Data Bases • Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism? Links • Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com Free Essays • Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers	Search Lots of Essays Back to Subjects - Film & TV film film In the United States today, there is much controversy about the legalization of certain drugs. In a book written by Eliot Marshal entitled Legalization: A Debate, he talks about such circumstances. Not only does he just talk about the U.S., but the laws on drugs around the world. “Laws regulating drug use vary widely from country to country. In Malaysia, for example, substance abuse is a violation of religious law and drug trafficking is automatically punished by death. In Nepal, by contrast, the government not only tolerates the use of psychoactive substances but collects taxes on the drug trade. Policies concerning drug abuse in the United States lie somewhere between these two extremes and are constantly changing as evidence concerning the dangers and consequences of drug use accumulates.” In the book, the talk about Prohibition comes up. The author writes, “In time, Prohibition came to be seen not just as a failure but as a desperate and foolish mistake. Today, many people who oppose controls on “recreational” drugs - particularly controls on marijuana - cite Prohibition as evidence that it is futile to try to outlaw a popular intoxicant. The heart of this argument is that, even if it was desirable in theory, prohibition cannot be carried out in practice. People will find a way to get what they want, the argument goes, and outlawing a drug merely sends drug seekers into an illegal black market.” Another chapter in the book, which is discussed by the author, is Illicit Drugs as Medicine. The author talks about a man named Robert Randall. Robert Randall is a man who can just walk into a pharmacy and pick up a prescription that contains about 300 neatly packed marijuana cigarettes. He had taken this idea all the way to the court as being “marijuana therapy”. The marijuana is cultivated on a farm run by the federal government in Mississippi and processed under federal government. He had said that the marijuana eased the pain caused by his illness known as glaucoma. Glaucoma, is a progressive disease of the eye and optic disc that often results in blindness. Randall does not have to pay for the marijuana, because the government does not want to put itself in the awkward position of selling marijuana, an illegal activity. Marijuana has also been proven to help out other illnesses. For example, marijuana has been proven useful in preventing the nausea and vomiting common in cancer patients treated with strong chemicals and radiation. Some researchers thought THC might be helpful in treating asthmatic patients who suffer from sudden constrictions of the airways. Other potential medical uses of marijuana are as a treatment for epileptic convulsions, as a muscle relaxant, as a sedative, as an antibiotic salve, and possibly in the control of some tumors. In the United States there has been cases for legalizing the use of marijuana. The Declaration of Independence speaks of every citizens right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The Constitution and Bill of Rights go further, making specific guarantees. It is quite clear from survey data that most people do not become physically dependent on marijuana. By any reasonable standard, marijuana is a mild drug. The experts at NIDA who keep track of medical data report that marijuana is rarely mentioned in death reports, and when it is, it is almost always cited as being used with alcohol or another drug. As for overdosing, there is no scientifically valid evidence of anyone dying of an overdose of marijuana smoke. There are also some benefits of legalizing marijuana. Research, which has been slowed in the past by the government’s reluctance to grant exemptions to the marijuana laws, would be easier to conduct. Meanwhile, the black market would disappear overnight. It may also weaken organized crime by impacting the amount of money flowing through criminal channels. Finally, federal revenues would increase, because marijuana cigarettes would be taxed at the point of sale. All in all, marijuana was the main focus of the author of this book. I think that there were many interesting points made about legalizing drugs. One thought that sticks out in my mind, is a dramatic decrease in crime if certain drugs were decided to become legal. Bibliography: Word Count: 709
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