Battles against Legalization of Marijuana

Battles against Legalization of Marijuana

Introduction

Before the 20th century, cannabis plants in the U.S. were relatively unregulated, and marijuana was a common ingredient in medicines. Recreational use of marijuana was thought to have been introduced in the U.S. early in the 20th century by immigrants from Mexico. In the 1930s, marijuana was linked publicly in several research studies, and via a famed 1936 film named "Reefer Madness," to crime, violence, and anti-social behavior.

Many believe that objections to marijuana first rose sharply as part of the U.S. temperence movement against alcohol. Others claim that marijuana was initially demonized partly due to fears of the Mexican immigrants associated with the drug. In the 21st century, marijuana is illegal in the U.S. ostensibly due to moral and public health reasons, and because of continuing concern over violence and crime associated with production and distribution of the drug.

Marijuana legalization, for any purpose, remains a non-starter in the Obama Administration. It is not something that the President and I discuss; it isn't even on the agenda. Attorney General Holder issued very clear guidelines to U.S. Attorneys about the appropriate use of Federal resources. He did not open the door to legalization.

Discussion

I think Drug use imposes an unacceptable risk of harm on the user and others. The evidence supporting this viewpoint is chilling:

Substance abuse wrecks families: A survey of state child-welfare agencies found substance abuse to be one of the top two problems exhibited by 81 percent of families reported for child maltreatment. Researchers estimate that chemical dependence is present in at least half of the families involved in the child welfare system. One study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that non-drug users who live in households where drugs are used are eleven times more likely to be killed than individuals from drug-free households(Goldstein, 1994).

Drug-dependent persons are to blame for a disproportionate percentage of our nation's brutal and income-generating misdeeds like robbery, burglary, or theft. National Institute of Justice surveys consistently find that between one-half and three-quarters of all arrested persons have drugs in their system at the time of arrest.

In 1997, a third of state prisoners and about one in five federal prisoners said they had committed the crimes that led to incarceration while under the influence of drugs;

Injection-drug users place themselves at great risk: A University of Pennsylvania study of Philadelphia injection-drug users ...