The Debate over Legalization

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer relates that there is a huge debate going on right now over marijuana. The debate is on whether or not to legalize it. This paper discusses six different reasons to support the use of marijuana use. These reasons concern federal expenditures, additional tourism benefits, free will, prohibition, politics and the criminal justice system. The writer concludes that there are a myriad of reasons for legalizing marijuana and notes that perhaps some progress will be seen on the issue in the upcoming 2008 elections.

From the Paper:

"Federal law continues to prohibit marijuana, but every state ballot initiative to legalize medial marijuana has been approved, including in California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Maine, and Washington, DC. State legislatures in Vermont, Hawaii and Maryland have also followed suit and many others are considering their own medical marijuana bills including New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Illinois. Current support is often bipartisan, with Republican governors like Gary Johnson taking the lead. In New York the 2002 gubernatorial campaign, Tom Golisano, surprised everyone by campaigning heavily on the issue. The medical marijuana bill before the New York legislature is backed not just by leading Republicans, but even by some Conservative party leaders."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Armstrong A. Drug courts and the de facto legalization of drug use for participants in residential treatment facilities. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology 94(Fall): 133-167, 2003.
• Booth RE; Kennedy J; Brewster T; Semerik O. Drug injectors and dealers in Odessa, Ukraine. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 35(4): 419-426, 2003. (14 refs.)
• Brady TC. Argument for the legalization of industrial hemp. San Joaquin Agricultural Law Review 1: 85-108, 2003.
• Baum, Dan. Smoke and Mirrors: The War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1996.
• Bennett, William. Body Count: Moral Poverty--and How to Win America's War Against Crime and Drugs. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996.

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