Decriminalization/legalization

In this book, all of the components of the War on Drugs will be examined. The strategies, initiatives, and activities that have been implemented will be critiqued by looking at the outcomes of these efforts. The results of all of our work to stop the flow of illicit drugs into the United States will be reviewed. Research results will be utilized to determine if our efforts in prevention and treatment have been wise. Controversial alternatives to our current policies (e.g., decriminalization, legalization, harm reduction, medicinal use of marijuana) that have always been rejected by federal officials will be critically explored. 

Critics tend to argue that decriminalization is just legalization in disguise. Nevertheless, support for legalization—at least for marijuana—appears to he slowly growing. 

Drugs in Schools, Sports, and the Workplace Medical Use of Marijuana Legalization and Decriminalization of Drugs Harm Reduction Strategies... 

This section covers general descriptions of the War on Drugs and mainstream policies. For alternatives, see the sections on Legalization and Decriminalization of Drugs and on Harm Reduction. 

This section covers a major alternative to the drug policy—varying degrees of legalization or decriminalization of drugs. 

Despite President Nixon s stance, in 1973, Oregon became the first state to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. Ten more states quickly followed, although specific legal definitions and penalties associated with decriminalization varied from state to state. In 1975, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that the possession of marijuana for personal use by adults at home was protected by a constitutional right... 

The decriminalization and legalization of marijuana are intricately woven into the medical marijuana movement. Essentially, it is a debate over the value of marijuana s medicinal properties compared with the risks posed by its use. NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, has been in the forefront of this 30-year controversy since they first petitioned in 1972 to move marijuana to a Schedule II category. NORML and other proponents of medical marijuana maintain that when compared with drugs such as heroin and cocaine, marijuana is not only safe but holds great potential as a prescription drug. 

As part of its support for the legalization of medical marijuana, NORML advocates the complete decriminalization of marijuana, a step that would remove all penalties for the private possession and the responsible use of marijuana by adults. Under this scenario, private marijuana users, including those with serious medical conditions, would not be arrested, but large-scale commercial sellers would still be violating drug laws. NORML also calls for the development of a legally controlled market for marijuana in which adult consumers could buy marijuana for personal use from safe, legal sources. 

Millions of arrests have been made for marijuana law violations. It has been estimated that if marijuana were decriminalized or legalized, yearly arrests would be reduced by 500,000.,2 For some users and pushers, there is "revolving door" justice in which they are in and out of the criminal justice system quickly. For others, marijuana possession means real time in prison. 

It is the character of Kennedy s friends rather than his own low personal standard of morality that explains why as a leader of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee he has come forward as the leading sponsor of federal legalization of marijuana and why he has given his approval to decriminalization of heroin "for experimental purposes." The job of the Kennedy dynasty is to usher in British dope and the criminals who distribute it — through the front door. 

As its first public act, the Dmg Abuse Council issued a widely circulated report advocating the decriminalization of marijuana, a tenfold increase in methadone (synthetic heroin) clinics, and the British system of legalized government-sponsored heroin addiction. Following the release of that report, the Kaiser Foundation and the Commonwealth Fund established a matching fund that more than doubled the annual revenues available to the Dmg Abuse Council to push dmg legalization. 

Efforts toward decriminalization and legalization continue. Millions of lives are still being affected by the lag in reform of marijuana laws. Figures from NORML indicate that over the last six years, half a million Americans annually have been arrested on marijuana-related charges. Some 90% of these cases involved possession of less than an ounce. 

Should efforts be supported to decriminalize or even legalize the use of certain drugs, such as marijuana ... 

Should marijuana be legalized, or at least markedly decriminalized Would the use of marijuana increase What would be the advantages and disadvantages to society as a whole ... 

True to his promise, President Nixon rejected these recommendations. But local communities and various states had already begun to take the legalization question into their own hands. In 1971, the college town community of Ann Arbor, Michigan, adopted the unprecedented step of decriminalizing marihuana from a felony prison offense to a misdemeanor, with a maximum sentence of ninety days in jail and/or a 100 fine. 

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