The war on drugs research paper analysis
National Prominent Drug Related Issue
A Discussion of National Drug Policy
The United States has been regulating and criminalizing the use of drugs for over a century. In recent decades, this effort became what is referred to as a “war on drugs.” However, this “war” has become largely unpopular with the American people. The federal government is spending over twenty-two billion dollars alone on a so-called war that 76% of the population view as a failure (Head, N.d.). Since the time that Richard Nixon first declared war on drugs in the late 1960s to the present day the so-called war has become so unpopular that President Obama has become the first President that has stopped referring to the criminalization of drugs as a “war.” ”
One of the most divisive substances in the drug trade has been marijuana. Representatives in many states have already determined that cannabis has many medical uses and have approved marijuana to be prescribed to patients by their doctors. The body of evidence that focuses on the medical uses of cannabis continues to grow and it is reasonable to suspect that the potential medical uses will continue to grow. The American Medical Association has publically stated that (AMA, N.d.):
“Our AMA urges that marijuana’s status as a federal Schedule I controlled substance be reviewed with the goal of facilitating the conduct of clinical research and development of cannabinoid-based medicines, and alternate delivery methods. This should not be viewed as an endorsement of state-based medical cannabis programs, the legalization of marijuana, or that scientific evidence on the therapeutic use of cannabis meets the current standards for a prescription drug product.”
In fact, marijuana is often compared to alcohol which is already legal. The World Health Organization (WHO) found 3.3 million deaths in 2012 were attributed to alcohol consumption and a comparative assessment published in Scientific Reports found alcohol to be 114 times more deadly than marijuana (Castillo, 2015).
The views on marijuana are rapidly changing within the general public. Compared to 1969, when only 12% supported legalizing pot, the majority of Americans today support legalizing recreational use of the drug. Sixteen states have decriminalized the possession of marijuana — it is not legal in these states, however there is not criminal consequences to possessing the drug (Bloom, 2015). Furthermore, It is legal to purchase marijuana in four states — Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington — as well as in the District of Columbia (Stebbins, 2015). For a drug that is classified as a class I substance, it is becoming widely accepted in the American culture.
The war on drugs has become unpopular with the majority of Americans. The criminalization of drugs has become on the biggest issues that fills prisons; more than half of the federal prisoners in the U.S. have been convicted on drug related crimes. Many families have personally had their lives affected by this policy. Even among the families that have had no interactions, directly or indirectly, with drug enforcement operations, still are affected by the policies through their tax dollars and the use of public funding to arrest, prosecute, and house criminals that have been convicted on drug charges. Furthermore, there is growing evidence from other countries that legalization is an effective way to combat drug abuse. For example, health experts in Portugal have stated that Portugal’s decision 10 years ago to decriminalize drug use and treat addicts rather than punishing them is an experiment that has worked and there is no doubt that the phenomenon of addiction is in decline in Portugal (Kain, 2011).
In my opinion, it does not seem like the United States would ever be able to institute progressive drug policies to the extent that countries like Portugal have. However, this does not mean that the U.S. cannot still make significant improvements. The improvements to drug policy will have to be made incrementally. For instance, the ideal place to start would most likely be marijuana. The country needs to reclassify the drug relative to the latest research and it is reasonable to suspect that if they did this then it would not be a class I drug that is in the same category as heroine. The U.S. could start addressing the overpopulation of the prison system by reducing sentences that have resulted from marijuana convictions. If this is successful, then the system could work to take more common sense approaches to other substances as well and focus more on treatment than criminalization.
References
AMA. (N.d.). History of the American Medical Association (AMA) and Marijuana. Retrieved from ProCon.org: http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000088
Bloom, S. (2015, July 2). States Where Marijuana Is Legal, Decriminalized or Medicalized. Retrieved from Celebstoner: http://www.celebstoner.com/news/marijuana-news/2013/08/23/marijuana-laws-nationwide/
Castillo, S. (2015, May 6). Marijuana vs. Alcohol: The Effects Psychoactive Drugs Have On Physical And Mental Health. Retrieved from Medical Daily: http://www.medicaldaily.com/marijuana-vs.-alcohol-effects-psychoactive-drugs-have-physical-and-mental-health-332094
Head, T. (N.d.). Key Facts About the War on Drugs. Retrieved from Civil Liberties: http://civilliberty.about.com/od/drugpolicy/p/War-on-Drugs-Facts.htm
Kain, E. (2011, July 5). Ten Years After Decriminalization, Drug Abuse Down by Half in Portugal. Retrieved from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2011/07/05/ten-years-after-decriminalization-drug-abuse-down-by-half-in-portugal/
Stebbins, S. (2015, September 16). The next 11 states that will legalize marijuana. Retrieved from Market Watch: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-next-11-states-that-will-legalize-marijuana-2015-09-16