NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
DRUGS: CASE FOR LEGALIZING MARIJUANA Recent years exists very controversial issue about legalizing drugs, especially marijuana. There are two opposite public opinions fighting each other. First convinced that marijuana is a drug and it should be outlawed. Others persuade legalization. These two opponents have been fighting on this issue for many years. Let us try to look into this issue closer and examine both sides of drug war.
Anti-drug agencies, such as Drug Enforcement Agency and police departments, affirm that marijuana should be illegal, because if marijuana is to become legal then it will become much easier for people who do not need the drug to acquire it. But others argue that marijuana has medical value. The main reason why the Drug Enforcement Agency doesn't want marijuana to be legal is because there is no hard core evidence that proves marijuana is an effective drug as a medicine. After twenty years of research there are no reliable scientific proof that marijuana has any medical value. Nevertheless, today marijuana remains the third most popular recreational drug in the United States. Even though it has been illegal for sixty years.
Government figures say 70 million Americans have smoked marijuana. According to a USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll in August 2001, support for legalizing marijuana is at its highest level ever. The finding that 34 % of Americans favor legalizing marijuana is notable in that pollsters have found a significant increase in the number of Americans favoring legalization. Harvard School of Public Health meta-analysis of 47 national surveys conducted between 1978 and 1997, unifies much of the existing public opinion findings on Americans views of drug policy. It covers a broad range of topics including American views on the dangers of drug use, criminal justice approaches to drug control, medical marijuana and needle exchange. The authors suggest that the major finding of their study is that although most Americans feel the "War on Drugs" has failed, they support increased spending for drug control efforts (Blendon).
In the present day in U. S. there are groups such as, NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws), that issue petitions and bills to the DEA and federal government that try to persuade the legalization of marijuana. NORML compared marijuana to alcohol and reached a conclusion that alcohol is more lethal than marijuana. In other countries situation is also controversial. There are many different researches on this issue.
For example, surveys of Canadian drug committee propose following: It is for this reason that the Committee recommends that the Government of Canada amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to create a criminal exemption scheme, under which the production and sale of cannabis would be licensed, [and] to permit persons over the age of 16 to procure cannabis and its derivatives at duly licensed distribution centers. (Canadian SSCID). British officials after investigations state: "We accept that cannabis can be harmful and that its use should be discouraged. However, ... we do not believe there is anything to be gained by exaggerating its harmfulness. On the contrary, exaggeration undermines the credibility of the messages that we wish to send regarding more harmful drugs.
We support, therefore, ... reclassifying cannabis from Class B to Class C... so that possession of cannabis would cease to be an arrestable offense. (British House of Commons HAC). In my opinion on this issue, neither I want it to be legalized nor I don't want it to be. The way I see it is this, if you want to do it, more power to you, but if you don't, then don't. If people want to do something with their life, such as smoke marijuana, and it is not affecting anyone else, then go ahead.
What needs to happen is more political activism on the part of marijuana smokers. More than just protests and publicity stunts, there needs to be a serious push not just for the legalization of marijuana, but to promote the responsible use of it. Rather than simply fighting to lift the ban, there needs to be an understanding that any legalization of it is going to come with restrictions and the consensus among the current marijuana lobbyists is that the restrictions should be similar to those placed on alcohol (age, location of consumption, driving, etc. ). In conclusion, there is very interesting statement of Albert Einstein on this issue: "The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the Prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced. It is an open secret that the dangerous increase of crime in this country is closely connected with this. " Bibliography: Support for Legalizing Marijuana is at its Highest Level Ever.
USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll. August 2001. < web > Blendon, Robert J. , et al. The Public and the War on Illicit Drugs. March 18, 1998. Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs... Cannabis: Summary Report: Our Position for a Canadian Public Policy.
Ottawa. 2002
Free research essays on topics related to: house of commons, drug enforcement agency, gallup poll, legalizing marijuana, legalization of marijuana
Research essay sample on Drugs Case For Legalizing Marijuana
