Legalization of Marijuana

The question of whether marijuana should or should not be legal has asked for many years. Supporters of legalizing marijuana point to the non-dangerous nature of the drug. Those who favor the ban of marijuana say that it is a gateway drug that leads to other more serious substances. Marijuana has been prohibited since the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. Marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers 7.5 billion dollars annually. Since 1993, there have been over eight million arrests related to the trafficking and use of marijuana Because of harsh federal and state penalties, marijuana offenders today may be sentenced to lengthy jail terms. America is notorious for overcrowded prisons and jails and legalizing marijuana may help to thin the population out. Also when looking at overcrowded prisons, the cost of housing the prisoners must be taken into account. When looking at marijuana prohibition, the sheer economics are mind-boggling. It is estimated that the federal government annually spends more than $3.6 billion dollars on anti-marijuana related activities, yet little evidence indicates this spending accomplishes the government's stated goal of reducing marijuana use. The reduction in anti-marijuana campaigns and enforcement also reduces the deficit that America is facing. Instead of outlawing marijuana, the legalization and taxation of marijuana could greatly reduce the national deficit and open up some new jobs here at home. The resources that could be generated from the repeal of marijuana prohibition could be used in any way that the government decides.

The United States criminal justice system is in dire need of help. Prisons and jails are greatly over-populated, the courts are backed up, and prosecutors are letting guilty criminals go due to a full docket. The increasing population in the jails are due to our policy of who to lock up. Eighty-four percent of the increase in State and Federal prison admissions is among non-violent offenders and a third of the increase is due to incarcerating drug offenders. Marijuana accounts for almost 45% of the drug related arrests in America. The “war on drugs” is increasingly cracking down on non-violent drug offender as well as violent ones. The "war on drugs" has become largely a war on marijuana smokers, and the casualties of this war are the wrecked lives and the destroyed families of the half a million otherwise law-abiding citizens who are arrested each year on marijuana charges.

Marijuana smokers in this country are no different from their nonsmoking peers, except for their marijuana use. Like most Americans, they are responsible citizens who work hard, raise families, contribute to their communities, and want to live in safe, crime-free neighborhoods. They are otherwise law-abiding citizens who live in fear of arrest and imprisonment solely because they choose to smoke marijuana for relaxation instead of drinking alcohol. Marijuana prohibition is a misapplication of the criminal sanction which undermines respect for the law in general and extends government into in appropriate areas of private lives.

The costs associated with housing criminals is always surprising and drug offenders are no different. In the past year, the population in America’s jails and prisons has grown to 6.9 million, including those on probation and parole. A 1999 study showed that 60,000 individuals were behind bars for marijuana use. This cost taxpayers $1.2 billion. Marijuana offenders spend their time in jail just like the violent murders and rapists and we the taxpayers are the ones saddled with the bill. Decriminalizing marijuana may lower taxes by releasing offenders and lowering the population of inmates. The prosecutor’s office would also benefit from the legalization as their schedule would be freed up if only a little. The courts system is busy enough with dealing with other criminals that pose a greater threat to society. Marijuana should not be so high on the prosecutor’s list of important issues.

Legalizing marijuana has many things to offer. Besides freeing up funds to state agencies and city police forces, it also frees up manpower and resources for violent crimes, instead of tying time and money up in chasing a non-violent crime such as marijuana use. There are a larger number of marijuana arrests than all of the violent crimes combined and that is just unacceptable.