The road to the legalization of cannabis in the United States is a long and winding one, filled with many detours and potholes.
Yet, despite the list of concerns continuing to grow from a variety of lawmakers and citizens over the national legalization of marijuana, this Wednesday, Senate Democrats introduced a discussion draft for the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act which aims to legalize the controversial drug at the federal level.
As the legal sale of cannabis in the United States recently surpassed $17.5 billion, left leaning senators such as Chuck Schumer continue to stand in support of the legalization of the substance, recently stated in a Twitter post that he felt, in regard to our country, the legalization of marijuana would, “repair damage done by the War on Drugs.“
During a recent press conference, Schumer continued, “This is monumental because at long last we are taking steps in the Senate to right the wrongs of the failed War on Drugs.” Further suggesting that the “War on Drugs has really been a war on people, particularly people of color.”
While, the national legalization of the cannabis industry would potentially offer a staggering amount of investment opportunities for the trading minded, we have to also consider the social ramifications of such a decision before we can morally move forward.
Learning From Our Past…
It’s often said that we can learn from history as it has a way of repeating itself. As such, let’s take a look back at the year 1920 when the United States first entered into a little thing called Prohibition.
When prohibition was first enforced in the U.S., its supporters looked to solve the ever-growing problem of alcoholism, family violence and saloon-based political corruption by cutting these problems off at their source… alcohol and its legal distribution.
Though their moral compass was correct, these pro-prohibition lawmakers soon found out that the illegalization of liquor created in itself an entirely new set of problems that the U.S. would soon have to tackle.
We’ve all seen the TV shows and movies where sneaky patrons say a password in a back ally only to have a secret door slide open to reveal a hidden speak-easy filled with jazz, booze and (most importantly) customers!
You see, despite alcohol being illegal in the country, people still found ways of obtaining it. Americans have a way of being stubborn and we weren’t going to let a little thing like the law stand in our way of a good time!
… And the extreme rise in demand of the source of this good time (aka alcohol) made way for a new business enterprise in the United States known as the Mafia. Though the mob had been around for some time at that point, with the illegalization of alcohol, they found themselves at the doorstep of a major business opportunity! If the U.S. wouldn’t allow the distribution of the substance, then they would provide it for a considerable hike in the price.
Well, that’s exactly what they did and, through the 20’s and early 30’s the mob in this country flourished offering the public a much-desired substance that only they could provide.
Now, why did we go through that story today? If you haven’t made the connection yet, many feel that the legalization of marijuana has many similarities to the prohibition era in the U.S.
Again, we find ourselves in a situation where the public demand for a substance continues to rise and, as long as it’s illegal to purchase, the public will find illegal ways to obtain it, leading to an upswing in crime and all that follows.
The Counter Argument
So far, you may think this is a PRO legalization article, but continue reading as there’s always two sides to a story!
The above is a valid argument for the legalization of what currently stands as a mostly illegal substance.
It’s understandable that certain lawmakers could find themselves feeling that this is the appropriate way to handle this drug and the crime that it produces.
But anyone with a child can tell you that, the solution to a tantrum is not to simply give the child what they want… Rather, the solution is the further enforcement of said rules and an explanation on why they matter. That way, they learn from their mistakes.
In our context today, one simple question presents itself… Is the answer to illegal activity to simply legalize it?
… And where does this end? Today it’s marijuana, tomorrow it’s cocaine, and so on and so on.
When do American’s finally start having to follow the law?!
Democrat lawmakers often have a way of bowing down to the masses to attract a larger group of supporters… “You want free stuff, vote for us!”
To return to the parent/child comparison, a child will soon find which one of their parents is softer than the next and, when they want something, guess who they go to first. The same policy applies to adult voters and the Democrats appear to be more than happy to oblige the masses, no matter the demand.
So, what’s the answer?
The truth is, you’re not going to find it here… There’s always two sides to every coin and it seems like this coin needs a couple more flips before any decisions can be made.
Honestly, no matter what the end decision, there will be arguments and unhappy people. That’s politics… And, like prohibition, this unhappiness will ultimately lead to more problems down the road.
It’s this author’s opinion, however, that the solution to a problem is not to simply forget the rules, but rather reinforce them and follow through with the punishments should anyone break them.
A parent with a weak backbone produces a spoiled child and a country with a weak backbone produces a failed nation.
Learn More Here…
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