ons of drugs. Mostly, these categories are based upon the drugs' potential for abuse and their potential for medical use. Drugs which have a supposedly high potential for abuse and no currently accepted medical use are grouped together as Schedule 1 drugs. Said drugs may be used legally only in a federally-approved scientific research experiment. Drugs grouped into this category currently include marijuana, heroin, and LSD and the other hallucinogens. These drugs are tightly controlled by state laws, and the sale of them can result in a maximum prison sentence of up to 15 years and a $25,000 fine. [2] [3] At this same time, in 1970, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (or, NORML) was founded, with the express purpose of lobbying for the decriminalization of marijuana, the destruction of criminal records of marijuana law offenders, the recognition of the medical uses of marijuana, and for research on the effects of marijuana on persons of childbearing age. It should be noted that NORML is against the irresponsible use of marijuana or any other drug. [3] Ironically, in 1972, President Nixon's National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse recommended the decriminalization of marijuana in its report, entitled: "Marijuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding." [3] In spite of law enforcement efforts, the demand for illegal drugs remains high. As an example, the number of arrests on marijuana charges alone for the period between 1970 and 1977, in the United States, more than doubled, from 188,000 to 457,000. Critics argue that we shouldn't be cluttering up our jails and prisons, nor using the exorbitant amount of taxpayer money necessary to support those incarcerated, for such a trivial abuse. For this same period, arrest did not appear to deter marijuana use, because the number of people who had tried marijuana also doubled for most age categories. President Reagan's Commission on Organized Crime recommended, in 1986, that ...
