Nonetheless, does legalization of illegal products, such as drugs, diminish black market activity? James Q. Wilson, a former professor at UCLA and Harvard, stated in one of his columns “Our federal drug laws are irrational,” readers then demanded him that we should solve this problem by legalizing drugs (Wilson). It would be so simple and easy if the legalization of drugs could only work to solve our nation’s black market drug problem. However, this has not worked in any of the cases that have been tried. In Colorado, where marijuana is legal, growers were growing marijuana and shipping it to other states where it is illegal. Even though it is legal in nine states, these growers are still selling it on the black market to avoid the legal regulation …show more content…
Our Government should not legalize illegal black market drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine because it does not diminish the black market’s drug organization, it only makes it easier for them to not get caught and easier for the population to access these drugs.
If legalization of dangerous drugs such as cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin occurs, they will become cheaper to buy and that will make it so much easier for users to get the product. Now if illegal drugs became legal and the price becomes cheaper, anybody could get these highly dangerous drugs. Many of the American population would oppose this idea because it is a possible harm to their lives and others. While the black market sells these chemicals for more money, the prices there are also becoming cheaper. Moreover, many who think that legalization will stop the black market from selling products because the price is lower is wrong, that is not the case. In Colorado, marijuana growers were caught selling marijuana to people in states where the drug is illegal. They do this to avoid the
Proponents on the legalization of drugs believe if drugs were to become legal; the black market worth billions of dollars would become extinct, drug gangsters would disappear, addicts would stop committing crimes to support their habit and the prison system would not be overwhelmed with a problem they cannot defeat. The decriminalization of drugs will only make illegal drugs cheaper, easier to get and more acceptable to use. “The U.S. has 20 million alcoholics and alcohol misusers, but only around 6 million illegal drug addicts. If illegal drugs were easier to obtain, this figure would rise”(Should Drugs be decriminalized? No.November 09, 2007 Califano Joseph A, Jr).”
is wasted on a cause that there seems to be no end to.” In 1989, a
In 2015, 1,488,707 people in the United States were arrested on drug charges. Nearly 84 percent of those arrest were for possession only. As one can imagine these arrest impact the American justice system greatly. Within America's prisons in 2010 more than half of all inmates were serving time based on drug related charges. The prisons within America are greatly overcrowded, and I believe that decriminalizing drug use could offer assistance in this situation.
According to Kristof (2009), the legalization of drugs is another solution to drug trafficking. With drugs more readily available, at lower prices and higher levels of potency many law enforcement personal and politicians favor legalization of drugs. While other experts favor keeping drug production and sell illegal, but decriminalizing possession. Either way if it is legalize it must be regulated. According to Kristof (2009), the United States have inquired three consequences due to the failure of “The War on Drugs”, increased population in jails, empowered criminals and terrorists, and squandered resources that cannot be replaced. With that said, why continue down a road were the drug problem is not getting resolved. Before drugs were prohibited, usage levels were lower among cocaine and heroin users, and states with legalized marijuana have not seen an increase in consumption, according to Kristof
As a nation we face a serious enemy that is not on foreign soil but here at home. The drug problem in this country has truly affected many lives and families. This enemy has no limits and affects our domestic tranquility. All drugs should not be legalized because they have the ability to impair judgment and do much bodily harm. Drugs have been a dark shadow lingering over our country for many years. In recent years, the heroine epidemic has spread throughout the nation; it has taken many lives and hurt many families along the way.
We should decriminalize drugs in the U.S. instead of legalizing them. Decriminalization refers to the lessening of criminal penalties of certain acts. According to De Marneffe, “… the legalization of drugs … [is] the removal of criminal penalties for the manufacture, sale, and possession of large quantities of recretational drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine” (346).
On January 1st the states of Colorado and Washington officially began the regulation of legal marijuana sales. Thousands of people from all over the country including tourists from Wisconsin, Ohio, Chicago, and even Georgia lined up out front of dispensaries to make a purchase. Recreational marijuana is being regulated and monitored like alcohol; you must be at least 21 years old to make a purchase. The drug, which is controversial in many states’ legislations, is currently legal for medical use in 20 states, but Colorado and Washington were the first to approve of recreational use (Healy). The geographical concepts involved in the legalization of marijuana include migration, movement and flow, and private/public space.
