Decriminilization of MarijuanaJoin now to read essay Decriminilization of MarijuanaDecriminalization of MarijuanaEvery year our government spends more than nineteen billion dollars to eradicate it’s usein the United States. About seventeen thousand people were arrested last year because of it. Wespend twenty thousand dollars a year per inmate to hold these jailbirds captive. Who are thesedangerous criminals you ask? Stoners.One argument against the decriminalization of marijuana is why would we want to introduce another intoxicant into our society when alcohol and cigarette smoking is already so damaging? Marijuana is far less harmful to the body than cigarettes. Not to mention while it may be potentially habit forming, it is not addictive. When comparing marijuana to alcohol the differences are obvious. I would much rather be in an argument with guy that has been smoking joints all night than some dude who has spent all night pounding shots of tequila. Alcohol can alter a persons common sense. Despite this, our government trusts us with the burden of drinking responsibly.
Over seventeen thousand arrests are made regarding cannabis a year. Almost ninety percent of these arrests are for simple possession, not trafficking or sale. This is an inappropriate use of valuable law enforcement resources that should be focused on more serious and violent crimes. I don’t know about you, but I would rather have a midnight toker for a neighbor than a midnight stalker. The spending of government money needs to be reevaluated. Our government needs to take a step back and admit they were mistaken to think they could successfully discontinue the use of marijuana. “You cannot have illegal what a significant segment of the population in any society is committed to doing. You simply cannot arrest, prosecute, and punish such a large number of people, particularly in a democracy” (Incardi 285). Ultimately it is not the role of the government to tell it’s adult citizens what risks to take. Bicycles kill ten thousand people a year and yet no one is proposing to make them illegal.
There are benefits of legalizing marijuana, both for the government and society. One of these is that the marijuana market could be government run. The black market would be abolished, saving lives and redirecting the profits from the drug dealers’ Escalade’s new rims to the bettering of our society. A close examination shows that the total annual costs of the drug war will probably exceed fifty billion dollars. If decriminalized users could obtain their marijuana at government regulated prices (Incardi 285). Money that the government cultivated from the selling of marijuana, the money they saved from reducing the war on drugs to hurtful drugs like cocaine and heroin, and the money saved from not housing so many inmates every year is much needed.
We know that our criminal justice system can coerce problem drug users into meaningful and productive sobriety, or, if necessary, can remove problem drug users from society for long periods of time if they are violent or destructive to others. So why do we persist with our failed drug policy, which imprisons weekend pot smokers? If someone is using or abusing drugs, and is not a problem to anyone but themselves, we should educate them and provide treatment on demand. If those people do pose a threat to society they will find a way into the court system one way or another. This program has worked effectively with alcohol abuse and could work just as effectively with marijuana abuse (Gray 229).
Sure, I can understand why the government might be a little hesitant to admit they have been throwing our tax money at this cause for decades. So far all I have mentioned are laws prohibiting the recreational use of marijuana, which is comparatively less beneficial than the medicinal uses that would be available. The governments’s senseless fear of losing
any more control over the marijuana market unfairly deprives gravely sick people who could be greatly benefited by the use of marijuana. The effects of this drug could potentially help chemotherapy patients by stimulating their appetite and relieving serious pain. Glaucoma is effectively treated with marijuana by reducing intraocular pressure, which stems the pain. In some cases pot has been found to stop the advance of glaucoma altogether. AIDS patients given marijuana show improved appetite and reduced vomiting. Pain can also be relieved in multiple sclerosis patients. Epilepsy can be treated by marijuana, use has been shown to reduce the severity of seizures. Marijuana can also help insomniacs finally get some sleep. With all of this potential it seems illogical not to allow these people to benefit from the effects
The Marijuana Health Information Coalition (MPIC) is a non-profit group run and funded by the Marijuana Health Information Coalition (MACI) as part of its public outreach.
The MPIC promotes health, freedom of choice and tolerance of marijuana use. They are a growing part of the marijuana movement and, based in Oakland, they make the drug available for users of medical marijuana. Marijuana is legal recreationally through prescription, in small amounts as well as for medical uses.
The MPIC supports the “right of individuals to possess, possess, sell, supply and distribute marijuana for personal, commercial or educational use in all the conditions under which its use is permitted, and all for personal use in a manner free from a licensed or licensed producer and distribution organization.”
In general, the MPIC is committed to the following goals:
Support the legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational use, and allow for individual and collective use of and access to the drug for personal, commercial, or educational purposes.
Encourage people to be responsible with the drug, with its use being regulated, and on public terms.
Encourage access to the drug for nonmedical or recreational use, in a manner that reflects society’s own goals.
Increase the use of marijuana by preventing dependence and allowing individuals to take it for personal, commercial and educational purposes without incurring criminal or administrative charges for the use of marijuana.
Legalize medical marijuana for recreational use in California and/or on their territories, with support from the Governor who has committed to allowing medical marijuana for recreational use as outlined above.
In addition, the MPIC is strongly opposed to the California ban on the sales of marijuana in public.
For more information on how to join the MPIC or to sign up for their mailing list to see that they also receive this information, please visit: https://www.mcca.gov/leaders.html>
In March 2015, the Marijuana Health Information Coalition (MPIC) launched an official website. Visit the Marijuana Health Information Coalition website and download the MPIC’s official email. In addition, the MPIC also has a web site, www.mpic.org, that is available daily for your convenience or to see a list of registered medical marijuana patients and caregivers. The email address listed above can be found on the MPIC web site.
In October 2017, the MPIC launched the official marijuana advocacy website, which was launched by Mike Cappelli and his wife, Mary Kay Caldwell. They have provided an informative website and educational web site. The website features a free legal marijuana program called “Cannabis and Human Rights Counseling through a Legal and Health Counseling Community.”
The website contains a series of links about Colorado, which is part of the US-Mexico border, including links to the official Marijuana Information Coalition website, which is provided by Mike Cappelli’s office.
To read the official Marijuana Health Information Coalition website, please visit: www.mpic.org.
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The Marijuana Health Information Coalition is dedicated to bringing the marijuana debate to the people.
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The Marijuana Health Information Coalition meets regularly for regular public meetings and meetings across California, where marijuana policy activists, lawmakers, and members share