Most Common Illegal Drugs in the United States Essay

Marijuana is a drug formed by drying out the shredded flowers, stems, and leaves of the Indian hemp plant. It is also the most common illegal drug used in the United States, and the second most- used drug in the world, behind alcohol. According to one national survey, approximately 6,000 Americans try marijuana for the first time every day. Marijuana has been proven to positively affect some illnesses, and the Medical Legalization Movement has made great progress in the US (randomhistory.com  ©2007-2014). However, should the drug be approved for recreational purposes? Several significant reasons lead me to believe it should be. One major reason is the income. California, where marijuana is legal for medical use, finds the substance to be†¦show more content†¦Growing a plant like this on public grounds may be unsafe for the surrounding ecosystem as well as hikers or visitors to the park. Legalizing the drug would get rid of any motives to cultivate such illicit farms. This would effectively save millions in efforts to rid of these plants and environmental clean-up costs (www.mpp.org). California’s taxpayer’s are also shelling out for law enforcement officers to chase down and arrest marijuana consumers. â€Å"According to FBI statistics, California arrested 74,119 people on marijuana charges in 2007 - nearly 80 percent of those were for simple possession (www.mpp.org).† In 2010, over 52 percent of all drug arrests in California were marijuana-related, which is the highest it’s been since 1995. Despite all the efforts by law enforcement officers and the exponential sum of money paid by taxpayers, â€Å"chasing down people for using this plant costs us real money and isn’t proving an effective strategy for curbing its use (F. Aaron Smith, California policy director for the Marijuana Policy Project, 2013).† The closing statements in the previous paragraph lead to the next senior reason for marijuana’s regulation: the marijuana-related crime. Marijuana’s share in the percentage of total drug arrests in California hit a high in 2010, reaching 52.1 percent. While it has ever-so-slightly fallen in the years following, it is still a substantial statistic; more than half of all drug arrests. Legalizing marijuanaShow MoreRelatedArgumentative Essay On Abortion924 Words   |  4 Pagessituation that is being ignored in the United States. There are many pregnant woman in the United States who are abusing illegal substances without any prosecution. Allowing these women to do so causes major defects on the babies and the mothers get no serious punishment for their actions. This issue is similar to the argument on whether abortion should be legal or not, because both situations can kill the baby while it’s still in the womb. Women who use drugs while pregnant should be tried fo r childRead More Methods of Trafficking and Counters Essay1218 Words   |  5 Pagesmake fortunes through the illegal trade of drugs. 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