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 …show more content…
research has shown that CBD (cannabidiol) is therapeutic for many conditions, including (but not limited to) chronic pain, cancer, anxiety, diabetes, epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis, PTSD, sleep disorders, alcoholism, cardiovascular disease, antibiotic-resistant infections, and various neurological ailments.” Medical discoveries for the plant can be confirmed as far back as ancient China, what is more, the Chinese felt the plant was so important to their survival that the Chinese monarchs assigned large shares of land specifically for producing cannabis. (psychologytoday)
America’s war on drugs became more of a government established race war. Once Harry J. Anslinger became a part of the drug campaign, he built the movement on deception and public fear for racism. He was quoted from a testimony to US Congress in an article by the examiner, “There are one hundred thousand total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage, this marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.”
There is a racial inequality in arrests concerning marijuana. Reports gathered by ACLU suggested black Americans are nearly four times more likely to be incarcerated than white Americans for the possession of marijuana, yet both races equally consume the drug. Even in the state of Colorado, where recreational marijuana use is legal up to one ounce per person, the arrests still favor minorities. According to usnews.com, “arrest rates for possession is about 2.4 times higher for blacks than whites.” Though, as a Country, we are making astonishing strides to racial equality concerning drug offenses; we are still far from where we need to be.
Criminalization of marijuana has greatly influenced the prison population in today’s American society.
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.
(norml.org)
Furthermore, America has missed out on many opportunities from the criminalization of marijuana; such prospects as medical advances, economic booms and the rights and freedoms to all of its citizens. Marijuana should not be the poster boy for deviance, for the benefits outweigh the risks.
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 …show more content…
research has shown that CBD (cannabidiol) is therapeutic for many conditions, including (but not limited to) chronic pain, cancer, anxiety, diabetes, epilepsy, rheumatoid arthritis, PTSD, sleep disorders, alcoholism, cardiovascular disease, antibiotic-resistant infections, and various neurological ailments.” Medical discoveries for the plant can be confirmed as far back as ancient China, what is more, the Chinese felt the plant was so important to their survival that the Chinese monarchs assigned large shares of land specifically for producing cannabis. (psychologytoday)
America’s war on drugs became more of a government established race war. Once Harry J. Anslinger became a part of the drug campaign, he built the movement on deception and public fear for racism. He was quoted from a testimony to US Congress in an article by the examiner, “There are one hundred thousand total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage, this marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.”
There is a racial inequality in arrests concerning marijuana. Reports gathered by ACLU suggested black Americans are nearly four times more likely to be incarcerated than white Americans for the possession of marijuana, yet both races equally consume the drug. Even in the state of Colorado, where recreational marijuana use is legal up to one ounce per person, the arrests still favor minorities. According to usnews.com, “arrest rates for possession is about 2.4 times higher for blacks than whites.” Though, as a Country, we are making astonishing strides to racial equality concerning drug offenses; we are still far from where we need to be.
Criminalization of marijuana has greatly influenced the prison population in today’s American society.
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.
(norml.org)
Furthermore, America has missed out on many opportunities from the criminalization of marijuana; such prospects as medical advances, economic booms and the rights and freedoms to all of its citizens. Marijuana should not be the poster boy for deviance, for the benefits outweigh the risks.