The United States spent roughly one billion dollars on marijuana enforcement last year and the Drug Enforcement Agency has proposed a four hundred percent increase in anti-pot spending within the next ten years yet domestic marijuana has only been reduced by ten percent (NORML 2). ... In 1985, MDMA/Ecstasy received massive media attention when a group of people sued the United States Drug Enforcement Agency to try to prevent them from outlawing the drug by placing it on Schedule I (Narconan 2). The Drug Enforcement Agency utilized a law, recently passed in Congress, to put an emergency ban o...

• Word Count: 1264
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The legalization of marijuana would greatly reduce drug violence in cities and reduce spending by law enforcement, as well as helping the American economy. ... Law enforcement costs would be greatly reduced. Marijuana is currently listed under the DEA's drug scheduling list as a schedule 1 drug.... People could now safely pick up their treatment with worrying about being arrested by law enforcement, dealing with drug dealers, or receiving unsafe marijuana that may contain fungus or other foreign toxins. ... Law enforcement spending could be greatly reduced because the number of prisoners ...

• Word Count: 1578
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Through the legalization of marijuana, the Canadian society can benefit through positive effects, including; a control of the marijuana substance; a decrease of usage of both legal and illegal drugs; and an increase in tax revenues, along with a decrease in government spending on drug enforcement and crime. ... By allowing drug users a legal way of stimulating and achieving a similar high, many drug addicts would decrease or all together, stop the practice of using harder drugs, such as cocaine or heroin. ... However, through the legalization of "soft drugs" like marijuana in The Netherlands...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

How much do we spend a year in Drug enforcement? ... The current drug-war strategy is; 75% for "interaction" and enforcement, 15% for education and prevention, 10% for treatment. ... The country has experienced a proven decrease in drug use since it became legal. The total percentage of drug users ages ranging from 10 to 18 years in Holland is now 4% and in the U.S is 12%. 3. ... Crime has decreased and the government has been enjoying a no drug related crimes atmosphere after the legalization of marijuana. ...

• Word Count: 1324
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• Grade Level: High School

The most common drug used today is marijuana. Hemp was originally made illegal not because it was some harmful drug. ... It is often reported that marijuana is a gateway drug. ... If marijuana really were a gateway drug, hard drug use would have gone up, not down. ... It is time to get the government out of drug enforcement." ...

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• Grade Level: High School

When compared to currently available legal substances and drugs such as cigarettes and alcohol, marijuana seems less of a threat then pictured. ... Currently laws enforcing marijuana prohibition further overcrowd our jails and divert scarce public safety resources away from issues and problems that really need attention. Stiffer sentencing on drug offenders has overcrowded jails in the United States so much that violent criminals including murderers have been given earlier releases to make room for guys who've been handed mandatory life terms without the possibility of parole for their "t...

• Word Count: 888
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Some people may feel that this would lead to a sharp increase in its use, but it might be worthwhile because it would reduce the amounts of money spent on government enforcement of current laws, if taxed, it could increase our country's revenue. ... The Canadian government spends $100 million a year enforcing drug laws.4 The criminalization of marijuana does not prevent people from using it, in fact it makes the problem worse. ... (Family Council of Drug Awareness) According to leading doctors, nearly all drugs are toxic and have potentially lethal affects when taken in larg...

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• Grade Level: High School

Marijuana is probably the most popular drug used by people across the country. ... There is also nothing in marijuana that would cause people to use other drugs. ... The deaths in which have been caused by marijuana were not from the drug itself, but from police officers trying to enforce the marijuana laws. ... (Rosenthal, pg.74) Years of researching marijuana prove it is just as safe, if not safer than prescription drugs, and less dangerous than alcohol. ... Not only does the marijuana prohibition make buying pot more dangerous, it exposes people to more dangerous drugs, and violence...

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• Grade Level: High School

To enforce marijuana prohibition, taxpayers shell out an estimated $10 billion annually, with only 734,000 arrests. ... Substance abuse rises wherever the public is tolerant of drug laws. ... They hold charity events annually to raise enough money for drug education. Each year the CNOA tracks bills that would benefit the public on the war on drugs. ... They believe that innocent people die in pain because the drug is illegal. ...

• Word Count: 1235
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

One of the main arguments stopping the decriminalization of marijuana is that it is believed to be a gateway drug. ... Using marijuana may put people, adolescents included, in contact with people who are users and sellers of other drugs. 1) The prohibition of marijuana is the very reason that there is more of a chance for a marijuana user to be exposed to, and urged to try more drugs. 2) So basically what prohibition did was created a mixed drug market, putting consumers in contact with hard drug dealers. 3) Drug use is lesser in Holland where marijuana has been decriminalized; regulatin...

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• Grade Level: High School

Many other countries have also discovered and benefited from this drug. ... He declared it "by far the most useful of drugs in treating painful maladies." ... If this happened, they would have to reclassify the drug to a legal prescription drug provided to people by pharmacies ("Marijuana as Med 6"). ... Government lawyers claim that the Oakland Court system is tampering with its ability to enforce federal drug laws. ... Even voters of Washington D.C. voted to make the drug legal to use. ...

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