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All about the drug abuse resistance education program
All about the drug abuse resistance education program
All about the drug abuse resistance education program
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Should Drugs Be Decriminalized? Recreational drug use has been controversial for years. Government has deemed the use of certain drugs to be dangerous, addictive, costly, and fatal. Governmental agencies have passed laws to make drugs illegal and then have focused a great deal of attention and money trying to prohibit the use of these drugs, and many people support these sanctions because they view the illegality of drugs to be the main protection against the destruction of our society (Trebach, n.d.). Restricting behavior doesn’t generally stop people from engaging in that behavior; prohibition tends to result in people finding more creative ways to obtain and use drugs. However, just knowing that trying to control people’s behavior by criminalizing drug use does not work still leaves us looking for a solution, so what other options exist? This paper will discuss the pros and cons about one option: decriminalizing drugs. The obvious place to start is by defining terminology. What does decriminalization mean? Decriminalization is not the same thing as legalization; these are two different options for dealing with illegal drug use. Legalization means that the government authorizes the use and sale of certain drugs to adults (The Drug Policy Forum of Texas [DPFT], 2004). A current example of this would be restaurants that serve alcohol; even though alcohol is legal for adults, restaurants are still required to have a license to serve liquor. For some drugs such as marijuana, legalization will also allow the government to regulate the drug enough to tax sales, so instead of spending money to fight drug possession, the government will now make money by taxing it (Thimmesch, 2013). People can use and possess drugs on a limi... ... middle of paper ... ...ecriminalization. Retrieved from http://norml.org/legalization/item/real-world-ramifications-of-cannabis-legalization-and-decriminalization-2 Thies, C. F., & Register, C. (1993). Decriminalization of marijuana and demand for alcohol, marijuana and cocaine. The Social Sciences Journal, 30(4), 385-399. Thimmesch, N. (2013, Oct 25). There’s a big difference between legalization and decriminalization. Retrieved from http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/25/theres-a-big-difference-between-legalization-and-decriminalization/ Trebach, A. S. (n.d.). Should illegal drugs be decriminalized? Retrieved from http://www.thirteen.org/closetohome/viewpoints/html/decrim.html Wolf, M. (2011, June 4). We should declare an end to our disastrous war on drugs. Financial Times. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.consortiumlibrary.org/docview/870200965?accountid=14473
We live in a “recreational drug culture”, with the current criminalization of illicit drugs being driven by the common but not entirely universally accepted assumption that negative externalities will instead be placed in on society. Addressing the seemingly ever-infinite "war on drugs", in "Why We Should Decriminalize Drug Use", Douglas Husak argues in favour of the decriminalization of drugs in terms of not criminalizing the use of such recreational drugs. In this paper, I will dispute that Kusak 's argument succeeds because of the lack of justification for prohibition, and the counterproductiveness and how numerically evident the ineffectiveness of these contemporary punitive policies are.
During the duration of this paper, I will discuss an issue that has been controversial for over a century; prohibition and how it has effected, currently effects, and will, most likey, continue to effect American society. The aspects that I choose to address from this issue are political, historical, they make you wonder, and they should effect anyone who reads this paper. For decades, the American government has had a restriction or ban on drugs and alcohol. Also for decades, these restrictions have been met with resistance from our society. In the early twentieth century, from 1920 through 1933, it was the prohibition of alcohol. A corrupt time, in which, so called, "criminals" and law makers both manufactured and sold bootlegged alcohol. There was high demand then and everyone was in it for the money, everyone. A time which proved to be a failed attempt by the government to take away what is now one of the United States' top commodities. During the 1970's President Richard Nixon started an ongoing "war on drugs" and every president since Nixon has continued this fight to, somehow, rid the entire country of illicit drugs. Today, a few states have taken a new approach to one of these drugs and eyebrows are being raised to the war on drugs all together. States, such as, California, Washington, and Calorado have loosened their tight grip on prohibiting marijuana and even have medical marijuana dispenseries. This idea has been proven to have boosted those economies, and it has allowed people with cancer to use a medication that actually gives them comfort. However, marijuana is still illegal. Why would we restrict the nation from something that beneficial...
New York: New York, 2010. Print. The. Should the U.S. Continue Its War on Drugs? Opposing Views: Issues, Experts, Answers.
Malinowski, Zachary W. "Revenues High On Marijuana." Planning 79.4 (2013): 9-11. Academic Search Complete. Web. The Web.
Now is not the time for the United States federal government to decriminalize or legalize illegal drugs, including marijuana. However, nor can the government continue to do nothing about the financially, economically, and socially expensive domestic drug policy it currently follows. The United States Congress should pass legislation to remove mandatory minimum penalties from drug offenses, and the Department of Justice and the Bureau of Prisons should add in-house rehabilitation programs for its incarcerated drug offenders. These policies would increase the cost-effectiveness of current drug policy and reduce crime and drug use, and do not face the political obstacles or have the uncertain consequences of decriminalizing or legalizing drugs.
