1433 Words   |  6 Pagesto End the War on Drugs† given by Ethan Nadelmann, a drug policy reformist, Nadelmann gives a compelling and persuasive argument on how and why we should end the war on drugs. Nadelmann describes himself as the oldest son of a rabbi and a human rights activist who works to end the drug war. He urges that the drug war is very dynamic and what the United States is doing in relation to stop it is not effective. This helps launch into what he believes the US should do to end the drug war. A few subjectsRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1475 Words   |  6 Pagesthe country of Portugal. Portugal became the first country in Europe to remove all laws against the sale of drugs, including marijuana (Szalavitz, 2009). Instead of putting people in jail for possessing drugs, users were given the option to undergo treatment to help them quit (Szalavitz, 2009). This example of Portugal is interesting because instead of using fear to scare people from drugs, they offered health services. Supporting decriminalization of marijuana Glenn Greenwald (2009) explains,Read MoreShould Marijuana Be Legal?864 Words   |  4 PagesCannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a preparation of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or medicine. Marijuana smoking remains the most prevalent form of illicit drug use in the United States and has even been legalized medicinally in twenty-four states. Four of these states, including Colorado and Washington, have legalized marijuana for recreational use. This means that it is treated like a controlled substance, like alcohol or tobacco, and anyone theRead MoreProhibition and the Effect on America756 Words   |  3 Pagessociety has led to an explosion of criminal offences in the past as well as today. The effects of prohibition consistently offer a hand in the shaping of American culture. Full-fledged black markets and organized crime groups both offset the supposed benefits of prohibition. Today, teenagers often turn to the underage consumption of alcohol to make them seem â€Å"cool,† or as a form of rebellion against parental and governmental authorities. The temperance movement acted as a predecessor to the prohibitionRead MoreHuman Trafficking Solutions902 Words   |  4 Pagesthe exploitative and illegal forms of prostitution, (Vanderstok, 2012). For the same above reasons Germany did the same thing with the same hopes as the Netherlands. Though now there is a ratio of 1:1 of legal prostitutes to illegal prostitutes in both countries (Spiegel, 2013). The legalization of prostitution has not been the answer to human trafficking in Europe. In the US, Nevada is the only state to have legal prostitution, though they have state and county laws regulating it. Europe has someRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?1565 Words   |  7 PagesMarijuana Legalization From mandatory crop to illegal drug, cannabis has gone from revered to criminal in the course of United States history. Its fall from grace has been an education in mass hysteria, propaganda, market manipulation and greed. Fortunately, for those suffering debilitating medical conditions and those that wish to enjoy its euphoric effects alike, it appears that the pendulum is swinging in the opposite direction. The close of the 2015 legislative session revealed a potentialRead MoreThe Drug Enforcement Agency Defines A Schedule 1 Substance909 Words   |  4 Pagesmarijuana, be classified as a schedule 1 substance, he succeeded and it has remained that way for nearly 45 years. The Drug enforcement agency defines a schedule 1 substance as â€Å"drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Schedule I drugs are the most dangerous drugs of all the drug schedules with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence. (Drug Schedules. DEA.gov.)† There was no science backing this claim, and when it comes to marijuana neither of