Maryland Drug Possession Law Research Paper

Many different states have begun sending nonviolent drug offenders to various kinds of drug treatment program the state offers. By doing this, it has significantly reduced the problems with overcrowding. If an individual is arrested and charged with simple possession of a drug and no other crime is being commented, then this person is doing no harm to anyone else. They should be given the opportunity to try and make a change in their life and beat the addiction. Instead, if this person is thrown into jail, they are still going to be an addict with a criminal record now and will not be able to be a contributing member of society. (Everett 1 ).

The United States has the world's highest incarceration rate. With five percent of the world's population, our country houses nearly twenty-five percent of the world's reported prisoners. Currently there are approximately two million people in American prisons or jails. Since 1984 the prison population for drug offenders has risen from ten percent to now over thirty percent of the total prison population. Federal prisons were estimated to hold 179,204 sentenced inmates in 2007; 95,446 for drug offenses. State prisons held a total of 1,296,700 inmates in 2005; 253,300 for drug offenses. Sixty percent of the drug offenders in prisons are nonviolent and were purely in prison because of drug offenses (Drug War Facts). The question then arises,

At one point in time the high percentage of men and women who are drug

In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, drug use became a major concern for most Americans. As the War on Drugs and “Just Say No” campaign were being thrust into the spotlight by the government and media, the public became more aware of the scope of drug use and abuse in this country. The federal and states’ governments quickly responded by creating and implementing more harsh and punitive punishments for drug offenses. Most of these laws have either remained unchanged or become stricter in the years since then.

supply or offer to supply illegal drugs (including giving them away for free or sharing with others)

In response to the war on drugs, law enforcement started to crack down on misdemeanor drug laws and increased the convictions for possession and soon after the minor drug violations started to flood the jails and prisons. So to resolve the repeat offenders coming back and serving lengthy sentences, the first drug court was established in Miami-Dade County in Florida in 1989. Many more states and counties followed suit including Maryland in 1993. There has been

The Maryland Second Chance Act is a relatively new piece of legislation that authorizes persons to petition the courts to “shield” conviction records for nonviolent misdemeanors (possession of a controlled substance, prostitution, disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, etc.) from

inmates and the use of drugs, such as how is it easier for an inmate whom is

Since the late 19th century, the federal and states governments of the United States have enacted laws and policies to deter the use and distribution of illegal drugs. These laws and policies have not only deemed what drugs are legal and illegal, but have also established penalties for the possession and distribution of these substances and established federal agencies to control drug use and administer drug law enforcement. This essay will not only examine the landmark drug laws and policies established by the federal and state governments, but also the enforcement of drug laws.

There are so many ideas to implement in order to battle drug offenses. Hawaii just like any other States is having hard time battling such drug related crimes. In Hawaii marijuana is not the top drug use its methamphetamine (Ice), its easier to get and cheaper than any other drug. The State of Hawaii has been fighting this war on Meth for sometime now and it has not gotten any better. Those that are on Meth will most likely to commit more crimes than any other drug related use. Some of those crimes while on meth (Ice) are domestic abuse, homicides, and child endangerment, so while thinking of implementing any ideas on the combat on drug crimes one must look at all that is taken away from the use of methamphetamine and how to reinstate them

Only 53% of state and 7% of federal prisoners served sentences for violent crimes in 2013. 59% of females and 50% of males in federal prisons and 24% of females and 15% of males served for drug violations in the same year. By the end of 2013, approximately 16% of prisoners in state prisons were convicted on drug charges. 57.6% of those convicted on drug charges were minorities—African American or Hispanic. As these statistics show, drug policies and other sentencing regulations have resulted in disproportionate imprisonment of minorities and high overall prison populations.

incarceration in the United States. Forty percent of drug arrests are for simple possession of

Drugs can also affect someone’s likelihood to commit crime because of the effects it has on the person while they are under the influence. Drug use can affect an individual’s speed, memory, alertness and reactions. Crimes related to drugs or alcohol may be the result of the effects that the substances have on their thought processes and behaviour which causes them to commit criminal activity.

Boston is being threatened by the increasing use of drug. The number of arrests related to drugs is continuously on the rise. It also implies a huge inestimable underground ‘black market’ of drugs running through the city. Boston’s Mayor Raymond Flynn is looking to take the drug problem head-on. He enforced various ‘anti-drug’ and ‘drug-education’ programmes but quick and substantial profits were increasing drug-trafficking and attracting illegal drug dealers. This time Mayors policy advisor Neil Sullivan and Marc Zegan initiated a research program to create a plan to ‘de-market’ the drug in Boston. Harvard Business School’s four member field study group came up with a research design and analysis.

“At the Federal level, prisoners incarcerated on a drug charge comprise half of the prison population, while the number of drug offenders in state prisons has increased thirteen-fold since 1980. Most of these people are not high-level actors in the drug trade, and most have no prior criminal record for a violent offense.” (sentencingpolicy.org)