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War on Drugs:

Drug Cartels-10 vs. Government-0

The controversy on the legalization of marijuana is becoming a bigger discussion

amongst governments everywhere in the U.S. Most people in the U.S. agree that

marijuana should be legalized, even people who have never once considered smoking the

drug. Why? Well, more than likely they are normal taxpayers and think all that money is

a total loss. We are obviously losing this war against drugs and we are going down with

it. We are feeding and supporting everything that is going on in Mexico if we don’t

legalize it. This can only continue to get worse. For instance, a child who is violent and

harmful, he bullies other kids around and neither his parents or his teachers do something

about it, he will continue getting worse and grow up thinking that all he is doing is okay.

I strongly think marijuana should be legalized for the sake of the economy and to end the

war on drugs.

Marijuana is being accepted by many people, not only by the users but by people

in the government too. People are worried about drinking and driving and how it can take

away a life, but no one really knows the effects of driving high (Schafer). Research hasn’t

been conducted to accurately know what can happen when people are high. Marijuana

has different levels potencies. In my opinion I think researchers should gather a group of

people they should all be given a joint with different potencies and tested for various

activities. In that manner we will truly be able to 9know what effect it has on people. Not

only are people questioning the effect but government officials as well:

Congressmen Ron Paul and Barney Frank introduced a bill that would let

states decide their own marijuana policies without federal intrusions; this
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was not just about medical marijuana polices. The Marijuana Policy

Project(MPP)- a cannabis advocacy organization in the United States-

hand lobbied Congress for five years to initiate the legislation, which

MPP helped to draft. At least 21 House members are sponsoring this

legislation, as of today (Maity).

Many government officials are starting to agree with Ron Paul and Barney Frank. There’s

definitely a purpose for this; they wouldn’t have 21 House members agree if it wasn’t

true that legalization of marijuana is to our advantage. The number of dispensaries are

now growing as well there are a total of 44 dispensaries in New Mexico, Maine, New

Jersey, and Washington D.C. (Maity). If it were that harmful would dispensaries for its

distribution to the sick be opening up as they are? Would so many government official

start to agree with the process of its legalization? Every country is thinking twice about

legalizing marijuana (Mugisha). In Connecticut people in possession of half an ounce of

marijuana are fined 150 dollars; in Arkansas people in possession of 4 ounces will serve a

year of probation where as previously they would serve a year in jail and a 1,000 dollar

fine (Maity). The punishment for being in possession is going down at an increasing rate.

Less is being done about those who are in possession because more and more people are

considering its legalization and find all the money used for jails and prisons as a waste.

“Prisons still open their arms to people caught trading or using marijuana but the trend

seems to be taking a new twist with very many governments having legalized it and many

others in the process of legalizing the use of marijuana (Mugisha).”

Despite the fact that some government officials agree that marijuana should be

legalized, it still isn’t approved by all. The White House has rejected about 7 petitions
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including one which earned 75000 signatures and it was based on legalizing marijuana in

a similar way to alcohol (“White House Rejects Petition”). Although some people of the

government are agreeing on legalizing other government officials are not giving in to the

idea of it being legal. Obama told his policymakers their decisions should be based on

scientific facts not on politics or ideas (“White House Rejects Petition”). They are

conducting research to better know its effect before it is legal and if they were to legalize

it, it would probably be for medical purposes. “Like many, we are interested in the

potential marijuana may have in providing relief to individuals diagnosed with certain

illnesses…That’s why we ardently support ongoing research into determine what

components of the marijuana plant can be used as medicine…” (“White House Rejects

Petition”). If considering legalization many would just consider it for medical purposes

and it probably wouldn’t be legalized for regular use. This is because they believe it will

lead to the legalization of more things (Mugisha). They may also think it would really

harm the U.S. as to the rate of deaths, or crime rates. “A taxi driver will be able to access

all kinds of drugs he wants and even have the rights to brag about which is the best,

school kids will have easy access to these drugs since they will roam abound without halt,

and so on.” I find this point a bit ridiculous, and I will make the comparison to alcohol:

people who work don’t go to work drunk or even drink while they work unless allowed

(which in most cases it isn’t) if they do happen to be drunk, or drinking in work they are

immediately sent home and fired. Even then alcohol can in some ways be more

dangerous for instance it makes some people very aggressive (Klein). I personally have

never seen or smoked marijuana neither do I drink, but having a father who drinks I know

it can in fact make people very aggressive and having friends at school who talk about
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marijuana all of them say it makes people very mellow and calm. “The numbers change

dramatically when the potential harm associated with the substances is considered, said

Dr. Larder. Tobacco accounts for 17 percent of all deaths in the population, alcohol

accounts for four percent, while all illegal drug use accounts for .8 percent (Schafer).”

The numbers truly are astonishing taking into account that all illegal drugs are only .8

meaning cocaine, meth, heroine, ecstasy, etc. I believe marijuana isn’t as harmful as

people think it to be I mean never once was beer considered as medicine or tobacco. In

my opinion marijuana should be legalized but in a similar way to alcohol. “Legalization

advocates argue that the government could require THC content labels on marijuana,

much like alcohol is labeled, so users could regulate their intake (Alhers and Meserve).”

“The government was announcing that the average potency of marijuana outside the

fence has reached a landmark record level (Alhers and Meserve).” This in fact is very

true but it doesn’t have to be that way. Marijuana should have a THC level set by the

government that is okay even while driving, it shouldn’t be allowed in school or work,

and if consumed in excess people should be fined and thrown in jail.

Fig. 1. The cartoon shows that while the government is focused on marijuana many other

things are going on (Wuerner, M.).

