War On Drugs Research Paper

When the word "war" comes into peoples' minds they think about the people who serve our country and are out in the world fighting other groups of people so the United States can maintain the state it is in right now. The word "war" also has another meaning. Over the years, America has been involved in what is called "The War on Drugs." This "war" is about whether or not drugs, like marijuana, should be legalized in the United States or not. Marijuana is a plant that many people grow in either farms, greenhouses, or fields and use that plant to most likely smoke or inhale. Many people say that marijuana is a bad and harmful drug and shouldn't be used in the United States. Others say that it should be legalized and can help others in the United …show more content…
According to Laura McCauley, burglaries in Denver, Colorado have dropped by nine and a half percent and property crimes has decreased by about nine percent. Marijuana arrests since 2010 have dropped at an astounding rate of eighty four percent. The amount of marijuana related crimes are now at sixteen percent (qtd. in O'Connell). These stats are an example of how well Colorado is improving it's legal system and they are showing improvement in the state. With the legalization of marijuana, the police in the United States can focus on the violent crimes that are going on. They could jail those people who have committed real offenses unlike those in jail for possessing or selling a drug that has …show more content…
America has had its troubles in the past when it comes to race. Even Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. couldn't save the country from inequality. With all the trouble the African American population has created in the past, the whites are looking at them to blame for drug issues. The police have gotten on the case of the colored people and don't treat them well at all. The marijuana arrest numbers are ridiculous. These aren't helping the United States becoming more united. The people need to learn to take responsibility for their actions and not look to blame others. Doing that has dug the country into a phase where people look to make black people the enemies behind drug arrests. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, black people are almost three and three quarters times higher to be arrested for marijuana than whites ("Marijuana arrests by the Numbers"). Racism is destroying the country by the minute and criminalizing marijuana is not helping the issue. The United States needs to realize that criminalization is hurting this country more than preventing others from making money or trying to feel good. Equal rights need to be handed out to everyone and it is sad to say that at this rate, it will never be done. Too many people are stereotyping the African Americans for being heavy drug users and the cause for most of the crimes in the nation. Most of those black people, however, do