Research paper about legalizing cannabis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Research paper about legalizing cannabis - Essay Example rlands, cannabis is openly tolerated and can be both purchased and consumed in one of several Amsterdam ‘coffee houses.’ Inexplicably, the city has not been thrown into anarchy which, evidently, is what the opponents of cannabis legalisation are afraid of. The evidence demonstrates that legalizing cannabis would prove a benefit to society, evidence which is well-known throughout the scientific, political and public arena but this collective knowledge has yet to be acted upon. This discussion will examine the issue of legalisation drawing from European, British and American experiences. In addition, because cannabis is often associated with harder forms of drugs by legalisation opponents, it will briefly discuss plausible reasons why all drugs should be at least decriminalised if not made fully legal. A report created by Transform1, a non-profit UK drug policy think tank, demonstrates how criminalization of certain drugs has created crime, undermined public health and promotes social exclusion while proving ineffective in eliminating domestic markets. The foundation recommends instead a society in which all drugs are regulated and controlled through the use of specialized pharmacies and licensed retailers instead of black market street vendors and an uncontrolled clientele. The reason for this, they say, is that the war on drugs has led to an uninformed hysteria among the general population, an irrational opposition to less harmful substances, a spike in organised crime and associated criminal activity. By regulating and controlling drugs, Transform suggests that prison populations could be cut in half, considerably reducing the funds spent on maintaining and sustaining these populations. In addition, crime factors would be reduced as the primary activity of organised crime would now be regulated, crime wars would become obsolete and crimes associated with drug use such as prostitution and burglaries for drug money would be further reduced as the price