War on Drugs: The Change in Attitude towards Cannabis
The war on drugs in the US has been going on since 1914 and it has been largely successful in containing the spreading of drugs such as heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. Although it has been questioned before on the usefulness of a prohibition type solution in the long term, it has been blessed with powers to take on the international smuggling of drugs. The activists who seek to make a point with the prohibition as an example, do point out that it did not work out and neither has the war on drugs been able to eradicate the consumption or distribution of drugs. Recent moves by the DEA administration have also been criticised for statements which send out the wrong message to those who support consumption of medical marijuana by patients who have been prescribed by their doctor.
The change in public opinion
With changing times, the voice for legalisation of marijuana has been growing stronger. Four US states have brought in laws which make recreational use of cannabis, marijuana, cannabis oil legal. Many have made medical marijuana legal for patients who suffer from cancer, AIDs and epilepsy to name a few diseases. The state of Alaska has gone ahead and brought in legislation which will make marijuana consumption legal in marijuana shops. The recent statements made by the head of DEA on medical marijuana have angered the activists and even some congress members. The activists have called for termination of the head of DEA and asked for a reduction in the DEA budget terming it unnecessary against marijuana consumption.
Changing law enforcement opinion
In a recent poll by DEA, over thousands of law enforcement agencies have named marijuana as the least of nation’s drug worries. Only 6 percent of the respondents have named marijuana as a dangerous drug and it corresponds with the trend since the mid 2000s. It also has an opinion of law enforcement officials that marijuana is not a big driver of crimes and does not pose a high health threat compared to some other drugs such as Heroin or methamphetamine. Public opinion and activists have been calling for more attention to the drugs such as Heroin or Methamphetamine or cocaine instead of cracking down on marijuana smokers or spending public money on weeding out marijuana plants. Also, the money saved by diverting funds from marijuana eradication can be better used to fight crimes like murder or street crimes.
