Arguments Against Drug Laws

From the explanations given above, it is quite easy to see how incarceration is counterproductive to helping those with drug addictions. The next major question is how successful is treatment for drug offenders. The answer: very actually. In fact, with treatment, many benefits are found. Not only for addicts but everyone else as well. Improvements in crime rates, taxpayer spending, and overall well being of drug offenders are found where drug treatment is implemented for addicts.

Their are so many people who use drugs that are sent to jail, in which they do not get any help, they will come out and still have an addiction. Once they get out of jail they will repeat the same offenses over and over. Also, the people being sent to jail for drug use is highly racist. If you look at the numbers between people of darker color being sent to jail for drug use and the percentage of white people who are being sent to jail for drug use, people of color are sent to jail more than whites, and that is not right everyone with a drug addiction should be sent to rehab and not jail or prison.

The criminal justice system has many flaws that many people believe It is broken. The first step of fixing the system is by acknowledging that the system is broken. According to the documentary Fixing the System, the increase of incarceration is due to nonviolent drug offenses. There are more drug offenses than for homicide, aggravated assault, kidnapping, immigration, sex offenses, etc., combined. The cost for incarceration has dramatically increased as people kept getting incarceration due to the nonviolent drug offenses. President George W. Bush decided that building more prisons and jails was the best way to teach the lesson of war on drugs. Although incarcerating individuals’ due drugs wasn’t helping get rid of the problem because they

Eventually, the government is going to realize that they are wasting money and putting people’s lives in danger. Overcrowded prisons are a threat to everyone involved. To alleviate the situation, correctional institutions need to downsize inmate populations. I believe one of the main reasons prisons are overcrowded is due to mandatory minimum sentencing. The U.S has very strict sentencing guidelines when it comes to sentencing. According to Hooker and Hirsh, “A felony conviction generally, by law, means a term of mandatory incarceration. An accused faces mandatory sentencing if he/she has any past felony conviction, or if he/she is accused of being a repetitive offender. As to the former, any past conviction counts, no matter how old” (Berlatsky 94-95). Hooker and Hirsh follow this claim up with the perfect example, “As to the latter, one would become a repetitive offender if he were to sell a marijuana cigarette on one day, and repeat that act the next day. All these trigger mandatory sentences at conviction” (Berlatsky 95). This become somewhat of a never ending circle for such a small petty crime. Which brings me to nonviolent drug users.

I fully support enforcing drug policies. Its mind-blowing how far kids will go; even to deliberately target or bully ADHD/ADD kids to share their meds. It would be great to also show your support to your student Josh, that you care about him too. He certainly already learned a life-changing lesson. Expelling him and sending him to an Alternative school would do him more harm, than good. More importantly, Josh is not a threat to anyone, he is a gentle soul.

Those incarcerated today are not given the chance to change their behavior patterns, especially when it is in regard to drug addiction. The criminal justice system in general does not consider drug abuse as anything but a crime and does not think about treating the disease of addiction in order to reduce or eliminate the crimes that come as a

Which many of those reasons are minor things that don’t bother people. Compared to the people who have killed someone. For this reason, the prison system in America is not fair. For this purpose, we need to expand more places and separate the people, so not everyone will be treated the same. Also, we barely even have room in there for other prisoners. For now, they should remove the people with minor crimes to put in the people with major crime problems. As said in the article, “Drug offenders make up nearly half the federal prison inmates, most of whom are incarcerated for nonviolent trafficking or possession charges” (Madden). Why should drug offenders be in prison and take up space? There should be facilities made where they go in and get help and live their life, not end up in prison. I just don’t think it’s fair, compared to what other crimes there

Isolating non violent people from society is not solving any problems, it is just temporarily ignoring the problem. When these people get out of prison, with a record, nobody wants to hire them and they don’t have anything better to do then to do drugs. In the article “Addiction: The View From Rat Park,” by Professor of Psychology Bruce Alexander does an addiction experiment on rats. First, he placed a lone rat in a cage with regular water and water laced with cocaine or heroin. Almost always the rat would become addicted to the drugged water and eventually overdose and die. But then he placed many rates with colorful balls and tunnels and such. He also gave these rats drugged water and regular water, and the rats barely touched the drugged water. The key is connections and a good environment, not isolation. So, by placing addicts in prison, they will not learn better habits and better ways of life from their pals behind bars. People all over the world-rich and poor alike- are being torn from their family ties. More and more people are spending more and more time alone, therefore they are becoming more and more prone to using some type of drug. we should prepare them for a second

Drug-addicted offenders need to be placed in treatment centers if our society ever wants to put a dent in the monstrosity of drug abuse. Through these treatments and programs addicts can come to terms with their problems and be able to cope

I would have to agree, they shouldn’t criminalize marijuana for medical purposes. I feel that’s equivalent to denying a cancer patient treatment. IF, those who choose to or need this form of medication have the right to take it why punish them for something out of their control. An individual should have to full opportunity to receive medical marijuana as an alternative form of medication. The federal law shouldn’t have the right to punish people whose are handling and managing this drug correctly. I don’t truly understand why they would want to penalize people, who are just trying to ease their pain. I feel situations like these causes a tug-a-war between congress powers vs. state power. In my opinion, medical marijuana can help improve medical

The debate about legalization of drugs (marijuana) is a controversial and divisive issue that has been around for a long time. Even though there are those who fight for its legalization, there are also those who vehemently wage war against it. Former Secretary of Education and a director of National Drug Control William J. Bennett says, “There is a great deal to say about our national drug policy, […] they are against it” (546). Wars on drugs have been going on for decades and many have given up, calling it a lost cause (Bennett 547). Many lives have been cut short due to the use of illicit drugs. The US Department of Justice National Drug Intelligence Center ran a poll in 2002 that concluded that “an estimated 35.1 million people aged 12 or older reported using an illegal drug within the past year; approximately 3.2 million people were drug-dependent or drug abusers” (Hartnett). Those who advocate for the drug to be legalized have their own reasons and believe it will be for the good of everyone. Those who do not agree with the legalization have their reasons as well, believing it will be an adversarial undertaking.

Drugs are a huge problem in the US there are hundreds of people currently addicted to drugs in some states alone and we are trying to solve this problem and whenever a drug addict is caught they are usually sent to prison, tons of people sent to prison when it's not even the best option. Currently, people are completely unaware that rehab is a much better option than prison for drug offenders because it is both economically superior and helps addicts reintegrate into society.

Statistics show that drug abusers repeatedly offend and drug related crime is one reason for prison overcrowding. Lawmakers are making harsher punishments for repeat offenders and punishments for their repeated crimes are harsher than in

“ We realize that drug addiction is a sickness, but it is also a crime” according to Pam Bondi. As we all know drug abuse is a big problem that is not often discussed. The reason we do not discuss it because we tend to hide things that cause a mad image or problem in our society. But the issue is much bigger. The legalization of drugs would improve many things such as how the government would have control over its cost and sales, the decrease of crime rates and the way we treat the people in our community who seek help.

The war on drugs is a never ending viscous cycle. The United States of America spends more than fifty one billion dollars annually on drug related issues (Drug Policy). Sending someone to a prison for drug possession is irrational. Instead of going to prison, the convicted felon should be sent to a rehabilitation center to get help to fight their addiction. This would be cheaper and more effective towards solving the ongoing drug problem in the United States of America. After a series of daily drug tests done over a period of time, the workers can determine if the convict is ready to be released from the rehabilitation center. Their sentence length would be based on their recovery process. The premise would be the faster you recover, the sooner you could get out. Should people be sent to prison for drug possession charges?