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Decriminalization Of Marijuana

Decriminalization of Marijuana

Lately it seems that drug policy and the war on drugs has been in the headlines quite often. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the policies that the United States government takes against illegal drugs are coming into question. The media is catching on to the message of organizations and individuals who have long been considered liberal supporters. The marijuana question seems to be the most common and pressed of all the drugs and issues that are currently being addressed. The messages of these organizations and individuals include everything from legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, to full-unrestricted legalization of the drug. Of course, the current situation of vote seeking politicians and conservative policy makers has put up a strong resistance to this "new" reform lobby. There are many reasons for the resistance to the changes in drug policies. The issues of marijuana's possible negative effects are its use as a medical remedy, the criminality of distribution and usage, and the difference in the enforcement of current drug laws. It is apparent that it would be irresponsible and wrong for the government to not evaluate its current general drug policies and perhaps most important, their marijuana policy. With the facts of racial diverseness in punishment, bad effects, economic burden and most importantly, the history of the drug, the government most certainly must come to the conclusion that they must, at the very least, decriminalize marijuana use and quite probably fully legalize it.

The history of marijuana in North America is integral in understanding the reasons it is now illegal and how today's policies have evolved. It is important to look to the past and see factors leading to the outlawing and criminalization of marijuana-especially the stages of misinformation, silence, and the imposition of zero tolerance or severe penalties for such victimless crimes -before looking at the effectiveness and...