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As I mentioned earlier many government officials are not for the legalization of

marijuana, but as they are focused on stopping all of this many other things are going on

that are far more harmful than weed. I find it ridiculous how much importance they are

paying to this when it truly isn’t as harmful as they think it is. I honestly believe their

effort to stop it is just making it a much greater war that we are obviously losing (see fig.

1).

It’s definite we, the taxpayers, are losing the war on drugs, and the effort is

costing us a fortune considering nothing good has yet to result from this. It’s a war

between the U.S. government officials and drug dealers. The government is obviously

losing, and it’s costing them more than what they can afford. Jail, court, and the black

market is costing them a lot for something that isn’t any more harmful than tobacco and

alcohol (Moffatt). We are people who may not agree with the government but

unfortunately their choice is forced upon us. They may not take into consideration how

many people out there in the U.S. are paying large amounts of taxes for something they

don’t fully agree with. The numbers are dramatic. “We spend $68 billion per year on

corrections, and one third of those being corrected are serving time for nonviolent drug

crimes (Klein).” It is obvious and a bit crazy that so much money is going into taking

nonviolent drug related “criminals” to jail and prison. For 5 years the “National Youth

Anti-Drug Media Campaign” received about $186 million from taxpayers, but the pro-

use organization has made an effort to eliminate it. The 23rd of December Obama got rid

of funding the ads (Maity). Even our president got rid of that funding because it’s

obviously a waste of money that can be used for a lot more; our money is paying for

something that is failing. Let me put it this way we are paying billions of dollars in taxes
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to fight drug use but the use of drugs is still increasing so it’s like we are putting all this

money in a pile and setting fire to it. “ ‘It’s maddening that the administration wants to

continue failed prohibition policies that do nothing to reduce drug use and succeed only

in funneling billions of dollars into the pockets of the cartel and gangs that control the

illegal market,’ said Franklin a Baltimore narcotics officer” (“White House Rejects

Petition”).

Not only are we losing money but the environment is also being harmed by the

illegal growth of marijuana. Growing marijuana illegally indoors is very bad for the

environment due to the fact that the light used consumes a lot of energy and carbon

footprints have high numbers as well. If it was legal it would be grown out doors, with

the natural sun light needed for the process. Therefore, being a lot more beneficial for the

environment (Scheer and Moss). Growing marijuana legally would help because people

such as environmentalist would make growers have rules as to the use and disposal of

toxins and any required substances (Scheer and Moss). This is just another benefit of

legalizing marijuana and to prove it’s not only our pockets that are suffering but mother

nature as well. All that is happening is the government isn’t approving the legalization we

are paying a lot of taxes that are going to practically nothing and cartels are becoming

more violent. “The price of marijuana is lower, there is greater potency and wider usage,

and there is increased gang violence related to the provision and selling of drugs in

general, said Dr. Larder (Schafer). This may not be seen by everyone but by the people

who live in a border town, me being one of them, it’s obvious and what is going across

the border is very scary. We are funding gang violence for Mexico people are dying

because of it all this could change if only it were legal. “Obviously, marijuana can be
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abused. But the cost of criminalization has proved to be enormous, perhaps

unsustainable. Would legalization be any worse (Klein)?”

Legalizing marijuana will help the economy remarkably which is what we, the

taxpayers, need. “It is estimated that pot is the largest cash crop in California, with annual

revenues approaching $1.4 billion in California alone (Klein).” The number speaks for

itself it is a big profit for people in California why not have that around the U.S.? “The

study estimates that the average price of 0.5 grams (a unit) of marijuana sold for $8.60 on

the street, while its cost of production was only $1.70. In a free market, a $6.90 profit for

a unit of marijuana would not last for long (Moffatt).” It’s astonishing the amount of

money drug cartels receive they are running the best profitable business. Not only is all

the consumers money going to criminals across the border but our money is going to

waste with all the government efforts that are obviously not working. The government is

so worried trying to stop everything going on with marijuana that so many other things

are going on and they don’t realize it (see fig. 1). They are so caught up in something

that may not be as bad as they make it seem. It’s something we can benefit from

obviously if not for medical reasons but government officials really need to open their

eyes and get a reality check for all that is going on. It is something easy for us to notice

because we live along the border and it definitely is a big problem that honestly shouldn’t

be a problem at all. If we considered the cost of street marijuana and transferred revenue

from produces and marketers to the government, leaving out transportation, marketing,

and advertising costs, this would ass up to 2 billion dollars (Moffatt). “Mexican drug

cartels now control about 90 percent of the marijuana smuggled into the United States…

(Ahlers and Meserve)” All this profitable money can be used for so much and the money
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we pay on taxes can also be used for a lot I truly don’t understand why the government

officials are waiting. Jobs would increase. Instead of having so many young teens

dropping out of school to work for these cartels crossing the drug and such they can get

an education to cultivate the land. They would have to actually get an education jobs for

transportation would also increase. The companies would also need people with brains

and good educations to be in charge of the marketing and manufacturing.

Marijuana’s benefits outnumber the harms. It’s about time the government looks

into it and takes it into deep consideration that marijuana isn’t what they make it seem

they don’t know the effects of it but they should do research on it. Most people agree to it

not being as bad as alcohol or tobacco and the numbers prove to be true. It would

positively affect our economy and especially now that things are bad. Money and time

are being wasted and people are getting frustrated. The war on drugs is not succeeding if

it’s doing something is adding more fuel to the fire that has already been started. I am for

it’s legalization and more and more people are thinking alike. If we want all this riot to

end legalizing marijuana is the fastest answer and not only will it stop the problems but it

will give us many benefits.