Analysis on New Drug Policies in Hong Kong

For example would it lead to an increased abuse by children. “Long-term, regular use of marijuana—starting in the teen years—may impair brain development and lower IQ” (Marijuana: Breaking Down the Buzz). The only thing that is not considered is that taxing marijuana will bring an enormous budget to North Carolina which will be used to educate children and teenager even better which helps preventing them from abusing cannabis. The budget will also be used to control the selling of marijuana which would lead to better control of the substance. Another thing to consider is that not only children could suffer from the legalization of marijuana but also legal consumer. With legalizing cannabis also comes cheaper cannabis as well as higher concentrated cannabis or even oil. That means that many people using the substance could suffer from major illnesses and it would also increase driving under the influence because more people will be smoking cannabis. But if thing they have not considered is that there will be a limit for buying marijuana which would prevent persons from buying and smoking too much. And of course, if marijuana should be legalized, the driver controls by the police would be majorly increased which the tax revenue would make possible with any further problems. Even though there are some arguments speaking against the legalization of marijuana the financial gain could bring all of

Just like alcohol, marijuana should have the same restrictions with driving or daily use. As marijuana would start to circulate in a legal manner, regulations would help everything stay safe for civilians. The regulations can vary in a lot of specific ways, such as how plants can be grow, who can grow and driving laws. As the modern marijuana plant is grown by the powerful cartels the land they grow on receives the negative effects. Most of the illegal plants are not grown on typical farm land, the cartels “are destroying treasured environmental resources by growing marijuana illegally in protected lands” (Johnson). Using the tool of legalization would eliminate the damage caused by this unprofessional growth, and the plants would have the chance of being on rich soil to grow for users. Ultimately decreasing these grows would weaken how the cartel operates, and this is not the only way marijuana can be regulated. The plant could have set regulations on what is added to the plant during the growth. If cartels do not have the access to add unneeded chemicals to the plant, then educated farmers could make sure the plant is safe to be in circulation. After being checked and grown correctly there are ways to make sure the drug is carefully regulated. Already “seventeen states and D.C. regulate and license centers that produce and dispense marijuana to patients” (Drug Policy Alliance, “Marijuana Should Be Legalized for Medical Use”). Having the option of requiring a license to possess marijuana can reduce the underage use, and even help reduce arrests for possession. The regulations can save licensed users from “a misdemeanor conviction…” (Drug Policy Alliance, “Marijuana Should Be Fully Legalized, Not Just Decriminalized”), which as the potential to drive job opportunities

Drug policy is a crucial topic in the country today. Substance abuse, as well as drug-related crime rates, are a huge problem. This is a fact. The way to fix the problem of substance abuse, however, is widely disagreed upon. Some think that stricter laws regarding drug possession and use would solve the problem, while others believe that loosening the restrictions would be a better option. The issue of legalizing drugs, especially marijuana, is one that is debated all the time. In fact, in 1995, a survey was conducted on the most important policy issues and eighty five percent of the country placed drugs at the top of the list (Falco 1996). Many states are actually beginning to decriminalize, and even

Without legalizing marijuana there will be many black markets. A black market is a market that works illegally and sells people illegal stuff that can’t be found everywhere. According to Stephan T .Easton (2004), as referenced in Larisa Ducati Flister 2012.” The retail price of a marijuana cigarette to be approximately $8.60 while costing around $1.50 to produce, yielding roughly a 7.10 profit”. In other words, the black markets are taking advantage of people. Many people don’t really care how much they pay in order to get weed. Because, it’s not available for everyone therefore people tend to buy them at any price. As a result, the only winners are the people selling in the black markets .If the government legalizes marijuana there will be no black markets there will only be official places to sell weed and therefore people will pay the original price that the government sets. Moreover, Silverberg suggests that the government should control the quality of marijuana, so that people would know the weed they are using is not poisoned (David Silverberg, 2005).People deserve to have a good quality weed and when the government legalizes it they will make sure every person gets a clean, pure, and healthy weed. However, the government can also benefit from the taxes gained from marijuana. According to Stephan T .Easton (2004), as referenced in Larisa Ducati Flister 2012 a study found the following: The consumption

