he policy is to throw everything illegal together, thus marijuana serves as the gateway drug. Those looking for marijuana will come into contact with other, harder drugs. This is caused by marijuana prohibition, because by separating markets, the Dutch have effectively prevented marijuana from being the gateway drug (Final Report on Dutch). Through the Netherlands one can see how the legalization of marijuana can be more effective at accomplishing the goals of prohibition than prohibition itself.The legalization of marijuana would be a positive step for the United States, in that it would provide medical benefits, decrease government expenditures, reduce crime, and the fact remains that the entire drug war has been a failure. Prohibition has not been successful in significantly reducing use since its introduction in 1937 (Jameson Interview). Marijuana is still consumed in large quantities in the United States, and is only beaten by alcohol and tobacco (Still Crazy). If one looks at the success of Holland, one can see that if the governments goals were sincere, then legalization would be a much better path than prohibition. The thought remains that the governments goals are not, in fact, sincere, for they continue to vehemently pursue prohibition. When marijuana prohibition is compared to the alcohol prohibition of the 1920s, drug dealers take on the same role as the Mafia; marijuana cultivators become modern-day moonshiners (qtd. in Stepzinski). The violent crime associated with the Prohibition was far more harmful than the alcohol itself. The government obviously decided that prohibition of alcohol was a mistake and that it should never be done again; however, it continues with marijuana. The other example is tobacco. Scientists have known of the adverse effects of smoking tobacco for years, however, cigarettes have yet to be banned. As of yet, the government has found that education appears to be the best way to prevent use, not prohi...