If drugs are able to be sold it would decrowed our jails and the taxpayers wouldn’t have to pay so much. The tax cost would decrease by a lot because, in America half of our jails are filled with people with drug charges. It would cut the cost of jail medical care, upkeep, and food. Simply carrying drug should not send innocent people to jail for 5 years or more , when there are rapist and murders walking around freely. If America stated to manufacture and sale drug it could make an impact on the economy. Some drugs are banned for medical usage, selling of the drugs as needed for medical physicians could be a lead to huge profits. Also putting tax sales on the, legalized drugs could bring in millions of dollars. Just like how tobacco and alcohol are bringing in money, even though they are bad for you, we still sale these products and use
If drugs were legal and being monitored for purity the people would not have to buy bootleg drugs. Look at alcohol, nobody buys bootleg alcohol now that it is legal. Before abolishing alcohol prohibition the same kind of violence polluted the United States and other countries because of the black market. According to one study, 40% of the homicides in a study of 414 homicides in New York City could be linked to the black market in drugs and these homicides were only committed because of the violence associated with the black market of drugs. Not because of the use of drugs but because of the black market that has resulted from the prohibition of drugs. Other so-lutions have been tried and proposed to include: tighter gun laws and better border control with Mexi-co. However none of these attempts will end the black market on drugs and violence will still occur be-cause of the black market. Billions of dollars has been and will be spent on the “war on drugs”. Why not spend this money on helping the addicts and research? Less money will be spent and the need for the amount of drugs will
The current policy in use by the United States concerning illegal drugs is both outdated and unfair. This so-called war on drugs is a deeply rooted campaign of prohibition and unfair sentencing that is very controversial and has been debated for many years. The war on drugs is designed so that it will never end. This current drug was has very little impact on the overall supply of prohibited drugs and its impact on demand seems non-existent. United States’ taxpayers are spending billions of dollars on this failure of policy. They are spending billions to incarcerate drug users instead offering drug treatment which could help lower demand. Legalizing illicit would lower abuse and deaths from use and could have a positive economic impact on the United States. Certain industries are making massive sums of money by capitalizing on the drug war.
Drugs are a major influential force in our country today. The problem has gotten so out of hand that many options are being considered to control it or even solve it. Ending the drug war seems to be a bit impossible. The war on drugs seems to be accomplishing a lot but this is not true. Different options need to be considered. Legalization is an option that hasn't gotten a chance but should be given one. Although many people feel that legalizing marijuana would increase the amount of use, marijuana should be legalized because it will reduce the great amounts of money spent on enforcement and it will increase our country’s revenue. There are also many benefits that can be uncovered to help people if legalization of
After so many years, America still finds itself fighting a well-known and highly demonized "enemy". The enemy is not terrorism. It's an "enemy" that many Americans have dealt with face to face. This enemy is illegal drugs, marijuana in particular. Marijuana is the most widely used and criminalized drug in the United States. This highly sought after resource yields a black market price tag that creates a street economy all its' own. This is Marijuana by itself, it and all the other illegal drugs together combine to form the third largest economy in the world. This is because the demand for illegal drugs is so high. There can be benefits to a legalized drug trade that is certain. The following paper will defend that some uses of
Most drug dealers would lose a great deal of business if not all. The illegal drug trade is the financial engine that fuels many terrorist organizations around the world (fff.org). What makes the drug trade such a success is the efforts of the United States to dispel illegal drugs. Legalization would reduce prices and open competition, eliminating the multibillion-dollar industry that supports crime at all levels.
One thing that must be made obvious is that the government makes money regardless of the results that they produce. A good majority of the criminal justice system is paid with this budgeted drug money. There has been a historical increase in judges, lawyers, police officers and the creation of entire government organizations that directly make money as a result of the prohibition. It is not only law enforcement side that would like to see prohibition remain intact; it is also the drug dealers that would like the policies to remain as they are. (Harvey) Prohibition causes the handling of drugs to become a risky business and, therefore, drives the prices up astronomically allowing for a business that has a profit in the thousands of percent with no tax. Ricky Ross, the most infamous crack-cocaine dealer in Los Angeles, while being interviewed in jail told the interviewer, “I became addicted to the money and also the power too I believe” (Booth). These people will have the opportunity to make extraordinary amounts of money so long as current prohibition stays intact. There is clearly something wrong if both the government and drug dealers would both like to see prohibition perpetuated.
Believe it or not if the government where to legalize drugs, the amount of money they would save is tremendous. In fact pot legalization could save the United States $13.7 billion per year- according to 300 economists on huffpost.com. The United States spends about 40 billion dollars on enforcing drug prohibition per year. Money spent on law enforcement. Violence that deals with drug trade, decreases economic development and keeps millions in poverty. Nobel Prize winning economist Gary Becker speculates that drug prohibition increases addiction because it makes users reluctant to seek out treatment- according to Quartz Media. As research shows a lot of people are all for the legalization due to the increase of money the government would be savings and receiving, money that could be going to states. As we all know prohibition was set into place during the 20th century because woman felt as if men were getting out of control, spending all of their money on