Awa: should the United States Legalize Drugs?

article 1

Yu, Bin, et al. “Marijuana Legalization and Historical Trends in Marijuana Use among US Residents Aged 12-25: Results from the 1979-2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.” BMC Public Health, vol. 20, no. 1, Feb. 2020, pp. 1–10. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1186/s12889-020-8253-4.
In this article, the authors explain that marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Some states legalized the use of marijunana. California was the first state that passed Medical Marijuana Laws. There are two types of drugs medical and recreational. A recreational drug known as illicit drug is a drug used by people without any medical justification. A medicinal drug is a drug that can be used by humans and animals to cure disease but with the approval of the doctor. All drugs have different effects and also some of them might affect  the brain and human behavior. However the used marijuana has been affecting many people mostly the adolescents and adults because adolescents and young adults constitute a large proportion of the US population. Approximately 60 millions of the US population are in the 12 and 25 years age range. However, the use of drugs don’t only affect the human brain also it can cause disease like cancer. Drugs are the number one cause of cancer and of death from cancer; There is no safe level of drug use. It is most commonly known for causing lung cancer and makes up 80% of lung cancer deaths.Young adult males who use marijuana and began their use during adolescence are at risk for an aggressive form of testicular cancer

This article shows that many people around the world are using illegal drugs mostly in the united states. Many people are using marijuana without any prescription and the adolescent and the adult have the highest risk for the marijuana use. However, the use of marijuana has also affected the human brain as they use more drugs there brain will  become more damaged. Adding what the author said young people use a lot drugs they are the one who used more drugs than the old people meaning that as the population increased the number of drugs users increased so if the drugs is legalized, many people can have a damaged brain because they will not control the amount of drugs they use. Also that smoke can cause many diseases including cancer. The young people have more chances to get cancer from the drug because they use a lot of drugs. In addition drugs are very harmful in society and the word causes many problems and it can destroy many young people’s life by damaging their brain.      

‘“ In 2015, 8.3% of the US population aged 12 years and older used marijuana in the past month; 16.4% of adolescents aged 12–17 years used in lifetime and 7.0% used in the past month”

“Typical adverse effects include impaired short-term memory, cognitive impairment, diminished life satisfaction, and increased risk of using other substances” 

article 2

Goodyear, Trevor, et al. “‘Am I Gonna Get in Trouble for Acknowledging My Will to Be Safe?’: Identifying the Experiences of Young Sexual Minority Men and Substance Use in the Context of an Opioid Overdose Crisis.” Harm Reduction Journal, vol. 17, no. 1, Mar. 2020, pp. 1–14. EBSCOhost, 

In this article, the authors explain that marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Some states legalized the use of marijunana. California was the first state that passed Medical Marijuana Laws. There are two types of drugs medical and recreational. A recreational drug known as illicit drug is a drug used by people without any medical justification. A medicinal drug is a drug that can be used by humans and animals to cure disease but with the approval of the doctor. All drugs have different effects and also some of them might affect  the brain and human behavior. However the used marijuana has been affecting many people mostly the adolescents and adults because adolescents and young adults constitute a large proportion of the US population. Approximately 60 millions of the US population are in the 12 and 25 years age range. However, the use of drugs don’t only affect the human brain also it can cause disease like cancer. Drugs are the number one cause of cancer and of death from cancer; There is no safe level of drug use. It is most commonly known for causing lung cancer and makes up 80% of lung cancer deaths.Young adult males who use marijuana and began their use during adolescence are at risk for an aggressive form of testicular cancer

This article shows that many people around the world are using illegal drugs mostly in the united states. Many people are using marijuana without any prescription and the adolescent and the adult have the highest risk for the marijuana use. However, the use of marijuana has also affected the human brain as they use more drugs there brain will  become more damaged. Adding what the author said young people use a lot drugs they are the one who used more drugs than the old people meaning that as the population increased the number of drugs users increased so if the drugs is legalized, many people can have a damaged brain because they will not control the amount of drugs they use. Also that smoke can cause many diseases including cancer. The young people have more chances to get cancer from the drug because they use a lot of drugs. In addition drugs are very harmful in society and the word causes many problems and it can destroy many young people’s life by damaging their brain.      

‘“ In 2015, 8.3% of the US population aged 12 years and older used marijuana in the past month; 16.4% of adolescents aged 12–17 years used in lifetime and 7.0% used in the past month”

“Typical adverse effects include impaired short-term memory, cognitive impairment, diminished life satisfaction, and increased risk of using other substances”  

article 3

FORT, NYLE. “Prisons, Pot, and Profit: The Plight of Post-Emancipation.” Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy, Jan. 2013, pp. 47–51. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=98919563&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

The war on drugs was when the government stopped illegal drug use by increasing penalties. The war on drugs began in 1971 in the U.S, launched by President Richard Nixon. The government started to penalize people to stop selling illegal drugs. Mass incarceration started In fact, the United States has locked up a large population in federal and state prisons.. Most of the people who used drugs are the one who are committing most of the dangerous crimes. Many people that are locked up in prisons, most all of them were using drugs. The numbers of prisoners increased every year because of drug addiction. Americans are incarcerated in the United States. An interesting fact is that white Americans are more likely to use drugs, yet Black and Hispanic Americans are more likely to get arrested for possession of drugs and get harsher punishments for the same crime. However african arrests totaled 663,03 more than arrests for all violent crimes combined. While the drug war affects Americans of all races, African Americans are overwhelmingly impacted and disproportionately incarcerated for possession and distribution of illegal drugs. Comparing drug arrest rates between Blacks and Whites reveals the racialized nature of America’s drug war. 

In the article, the author tells us how drug users commit  crimes. The more they use drugs the more they commit  crimes. It increased the rate of prisoners because every year the number of prisoners increased also he mentioned that the number of  black people who use it is higher than the other races. legalizing drugs will just make this issue worse and increase the number of crimes and homicides. As a result, this will increase the population in prisons because criminals will get arrested. Another reason why the U.S should not legalize drugs is the fact that the number of drug users will increase because when use   every year the amount of arrestation increase and also mostly all the people who are in prison are accused by using drugs the more they use drugs the more they become addicted to it and start making crimes. As they use drugs and get high they can’t no longer control themselves and those lack of control will lead them to make a crime and also legalize all drugs will motivate some innocent people who ever use drugs. Not only the rate of crime increase but every year thousand of people will get involved 

“ In at least fifteen states, African Americans are admitted to prison on drug charges at a rate from twenty to fifty-seven times greater than that of White men”

“The war on drugs is not only a public failure but also a political fraud. Instead of eliminating dangerous drugs and dealers, the drug war has destroyed countless African Americans’ educational opportunities, right to vote, ability to receive welfare, and overall capacity to pursue the “American dream.”