The Legal Response Of Marijuana Possession - 1752 Words

Prohibition has been initiated many times throughout history in attempt to control and deter civilians from the use of substances or from different types of behaviors that are believed to be destructive. More recently, several types have been discussed in terms of the social problem of substance abuse and ways that can be implemented in the methods of attempting to prevent the continued global spread of this problem. According to MacCoun, Reuter, Pacula, et al, â€Å"The appropriate legal response to marijuana possession has been a matter of public debate in the U.S. and Western Europe since the 1970s†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Do Citizens Know Whether Their State Has Decriminalized Marijuana?..., 2009, pg. 348). The growing problem of illicit substance use has†¦show more content†¦The federal legal system has been failing for years to bring control to the use and abuse of drugs like marijuana. The history behind marijuana criminalization stands to provide rationale behind why the state governing systems initially prohibited the use of marijuana, and state governing systems, such as in Kansas, want to legalize the use of marijuana and believe that this idea will aid in counteracting the social problem of the substance, however, undetermined factors could easily produce more harm than good in the removal of regulations. The laws that encompass the limits imposed upon the distribution, sale, and use of drugs have been enforced since the early 1900’s (Burnett Reiman, 2014). There are many stated hypothetical and some factually based assumptions out there about why marijuana was classified as illegal back in the early 1900’s, but the truth lies in the generalized control of population through the use of fear-based insinuations and greed from our own government. Throughout history, American culture has had a tendency to create hate-mongering and overall distaste for what is believed to be undesirable or unwanted, i.e. Native Americans (cowboys and Indians), African Americans (diseases and white supremacy), and more recently Iraqis and Muslims (after effects of 911 terrorism, religious