Cost of production is higher, authorized marijuana dispensaries hold higher costs, and the government adds taxes. As long as illegal sources can sell comparative products at lower prices, there is still a market for illegally grown and sold marijuana. If there is still a market for illegal marijuana then there is still sources available for minors to purchase marijuana, sales taxes not be collected, and criminal activity still be conducted. The only way for all these benefits to fully be beneficial is for the prices of legalized marijuana to be equal or less than the price of Marijuana sold illegally.

As a major policy issue in the United States, the War on Drugs has been one of the most monumental failures on modern record. At a cost of billions of taxpayer dollars, thousands of lives lost and many thousands of others ruined by untreated addiction or incarceration, America's policy orientation concerning drug laws is due for reconsideration. Indeed, the very philosophical orientation of the War on Drugs and of the current drug policy in the United States has been one of prosecution and imprisonment rather than one of decriminalization, treatment and rehabilitation. As our medical and scientific communities characterize addiction as a disease, the United States government continues to characterize this disease as a crime. And in doing so, it has created an unnecessary criminal class in the United States. The research, supplemental political cartoons and proposed research will set out to prove that stiffer drug laws will only have the impact of criminalizing countless drug addicts who might otherwise benefit substantially from rehabilitation and other treatment-based strategies. With a specific focus on the prohibition of marijuana even for medical use, and using the Toulmin model for putting forth and completing the argument, the research will set out to demonstrate the irrational

In order to find an alternative to the United States current drug policy, it is helpful to look at the current options. Governments typically take three broad approaches toward drugs. The first is legalization, in which possession and sale are lawful but still subject to regulation and taxation. The second is criminalization, which consists of the banning of possession and sale with criminal punishment (i.e incarceration). Lastly, there is the combination of the two—where sale and possession are prohibited, yet possession is punishable only by sanctions, such as fines or abuse treatment but not jail time.

Ritter and McDonald (2008) examines the drug policy interventions that cover treatment, law enforcement, prevention, and harm reduction by looking at 108 interventions from various locations. Ritter and McDonald (2008) provides options for drug policy that policy makers, researchers to review current drug policies and practices. Ritter and McDonald (2008) conducts this study by using various models such as the public health model, supply and harm reduction paradigm, the UNODC classification, and the policy instruments model.

The cohorts of drug prohibition argue that the benefits of the prohibition are self-evident and undeniable. The basis of this assumption argument is that without prohibition the consumption of drug would skyrocket, and therefore, lead to disastrous outcomes. However, there is no evidence on the commonly held belief. The empirical evidence that exists does not support the notion of souring drug consumption. For instance, in the Netherland and Switzerland, where marijuana is legalized, the consumption rate is lower than in the United States of America, where consumption of Marijuana is prohibited in most of the states. This study argues for the legalization of the consumption of drugs and decriminalization of possession and use of drugs in the United States of America.

As shops for recreational and medical Marijuana open, more purchases of the product will be made which impacts the tax revenue. An example would be Colorado (a state that legalizes Marijuana) where “In 2015, Colorado collected more than $135 million in taxes and fee on medical and recreational marijuana” (Krishna, 2017). Arcview Market Research also predicts that “Sales in North America grew 30%, to $6.7 billion, in 2016, and is projected to increase to $20.1 billion by 2021”. The legalization of Marijuana will also provide many job opportunities since a variety of different jobs will be needed that relate to Marijuana. Investopedia.Com states “A RCG Economics and Marijuana Policy Group study on Nevada says that legalizing recreational marijuana in the state could support over 41,000 jobs till 2024 and generate over $1.7 billion in labor income. The ICF study estimates at least 81,000 additional direct, indirect, and induced jobs in California as a result of legalized marijuana sales. It also projects an increase in total labor income by at least $3.5 billion”. Another way legalizing Marijuana would impact the economy positively is that the government can save money spent on enforcing the law of Marijuana being illegal. Huffington post states “Inmates incarcerated on marijuana-related charges cost U.S. prisons $1 billion annually, according to a 2007 study, AlterNet reports.” and “The government would save an estimated $13.7 billion on prohibition enforcement costs and tax revenue by legalizing marijuana”.This low risk substance saves the economy a lot of money and support it

