Criminalization Of Marijuana Argumentative Analysis

The criminalization of marijuana disregards all logic, yet nonetheless, the United Sates government found a means to outlaw this valuable plant through fear and hate. The Western region of America sought to scape-goat Mexican immigrants, while the Eastern region attacked African Americans. The criminalization of marijuana was essential to the government’s economic campaign to keep the minorities from gaining any advantage. Government wars on cannabis planted the seed of fear in Americans from the start; claiming the drug would turn you into a murdering lunatic, and former President Nixon’s administration turned the fear of marijuana into a legitimate driving force.
Once Richard Nixon labeled cannabis as a schedule one drug, it indicated that it had no medical importance and was a threat to public health. The reasons behind outlawing marijuana do not support the notion that marijuana was criminalized in order to protect American citizen’s health; in fact, throughout history marijuana has shown to have extraordinary medical advantages. According to an online article by Health Impact News, “Scientific
During former President Ronald Reagan’s term, there was a seven hundred and ninety percent increase in prisoners according to the video provided for this essay. The gigantic increase can be contributed mainly to unlawful marijuana possession. Drug offenses are the leading cause of imprisonment in America. Among drug arrests, marijuana possession is the majority cause. Huffington Post claims, “27.6 percent of drug offenders were locked up for crimes related to marijuana.”(huffingtonpost.com) The Bureau of Justice Statistics generated reports concerning arrests related to illicit drugs, particularly marijuana, and they speculated decriminalization of such drugs would save American taxpayers billions, as well as reduce the prison population by millions.