The Role Of Marijuana Prohibition In The United States

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Memorandum To: John P. Walters, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy From: Susan Fisk Re: Marijuana Prohibition in the United States Date: April 25, 2005 Introduction to Marijuana Prohibition Marijuana has not always been a controlled substance in the United States, but has become increasingly criminalized over the years with increased punishments for its possession, distribution, and growth. These measures have been justified under the assumption they protect America from drugs and keep us safe. However, time has shown us that the prohibition and criminalization of marijuana has created many problems, including huge amounts of government spending, decreased resources for other government projects, and thousands of lives ruined or destroyed. The problems created by our strictly enforced prohibition policies are even greater than the problems marijuana itself is reported to cause. To minimize the harms caused by these policies, the Office of National Drug Control should work to ensure both the repeal of mandatory minimum laws and de facto…show more content…
These policies would decrease the excessive spending on drug enforcement, the crime rate, and the ruin caused to individual lives. Although grassroots parental groups against drugs would likely oppose such measures, they would likely support increased spending on rehabilitation and education. These policies also have broad appeal as they fit within most citizens’ moral norms of drug usage and would help decrease the federal deficient. Thus, these measures would be able to effectively combat the problems of marijuana prohibition while also remaining politically
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