Prohibition a Losing Battle against Marijuana
Drug and alcohol prohibition does not work. Thus the prohibition of marijuana is not a good idea at all. For instance, in the 1920s when there was alcohol prohibition in the united states, the Americans still viewed drinking of beer or wine as part of their culture but not a vice. This law proved to be impossible to enforce. For instance, even after the ban, there was widespread of bootlegging and smuggling of beer. The prohibition further led to coming up of many speakeasies that were illegal. This was indeed two times the legal bars which had existed before the prohibition. Thus, people were exposed to even greater risks.
It was also following this prohibition that corruption went high. This is because the law enforcers could accept bribes from bootleggers. Further, organized crime was born. This organized crime was meant to fill the vacuum that was left following the legal industry for alcohol closure. Thus there were increases in homicides in many of the cities within the united states. These came up because of the gang wars and the increased drunkenness that came up due to the use of illegal brews following the prohibition. Thus this prohibition that would have been thought to eliminate drinking only led to spawning of organized crimes, law disrespects and use of hard liquor. It was simply not possible to enforce these laws and thus the prohibition had a massive failure.
This is the same case with marijuana prohibition. Many people in the united states pollution have smoked marijuana in their life. Further, these are responsible people and thus they should not be treated as criminals. Arrests that are associated with marijuana use are also very many and thus this is done at very high costs. Thereby, the society suffers following the costs incurred in the arrests of marijuana users. These are costs that can otherwise be use for violent crimes (NORML, 2011).
Marijuana is also used as a form of medication. It is a therapeutic agent that can be used to lessen cancer, glaucoma or even AIDS symptoms. Thus despite its prohibition, people continue to use it. Arrests of people because of their efforts to obtain medication is also not right. Thus, this prohibition does not serve the interests of the American people at all. Further, locking people in the jails for use of marijuana is a waste of space since they clog the jails and courts and also a waste of the careers of many of the American citizens. This is because the time that they waste in jails would have been otherwise used in developing their careers and thus the economy.
Laws cannot replace the personal responsibilities that people are supposed to take. According to LEAP (2011) drug prohibition is not a remedy to any problem. Though there are various drug gangs and their actions have negative impacts, prohibition is not the solution to this problem. Just as there was alcohol use during the time of alcohol prohibition, the same way people will use drugs even when they have been prohibited to do so. Indeed, the abuse will even be increased since people have the habit of wanting to act against the law. Thus even in drug prohibition, drug gangs still flourish.
A report by the LEAP (2011) revealed that in the united states, there is a drug arrest in every 18 seconds. Thus, the war on drugs is completely failed and “can never be won.” Thus, the policy of having drug users arrested is a cruel one and should be stopped. Furthermore, it is not all the drug users who are violent or involve in gang crimes. The focus should therefore be the arrests of those who participate in criminal activities whether they are under the influence of drugs or not.
According to Roberts (2011), it was only after the prohibition of marijuana that it gained popularity. Thus, because of the popularity that it gained, its widespread use also increased. Despite being prohibited, anyone who wants to get it can easily access the drug. Thus, this prohibition only makes the black market become more popular and the people rich. Teenagers also got to learn about marijuana and today, they can easily get the drug. It is even easier for them to get the drug other than beer since the dealers will not ask for the age of the buyer.
Marijuana is a psychoactive drug and it thus has effects on the functioning of the brain for instance, it affects behavior as well as cognition. The brain is said to develop even up to 21 years of age. Thus, just like there is a minimum drinking age, it should also be so with marijuana. The best thing would be to have control for instance a law that shows the minimum age for the use of marijuana. This can be limited to 21 years. This is so because below this age, the brain is still undergoing some developments and thus its use will have adverse effects on the user. Following the enactment of such a law, drug dealers will not sell drugs to underage children since their operations will be legalized under the law.
The way to avoid or minimize the abuse of marijuana drug would be by offering education to the people. This would involve educating the people on the dangers that are associated with the abuse of the drug. This, other than continually enforcing laws that have proven ineffective would be a better and great step towards the minimization of the use of the drug and the crimes that are associated with drug abuse. Otherwise, prohibition has proved to be ineffective on the fight against marijuana and other drugs and will never be.
References
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, LEAP, (2011). Repeal Prohibition Now! Retrieved on May 2, 2011 from: http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php.
NORML, (2011). NORML Report on Sixty Years of Marijuana Prohibition in the U.S. retrieved on May 2, 2011 from: http://norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4428.
Roberts, C. (2011). Marijuana Prohibition Turns 100 Today. What Is There to Celebrate? Retrieved on May 2, 2011 from: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/04/marijuana_prohibition_100_years.php.
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