Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

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.

President Nixon first declared the “war on drugs” on June of 1971. This came after heavy drug use during the 1960s. New York in particular, had a rise in heroin use. After Nixon’s declaration, states began decriminalizing the possession and distribution of marijuana and other drugs. Many small drug offences led to a mandatory fifteen years to life. This Drug War has led to an increase of incarceration rates since. One of the earliest laws that followed Nixon’s announcement were the Rockefeller Drug Laws that to not only failed to deter crime but also lead to other problems in the criminal justice system. With the Rockefeller Drug Laws came heavy racial disparity of those incarcerated for drug related crimes. Although the Obama Administration has begun reforms, the new President Elect Trump’s views may bring all the efforts back down.

This paper will look at the benefits and drawbacks to legalizing marijuana by looking in at Colorado.The state made forty million dollars by taxed marijuana in 2014 alone, also Colorado saved countless millions because of the extremely lower amounts of marijuana arrest and court cases. It is not clear how having new recreational marijuana stores opening will affect the cannabis market, or businesses expanding around them. Gov. John Hickenlooper says that the economy is thriving with record setting numbers of tourists (73.1 million). 49 percent of those tourist said that legal marijuana influenced their decisions to vacation in Colorado. The ER’s in Colorado have also seen a rise in numbers of marijuana related cases and those cases in non-residents have almost doubled. An unexpected situation that arose from legal cannabis was the amount of electricity that is being use to grow the drug. Some cannabusinesses have to go green with solar or wind power. There are many varying views on the effects of legal marijuana have developed in Colorado since marijuana became legal in 2014.

Ronald Reagan was not only a master of foreign policy, but was also skillful with his domestic policy as well, such as his handling of illegal drug use within the United States. Reagan began his administration’s “war on drugs” in October 1982 (Glass). On that date he declared that illegal drugs and their production and transportation were hurting America (Glass). From then on, he made it clear that his administration would act against illegal drugs, and would do what it could to stop their influence. Congress, Reagan’s Vice President George H.W. Bush, and even his wife all put forth great contributions to the fight against illegal drugs. Ronald Reagan began to take action of his own in September 1986 when he helped to put forth and effectively pass Executive Order 12564 (Drug-Free Federal Workplace). The order was intended to create a drug-free work environment for every worker in America, and made it the law to not use drugs while at a workplace (Drug-Free Federal Workplace). Also, he signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988 into law (Anti-Drug Abuse Act). The Anti-Drug Abuse Act created different types of minor and major penalties for drug offenses, and also created the

Background: The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 established the federal prohibition of marijuana. Dr. William C. Woodward of the American Medical Association testified against the Act, arguing that it would ultimately prevent any medicinal use of marijuana. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 established five categories, or "schedules," into which all illicit and

The number of people behind bars for nonviolent drug law offenses increased from 50,000 in 1980, to over 400,000 by 1997. In 1985, the proportion of Americans polled who saw drug abuse as the nation’s “number one problem” was just 2 to 6 percent. The figure grew through the 1980s until it reached a remarkable 62 percent in 1989, after Reagan’s Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 appropriated $1.7 billion to fight the drug crisis. The bills most consequential action was the creation of mandatory minimum penalties for drug offenses. Mandatory minimums became increasingly criticized over the years for promoting significant racial disparities in the prison population. Additionally, the increasingly harsh drug policies also blocked the expansion of syringe access programs and other harm reduction policies to reduce the rapid spread of

This legislation has also created a lasting impact on drug social policies that have followed after its passage, but there is growing discontent with that laws vested authority that lies in the Drug Enforcement Agencies sole regulatory power to control the scheduling of drugs. Health care organizations must continue to comply with existing legislation and attempt to respond to local concerns, as more states complicate the legal landscape that health care organizations operate in through the passage of medical marijuana laws. The Controlled Substances Act 1970 is a significant piece of persisting legislation that affects both health care organizations and American social

The Executive Office clearly faced the daunting task of stemming the tide of a growing crime rate that included and alarming rate of homicides. Uniquely spearheaded by the intent of creating an environment that is both safe for the public and drug free. Previous Presidential policies have utterly failed. Unfortunately, the War on Drugs targeted the drug user and drug distributor (dealer) in the same manner and the group that was effected the most was the African American communities. The systemic limitations that the oppressed and disenfranchised minority populations operate in on a daily basis is biased; and the War on Drugs racialized the law enforcement and criminal justice system approach to litigation for nonviolent drug offenders. Specifically targeting drugs that are most likely to be used by people of color, marijuana and crack cocaine. Statistically significant results yield that from 1990 to 2002 eighty-two percent of all illegal controlled substance related incarcerations

