Lifting the Prohibition on Marijuana

Lifting the Prohibition on Marijuana

After forty plus years of what Tim Dickenson refers to as "Mindless Prohibition," it seems that some justice for users of medically prescribed marijuana may be in sight. The United States drug czar under the Obama administration, Gil Kirlikowske has been noted as saying that he has ended the war on drugs and Governor David Patterson was recently quoted as saying "We put a stop to 35 years of bad policy" in reference to the removal of the Rockerfeller Drug Wars which punish and imprison addicts, rather than offering the treatment needed to conquer their addictions. These old and outdated drug policies haven't been looked out or discussed politically, on a national level, since the Nixon administration in the 1970s. When evaluating the merits of these laws, it is essential that the real motives behind them, and the success they have had as a whole throughout the past forty years be researched and documented.

"Over half a century of marijuana prohibition in the United States has failed to control the use of the drug, and the governments accelerating pursuit of prohibition now exacts a price for exceeding the harm of this mild intoxicant," (Slaughter, 1987) Years of high criminal penalties and an anti-drug campaign did nothing to curb the marijuana usage in the United States.

Decriminalization and legalization of marijuana has been a topic of discussions among Americans for over three decades and still it has been hard to let the voices be heard. "Seventy -- two percent of Americans say that for simple marijuana possession, people should not be incarcerated but fined: the generally accepted definition of decriminalization." (Nadelman, 2004) Broader legalization of the substance Forty percent agree that "the government should treat marijuana more or less the same way it treats alcohol: it should regulate it, control it, tax it and only make it illegal for children." (Nadelman, 2004)

California is spearheading the movement with the decriminalizing of marijuana by passing ordinances that allow for its medical usage. An initiative to control and tax marijuana qualified for the November 2, 2010 California state ballot. "Passage of the measure, by no means certain, would make California the first U.S. state to legalize marijuana. Backers believe the state could be at the vanguard of a national movement toward decriminalizing the drug. (Reuters, 2010)

In addition to the medicinal benefits of marijuana, there are financial advantages to lifting the prohibition on marijuana. Marijuana is California's biggest cash crop with $35 billion dollars annually. President Obama's administration has gone on record saying they will no longer sort out or prosecute clinics where medicinal plant is being distributed. However, the government continues to pump money into outdated laws. "The legalization and taxation of cannabis would provide more than $1 billion dollars to balance California's busted budget." (Dickenson, 2009) a state "Marijuana production has increased tenfold in the past quarter century despite an exhaustive anti-drug effort by law enforcement." ( Baily, 2006) According to a report by department of economics at Harvard University, "Legalizing marijuana would save $7.7 billion per year in government expenditure on enforcement of prohibition. It estimates that marijuana legalization would yield tax revenue of $6.2 billion annually if marijuana was taxed at rates comparable to those on alcohol and tobacco." (Miron, 2005) Expenditures would come in three forms: Savings from prosecutorial and judicial resources, reduction in corrections departments and the reduction of police enforcement.

There are over 700,000 annual arrests for marijuana charges in the United States each year. Eighty seven percent of marijuana charges are for simple possession. This is a charge which is costing the government billions of dollars each year in its enforcement and findings have shown that many Americans have had criminal records due to this charge. THC the active ingredient in marijuana is a natural substance that has far less side effects than its legal counterparts. However, the DEA has kept marijuana as a I substance for years. Other drugs included in this label are: heroin and LSD. This is one of the reasons that there can be harsh penalties resulting from marijuana arrests and prosecutions. Such penalties can include: deportation, suspension of driving privileges, prison, and the loss of federal educational loans. Stiff penalties can be issued for possession of marijuana.

The Mexican economy is tanking and so much of its law enforcement is corrupt due to the prohibition. "Demand for marijuana is a key factor in the Mexican drug war. (Stone,2009) U.S. law enforcement has seen corruption due to the marijuana prohibition as well. There has been a strengthening in the drug cartels and a weakening in the law enforcement field.

The government and its national anti-drug campaign have spent billions of dollars labeling marijuana as a gateway drug. The definition of a gateway drug wound indicates that those individuals using marijuana inevitably go on to use more powerful drugs. The drug campaign indicates that the marijuana smoker is more likely to experiment with harder drugs and continue to progress toward more dangerous substances. It demonstrates the drugs increased potency and its responsibility for many social and physical diseases. However, these claims are not statistically based and there is available evidence to back up the contrary. According to the1988 findings of the Drug Enforcement Administration's own judicial official " marijuana in its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man." (Nadelman, 2004)