Marijuana is the cause of much commotion and debating, as the question of legalization becomes more of an issue. Drugs are a major influential force in countries all over the world today. Legalization is an option that has not had a chance, but really should be given one. Although many people feel that legalizing marijuana would increase the amount of drug use, legalization would benefit for the following reasons: 1)reduction of money spent on law enforcement 2)increase in the countries revenue 3)lessen crime 4)useful in treating certain medical conditions.

Another popular argument is that legalizing marijuana will put criminal organizations out of business. While such an outcome would be a beneficial, it is unlikely to happen for several reasons. Firstly, criminal organizations will always find other things to sell. Secondly, the majority of marijuana is still likely to come from cartels. And third, people will continue to buy marijuana on the black market for no other reason than its tax free. As an example, illegal cigarettes called “loosies” are commonly sold on the black market due to the high taxes placed on them. Eric Garner, who died while resisting arrest for selling “loosies”, brought this issue to public attention. Then there is the argument that the government has no right telling people what to put in their bodies. While this argument may have some merit, I would argue that the government does have a responsibility to protect our well-being. No one argues, for instance, when the FDA keeps things off the market that adversary affects our health. Lastly, proponents will say that marijuana is not addictive, however research shows otherwise. About 9 percent become addicted to marijuana, for those who start young it’s 17 percent. For those who use marijuana daily it can be as high as 25 to 50 percent ("Health Effects Of Marijuana

To explore the economic benefits of marijuana legalization we must first look at the amount of marijuana that is purchased by users. The White House Office of National Drug Policy reported that between 1988 and 1995, Americans spent about 7 billion dollars on the illegal substance, averaging about a billion dollars a year (Prislac, 2009). This means that annually there is a billion dollars out there that is subject to no sales tax. The national average for sales tax is 5%, so if you calculate the billion dollars being spent on marijuana, this means there is approximately 50 million dollars in sales tax that our government never gets

The social impacts of marijuana prohibition in brazil are many. The war on drugs, violence, firearms trafficking involved, corruption and many others. Because its so hard to differentiate an addict and a drug dealer by the amount of marijuana they carry, addicts end up in jail. Now, addiction is considered an illness, and for that reason it should be treated as one. In the movie breaking the taboo with the former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique, prisoners talk about how much drugs are a part of their lives in prison. One of them says “If you didn’t have a drug habit when going in, you leave with a drug habit.” If the prohibition continues, more prisons will have to be constructed and that could be a waste of money for the government. Also, a lot of money is spent on police reinforcement to fight drugs in the streets, this money could be going to other things such as education. In Uruguay the money gotten from people who buy the drug legally is used to sustain the production/transportation/sales business, and the profit made by the

Let’s also assume that marijuana costs $15 a gram and of those 75,000,000 people smoking they smoke 5 grams a week. After calculations of 5 grams a week at $15 a gram times the 75,000,000 people that use, the total revenue would be $5,625,000,000, most of which if regulated by the government would be profit. Would it be more beneficial to society for this substantial amount of money to continue to be made by the illegal drug trade or the economy? Legalizing marijuana would also create jobs. The government would need to employ many Americans to produce and regulate the sales and distribution of the product. Facilities to grow and sell the product would be required and therefore people to run the facilities would be required. Another bonus is the fact that law enforcement can focus on other more serious crime issues within the community, instead of utilizing time and resources on marijuana. The number of people arrested yearly for marijuana offenses outweighs the total number arrested for violent crimes including murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. This also puts a strain on the prison systems that house these offenders which are mostly hard working Americans who simply smoke to relax. While these are all good points those who oppose the legalization state that marijuana is still a drug that alters perception, it is addictive, and long term use