Lately it seems that drug policy and the war on drugs has been in the headlines quite a lot. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the policies that the United States government takes against illegal drugs are coming into question. The mainstream media is catching on to the message of organizations and individuals who have long been considered liberal "Counter Culture" supporters. The marijuana question seems to be the most prevalent and pressed of the drugs and issues that are currently being addressed. The messages of these organizations and individuals include everything from legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, to full-unrestricted legalization of the drug. Of course, the status quo of vote seeking politicians and

Undoubtedly, O. Hayden Griffin III (2013) argues “[…] the Supreme Court has had a profound effect on drug policy through the institution’s interpretation of federal drug legislation, which ostensibly will continue into the future” (O. Hayden Griffin III, 2013, p.677). O. Hayden Griffin III (2013) demonstrates that the drug policy in the United States is based on the Supreme Court’s interpretation of current drug legislation. Additionally, O. Hayden Griffin III (2013) made an argument regarding marijuana stating “despite the decision of the Office of the Attorney General, federal legislation regarding marijuana has not been altered and […] change in presidential administration could result in a change in policy” (O. Hayden Griffin III, 2013, p.676). Furthermore, O. Hayden Griffin III (2013) demonstrates that in the future the possibly of having marijuana policies be altered by the next presidential administration.

In 1988, Reagan created the Office of National Drug Control Policy to coordinate drug-related legislative, security, diplomatic, research and health policy throughout the government. Agency directors were dubbed “drug czars” by the media. In 1993, President Bill Clinton raised the post to Cabinet-level status. Ronald Reagan prior, in 1982 deemed drug use “a threat to national security.” President Reagan is mostly known for the term “war on drugs” but it was actually President Richard M.

On the June 17, 1971, President Nixon declared a “War on Drugs.” During the Nixon’s announcement of the war, he declares that the number one enemy to the country was drug abuse among its citizens. A product of President Nixon’s battle with drugs was the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). At the time, marijuana became a public issue among the parents of the country because of its high use among

When employees leave under the Family Medical Leave Act and use medical marijuana method to treat his or her treatment, the employer faces greater chances of conflict between workplace and state policy. For example, the employer who randomly drug tests, and upon an employee’s return from FMLA leave for treatment of medical illness such as cancer, employee tests show positive for marijuana. In that case, the employer, who is unaware of the specific treatments the employee took for her symptoms, terminates the employee for violation of the company drug policy. Although the employee took lawful FMLA leave and treated her symptoms lawfully under state law, her positive drug test directly conflicted with a lawful drug-free workplace policy. According

Marijuana usage is a topic that has been discussed for some time now but the recent medical and recreational legalization of this drug has brought about a new area of unchartered territory. The business industry will have to revise many of their employment and safety requirements. After viewing some current policies many businesses are likely to be forced to established new protocols for intra and inner state practices. There are many types of complications as to why the marijuana usage laws should stay at the federal level and not within the state.

Cannabis, formally known as marijuana is a drug obtained from the tops, stems and leaves of the hemp plant cannabis. The drug is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. Only substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are used more (“Marijuana” 1). In the U. S. where some use it to feel “high” or get an escape from reality. The drug is referred to in many ways; weed, grass, pot, and or reefer are some common names used to describe the drug (“Marijuana” 1). Like most drugs, marijuana has a very long history. People have been using the plant around the world for thousands of years. The oldest record of the marijuana plant dates back to 2727 B. C. in China where the plant was used as a medical herb for treating conditions like rheumatism, gout, malaria and even absent-mindedness (“Cannabis, Coca, & Poopy: Nature’s Addictive Plants” 1). Slowly, the plant started spreading around the world. By 1545, cannabis was starting to appear throughout the western worlds. Being introduced to South America by the Spanish to be used as fiber. The crop also had many other common uses around the world. In North America, cannabis was often used to make paper, ropes, clothing and other materials (“The Origins of Cannabis” 1).