The FDA maintains marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning that it has a high potential for abuse and has no currently accepted medical use in the United States. However, many people believe that marijuana is effective at combating several medical problems, and several states have approved the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
Several other states have decriminalized “personal use” amounts of marijuana and two states – Colorado and Washington – decriminalized recreational use of marijuana as of the November 2012 elections.
Note that legalization and decriminalization are two different things (Walters, 2013, p.441):
Legalization: Repeal of laws against selling, possessing and using the drug
Decriminalization: Replacing criminal sanctions with fines or treatment for drug users, while maintaining criminal penalties for selling and trafficking drugs.
For this discussion, we will debate the issue of whether decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana is an effective policy for the United States to employ to fight the War on Drugs. Consider the impact of supply and demand strategy on drug trafficking and international drug trade as you formulate your response to the following questions:
Would decriminalization of marijuana be an effective supply-side strategy, an effective demand-side strategy, or neither? Support your response.
Would legalization of marijuana be an effective supply-side strategy, an effective demand-side strategy, or neither? Support your response
Conclude with your opinion, supported by at least one source (not the textbook), as to whether the United States should pursue either of these drug control strategies at the federal level (since at the state level some states already have moved to decriminalize this drug).
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