Effectiveness Of The War On Drugs example essay topic

Incarceration rates in the United States are rising at dangerous levels causing great concern for the future of corrections. Legislators are being provoked by negligent public opinion to adopt a "get tough" attitude on all types of crime, despite the fact it has been proven incarceration rate and crime rate are not inversely proportional. Criminologists have looked toward technological advances in surveillance and modern correctional facilities to combat overcrowded prisons. However, the solution lies in philosophy rather than technology. Problems arise when attempting to implement high-tech security systems. Modern security can be just as costly current methods of imprisonment.

There also is the issue of privacy. Systems like "Big Brother" and controlled communities are unconstitutional and intrude in the lives of law abiding citizens as well as criminals. Even if privacy issues are ignored, there still is the question of efficiency. There is no way to tell how effective technological solutions will be. The government's War on Drugs has lead to an unprecedented number of petty criminal arrests, leading to dramatic overcrowding in prisons. This so called war has raised the scale of imprisonment and caused more problems then it has solved.

It is obvious that some deadly drugs must be kept off the streets, but it is ignorant to classify marijuana in the same category as cocaine, ecstasy, and heroin. Smoking marijuana has been proven to be relatively safe, and does not possess the addictive qualities of other drugs or even alcohol. Many supporters of pot prohibition have exaggerated dangers of the drugs effects with poorly researched studies and false media claims. Fundamentalist Christian belief that use of any illegal drug is evil has given recreational marijuana use a bad name. Many surveys have shown that among people who have used marijuana, a large majority do not still use the drug. In 1993, among Americans age 12 and over, about 34% had used marijuana sometime in their life, but only 9% had used it in the past year, 4.3% in the past month, and 2.8% in the past week (Zimmer n. p.

). Even those who still smoke have managed to do it in a way that does not have negative effects on their lives and may in some ways enhance them. Even politicians, including former president Bill Clinton, have admitted to smoking pot in their lives. It doesn't make sense that something so many Americans have done before is still illegal.

Effects of marijuana have been disputed by scientists for many years, but there are some certainties about the mysterious plant. It rarely leads to violence, you can not realistically overdose from smoking marijuana, and it is less addictive than alcohol, cigarettes, and even caffeine. Marijuana can be used for medicinal purposes, and is currently utilized in some states. It can cure nausea, relieve eye pressure of glaucoma victims, and ease pain in people suffering from multiple sclerosis. Incarceration for marijuana is highly excessive and unnecessary.

The effectiveness of the War on Drugs can be questioned because even after a drug offender is convicted and sent to prison there is little rehabilitation programs and drugs are relatively accessible inside of prison. Alternatives to incarceration exist, and some other countries have implemented them. In the Netherlands, marijuana is completely legal for adults and is sold in coffee shops. Although the idea is radical, the organized legalization has lead to a separation of the "soft" and "hard" drug markets and a decrease in cocaine and heroin use among youths. In Britain, a "seizure and warn" policy has been adopted where incarceration for marijuana has been replaced by confiscation accompanied with a warning.

The reclassification of pot to a lower level drug has given police in Britain more time to concentrate on more serious and dangerous crimes. Canada has opened its doors to medicinal marijuana, and is leaning towards a policy much like Britain's. If marijuana were legalized it could be taxed by the government, much like cigarettes, and provide funding for education programming to teach children about effects of drugs. Educating youth about drugs will help individuals make up their own minds about whether or not to experiment with pot.

Making marijuana legal will not necessarily lead to a large increase in its use because people may still feel the drug is morally wrong although it is no longer illegal. Legalization will shift capital from black market sales to the honest U.S. economy. In the U.S. decriminalization of marijuana may be an unlikely solution, but measures can be taken towards lowering the scale of imprisonment for marijuana offenses. In replacement of incarceration, drug offenders should be given fines, community service, or rehabilitation. A seizure and warn policy could help decrease prison population without promoting the use of marijuana. Incarceration is ineffective in rehabilitating drug users, but if fines or community service was implemented at least the offender would be forced to give back something to society.

Rehabilitation programs have varying levels of success, but they are much more goal oriented than incarceration and promote citizen building. Although decreasing scale of imprisonment for marijuana offenses will not completely solve the problems our correctional policy has, it is a step in the right direction. The get tough on crime attitude has perpetuated itself for too long, and the War on Drugs needs to be put to an end. The war is one being fought for an unworthy cause. Criminal-defense attorney and author of Marijuana Law, Richard Glen Boire put it best by saying, "I have become convinced that the constitutional rights created to protect us against runaway government are being sacrificed in the War on Drugs.

The Cannabis plant is not evil; arbitrary government is. It is time to change our way of thinking about drugs. Long after the hysteria has subsided, we will be left not with a drug-free society, but rather with a less-free society.".