Lately it seems that drug policy and the war on drugs has been in the headlines quite a lot. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the policies that the United States government takes against illegal drugs are coming into question. The mainstream media is catching on to the message of organizations and individuals who have long been considered liberal "Counter Culture" supporters. The marijuana question seems to be the most prevalent and pressed of 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 status quo of vote seeking politicians and conservative policy makers has put up a strong resistance to this "new" reform lobby. The reasons for the resistance to the changes in drug policies are multiple and complex. The issues of marijuana’s possible negative effects, its use as a medical remedy, the criminality of distribution and usage, and the disparity in the enforcement of current drug laws have all been brought to a head and must be addressed in the near future. It is apparent that it would be irresponsible and wrong for the government to not evaluate it’s current general drug policies and perhaps most important, their marijuana policy. With the facts of racial disparity in punishment, detrimental effects, fiscal strain 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 war on drugs] has created a multibillion-dollar black market, enriched organized crime groups and promoted the corruption of government officials throughout the world,” noted Eric Schlosser in his essay, “A People’s Democratic Platform”, which presents a case for decriminalizing controlled substances. Government policies regarding drugs are more focused towards illegalization rather than revitalization. Schlosser identifies a few of the crippling side effects of the current drug policy put in place by the Richard Nixon administration in the 1970s to prohibit drug use and the violence and destruction that ensue from it (Schlosser 3). Ironically, not only is drug use as prevalent as ever, drug-related crime has also become a staple of our society. In fact, the policy of the criminalization of drugs has fostered a steady increase in crime over the past several decades. This research will aim to critically analyze the impact of government statutes regarding drugs on the society as a whole.
A “drug-free society” has never existed, and probably will never exist, regardless of the many drug laws in place. Over the past 100 years, the government has made numerous efforts to control access to certain drugs that are too dangerous or too likely to produce dependence. Many refer to the development of drug laws as a “war on drugs,” because of the vast growth of expenditures and wide range of drugs now controlled. The concept of a “war on drugs” reflects the perspective that some drugs are evil and war must be conducted against the substances
Many feel today we are loosing the war on drugs. People consider legalization unnecessary. They feel that it will increase the amount of drug use throughout the world. They state that in many cases, drug users who have quit quit because of trouble with the law. Legalization would eliminate the legal forces that discourage the users from using or selling drugs. They also say that by making drugs legal, the people who have never tried drugs for fear of getting caught by the law will have no reason to be afraid anymore and will become users (Potter 1998).
Criminalization of cannabis causes a weakened economy due to taxpayers paying to financially support America’s inmates and all of the tax money available if marijuana was regularly taxed. Also, with lawful cannabis not available, crime rate and violence within city our streets continues to be an issue. Prohibition of cannabis in the United States sponsors extreme violence and corruption and fails to curb the availability to children ("Marijuana Legalization and Regulation”). With cannabis being criminalized, the United States is also losing the largest potential cash crop because of marijuana’s many uses and benefits.
For years the cry out for the legalization of marijuana has been a hot issue for many Americans particularly in the last several years with activist petitioning for the legalization in the many ballots throughout the United States. Now, even more so with Colorado and Washington decriminalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use even though in doing so it violates federal law which regulates drugs through the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (Americans For Safe Access). These activists claim that with the legalization marijuana the United States can place a tax on marijuana, use marijuana for medical purposes, use marijuana as a resource, and that the crime rates can possibly go down. On the other hand, many Americans, oppose the legalization of marijuana for a number of reasons because it is morally wrong and it goes against core family values, that marijuana is a gateway drug, the crime rate will not decrease but in fact rise, and that the legalization of marijuana goes against federal drug law therefore should not be legalize.
President’s Drug Policy (2004). National Drug Control Strategy. Retrieved on April 13, 2005 from www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov
Miron, Jeffrey. “Harvard Economist: Legalizing Drugs Suits Ideal of American Freedom.” Spiegel Online. Spiegel Online, 1 Mar. 2013. Web. 7 Nov. 2013.
America is wasting it’s money and resources. It’s trying restrict something on which restrictions don’t have any effects: drugs. 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. The fact that they are illegal makes little difference. Nevertheless, $15,000,000,000 goes directly into drug prohibition every year, and has very little effect. Very much money is spent to pay police narcotics officers, fund the D.E.A., and house drug-offenders in prison. The prisons are full of drug-related criminals, and violent offenders go free earlier because of this. Which would you prefer walking the streets, a rapist, or a potsmoker?
6th ed. Boston: Bedford, 1997 "Legalizing Drugs." Greenhaven Press. San Diego: 1996 Olson, William J. " Drugs Should Not Be Legalized. " Greenhaven Press.