Essay On Decriminalizing Drugs

The American relationship with drug use has always been predicated upon the morality associated with certain drugs as defined by those in power; whether it be the rich, white, or just plain powerful. This association is the deciding factor in what we deem legal; which has been suspect to change over time. The American public needs to switch to a more rehabilitative tactic when it comes to treating drug use, for punishing those who have developed an addiction helps no one in the long term. For drugs like marijuana that have already started down the path to legal we need to further decriminalize its use and free those who have been incarcerated for its possession or use. We cannot hold people to the same rules that we ourselves no longer follow. It must be stated in the first place that the war on drugs was never wholly about some crisis of concern over drug abuse, for we were not ignorant about the addiction, the death, or the damage done to the body in the wake of some of these drugs. It has always been about people. People everywhere used to use drugs, as it must be remembered that your doctor, at one point in time, may be the very one giving it to you. A …show more content…
This is not to say that all drugs should be legalized, but it is important to note that people’s view of an issue is more multi-layered than whether or not it is good for us. Marijuana used to be considered the devil’s lettuce until white college students started smoking it in the sixties and seventies; as a result it has become even more popularized over time with the “common man”. In spite of the continued relaxed attitudes about the possession and use of marijuana many minorities in this country still face severe punishments and judgement over the same exact thing. Several states have already passed laws legalizing the use of recreational marijuana and last I checked we haven’t descended into some form of depraved hell-scape,