The Decriminalization of Drugs: Costs and Benefits to Society The University of Pennsylvania Michael F. Harker March 21, 2009 Criminology 200-401 Instructor: John MacDonald Abstract History In 1973 the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was formed to control drugs in America. Cocaine became popular again towards the end of the 1970’s followed by crack in the 1980’s (DuPont, 1995, p. 463). These two drugs helped to account for a large increase in violence that was spreading like a
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Anthony Soares Professor Minnis English 1A November 9, 2013 The Decriminalization of Drugs It goes without saying that America faces a drug addiction that is beyond anything we could have ever anticipated. It is reported that an estimated 22.5 million Americans suffer from a dependency from a drug of some sort, whether it may be stimulants, depressants or hallucinogens (NIDA 2). However these victims of addiction are often demonized for their condition and are treated as criminals by the infallible
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with their bodys. I believe that every drug should be decriminalized because the decision of taking drug should be up to the person and not the government. A person should not be punished for doing something that they chose to do to themselves. Even if it hurts their body. I know many people that srmoke cannabis on a daily and they are very productive people. Sometimes they blend into regular people so good that you surprised when they tell you that they do drugs. Even when cannabis got legalised in
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Paraphrasing Practice Decriminalization of Marijuana Author: Lucia Pizzo Throughout the early 2000s, many states decriminalized marijuana. Levels of decriminalization varied with regard to the amount of marijuana in possession and whether the drug was for personal use, cultivation, or distribution. By 2010, marijuana had been at least partially decriminalized in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada
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As public attitudes towards drugs begin to change, and the failure that is prohibition slowly dies, the populace is demanding a better drug policy from the state. The status quo of developed nations’ drug policies is prohibition, which has had minimal success to date. It continues to unfairly punish those who choose to use narcotics, and only harming themselves. In 2008, the United Nations estimated that globally, approximately 200 million people took illicit drugs at least once in the past year
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Why the Decriminalization and Legalization of Cannabis Would Improve Canadian Society Criminology 101 - Section 02 Nikaya Mirhadi-Pathon Capilano University Cannabis, the plant from which marijuana is derived, is the most widely used, produced and trafficked drug worldwide (Ducatti Flister, 2012). The decriminalization of marijuana has been a widely debated topic on a global scale as many advocate for it’s therapeutic purposes. In the city of Seattle, there are reportedly more medicinal marijuana
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“Start of Something New” In recent reports from the Los Angeles Times, it is estimated that 100 people die every day from drug abuse or overdose. Abuse or overdose being defined as taking more medicine than a doctor prescribes, or taking medication not prescribed to the victim. These totals don’t even include deaths related to side effects from other prescription drugs, and those reach over one hundred thousand people annually. These numbers have alarmed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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A drug is defined as “chemicals that can affect bodily functions and/or structures” (217). That doesn’t narrow it down, considering many substances are capable of altering our bodies in one way or another, including but certainly not limited to alcohol and nicotine. While many times opinions clash on what is and isn’t a drug, the true moral issues are the following: Is the nonmedical use of drugs OK? And if so, can the state intervene when it comes to usage? To what degree (218)? As far as ethical
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Decriminalization and Legalization of Drugs in Canada The Decriminalization and/ or legalization of drugs is a highly contentious issue regarding political, legal, economic, and social implications. It is also a highly contagious issue that the media cannot seem to cure its self of. Then again the public definitely cares about this issue intensely and so do many politicians whether they are users themselves or just simple supporters (of the tax revenues that legalizing certain narcotics will bring
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Would the development of a medical marijuana industry prove more beneficial to Jamaica? Would the decriminalization of marijuana in order for such an industry to be enacted be economically viable? Other questions to ask ourselves are, what is Decriminalization and how would decriminalization of marijuana help with enacting a medical marijuana industry? According to the Merriam-Webster decriminalization means “to remove or reduce the criminal classification or status of; especially: to repeal a strict
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