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The Decriminalization Of Drugs

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The Decriminalization Of Drugs
In the article, (Gray, 2012); discusses the impossibility of prohibition to ever be enforced, specifically in the means of drugs. As a former judge, Gray has insight into exactly how many people are incarcerated due to the mental disease of drug addiction, and how criminalizing their use does everything but aid our citizens. As the current USA's drug policy has only worsened the problem since 1970, he suggests to create a new policy with ten major goals in mind, focusing on decreasing the harm illicit substances have on our population as well as the harm drug money has on the world. There are logical reasonings given that support that legalizing the distribution of drugs by the government would put dangerous dealers out of business and make …show more content…
First, Laskey explains what the War on Drugs is in regards to the US and the definition of decriminalization. This article shines a light on the many advantages legalizing marijuana as a substance useful in medicinal uses, increasing revenue, and lowering the burden for law enforcement. The revenue that legal marijuana is predicted to bring in on a federal level has been shown to occur in the states that have already legalized this substance. Also, by legalizing marijuana, it would also allow hemp, a marijuana strain with such a little percentage of THC (the compound that allows marijuana to produce a high) to be grown in the US. This is a better substance for many industries. For example, a certain amount of hemp creates much more paper than four times the amount of trees being used for the same product. The opposition to this decriminalization is shown to worry about increased accidents, decreased productivity, and higher healthcare, which would negate any money saved in legalizing marijuana. Particularly related to car accidents, those opposed to the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana are worried due to the fact that there is not yet a good way to measure marijuana intoxication levels, like there is with alcohol and breathalyzer tests (Laskey, 2012). The article shows both the proponents and the opposition to this decision, making the article objective, as well as useful in regard to the research it is being cited for. This article is published in 2015, making it current and in the Salem Press, which is a database used in numerous colleges and schools, making it

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