Legalization of Marijuana; Waving the Essay

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The exact amount lost under prohibition is difficult to estimate, but probably approaches several billion dollars.

Secondly, the projected problems for youth and workers and the state of the nation as a whole are far grimmer than the reality, which has been shown in other countries to actually decrease abuse of the substance. Dr. Lester Grinspoon assures that, "Marijuana itself is not criminogenic; it does not lead to sexual debauchery; it is not addicting; there is no evidence that it leads to the use of narcotics." (4).

Finally, the facts show that the war on drugs has undeniably failed. Illegal street drugs continue to frustrate law enforcement officials who have yet to make a noticeable dent in the status quo. Ed Rosenthal and Steve Kubby quote U.S. District Judge Thomas Weisman as saying, "We've just about lost a generation of young people. We're building new prison beds at the rate of about 1,000 a week and we're still overcrowded. … We've spent $100 Billion on the war on drugs and we're losing it," (56). Legalizing marijuana would greatly contribute to reducing the overcrowding of prisons, both because of the legalization of the drug itself and the consequential reduction in crimes such as theft that are a direct result of the illegal status of the substance.

Legalization does not, of course, have to be an all or nothing proposition -- there are shades of gray and alternative proposals to be considered as well. According to Rosenthal and Kubby, several states in America keep production and distribution of marijuana illegal, but remove the risk of arrest for possession of small amounts for personal use. Civil penalties remain, with fines up to about $500.

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This approach minimizes one of the most dramatic negative consequences of marijuana consumption: jail time. The authors report that data suggest that law enforcement expenses also decline after decriminalization. As previously mentioned, rates of use have not skyrocketed relative to areas that maintain criminal penalties.

The future for marijuana legalization holds many possibilities. Some proponents of legalization suggest innovative strategies that could have all the benefits of decriminalization with the added advantage of altering the underground market. Government programs that would license marijuana users and limit the amount they may purchase could provide tax revenue and avoid exposing users to other drugs. These strategies would also save large sums currently devoted to law enforcement. Yet recent attempts to change laws in this direction have met with considerable resistance. After a long period of legal use and more than 60 years of changing legislation against the drug, future trends seem difficult to predict. However one thing is certain: the current war is causing too many casualties and doing little if anything to deter marijuana use. Therefore it is time to wave the white flag once and for all and allow adults to make their own decisions without the fear of baseless legal repercussions.

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