LEGALISATION OF MARIJUANA

Legalisation of Marijuana

Legalisation of Marijuana

Introduction

This paper is based on the topic of legalisation of Marijuana such as marijuana and cocaine. It is one of the most debated issues in the American society and there are opponents as well as proponents to the issue. But this paper will only focus on the positive side of the argument that legalising the drugs such as marijuana and cocaine would be beneficial for the individuals (Balkin, 2005). Historically, the topic of drug criminahsation and drug legalisation has emerged several times. Usually, the discussion about criminahsation occurs when there is something else happening in the society that is related to drug use and the public believes (perhaps wrongfully) that criminalisation will solve the problem (Fish, 2006). Sometimes the criminalisation helps, sometimes there is no noticeable or immediate effect, and sometimes the criminalisation creates more problems; discussion then ensues regarding undoing the criminalisation. Usually, this discussion centers either on a cost-benefit analysis of the laws or on the morality of drug use and the idea that it should remain illegal, regardless of the costs.

Discussion

Public opinion about drug use and drug abuse is difficult to ascertain. It would be completely impossible to live in an entirely drug-free society in that drugs help alleviate pain and misery, correct organic and social dysfunction, and treat disease. And yet, drug use and abuse can serve to create some of the very conditions that drug therapy seeks to control. Drugs create disease, damage organs and tissue, engenders social and psychological problems, and creates physical and interpersonal pain (Leuw, 2006). Furthermore, drug use and abuse creates, at the social level, crime and criminal activities that the non-drug-abusing members of society deem unacceptable. The use of many drugs represents a crime, irrespective of the individual or social harms done by the drug or by the person under the influence of the drug. So why then is there such considerable and constant interest in the idea of drug legalisation?

Current Issues

Even the most ardent supporters of drug legalisation do not support the total and complete removal of all controls on drug use and possession. Juveniles and others who lack mature reasoning skills must be protected, but limited drug legalisation could yield social and economic benefits far beyond the risks and costs to society (Payne, 2005). There is a great deal of drug use in society, and the majority of these users are adults who use these drugs for purely recreational purposes. This use does not generate thefts or robberies, it does not result in children being abused or neglected, and it rarely serves the interest of the justice system. In the 1970s, recreational drug use was treated with benign neglect by the justice system, and the majority of society had no problem with this unofficial policy (Vallance, 2006).

Today, however, the mere use of drugs creates the threat of adjudication and incarceration even when there is no other harm associated with the behavior because drug use is ...