Though America’s problems with drug use and addiction have been the subject of voluminous policy debate in recent years, few effective solutions to the indisputable societal consequences have been put into place.
A number of Democrat lawmakers have taken a clear stance on one critical aspect of the drug epidemic in the United States, and it is indeed a controversial one. Just this week, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-OH) penned an op-ed advocating for the legalization of marijuana in all 50 states, declaring that the War on Drugs has been a failure for the American people.
Ryan assails “social and economic injustice” of marijuana arrests
Citing his experience as co-chair of the Addiction, Treatment and Recovery Caucus in the House of Representatives in his opinion piece for CNN, Ryan argued that existing policy harms youth and families who have been arrested for marijuana-related crimes. He went on to assert that the resulting economic, racial and social injustice to already vulnerable communities is simply unjustifiable:
The year Donald Trump was elected president, more Americans were arrested for marijuana possession than all violent crimes combined. The ACLU found that even though African Americans use marijuana at similar rates to white Americans, they are almost four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession.
Ryan urged Congress to take action on the Marijuana Justice Act of 2018, legislation that would eliminate marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinols from schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Doing so would prevent criminal sanctions from being imposed on those accused of distributing marijuana.
Advocates tout potential economic boon from legalization
According to Rep. Ryan, roughly 25 percent of the nation’s prisoners are incarcerated due to their involvement in relatively low-level drug crimes. Upon release, he argues, these offenders find it difficult, perhaps impossible to secure solid employment and resume life as productive and contributing members of society.
Supporters of legalization point to research claiming that large-scale legalization of marijuana could lead to savings of $7.7 billion in law enforcement expenditures and also generate $6 billion in new revenue. Many have also touted the job creation potential of legalization as a means to sway voter opinions on the issue.
Legalization advocates believe that the influx of cannabis-related revenue could facilitate massive improvements in infrastructure and provide resources with which to battle what they see as a far more vexing problem, namely the opioid addiction epidemic.
[show_poll poll_id=636]
Proposed legislation reflects statewide ballot initiatives
A number of states have already taken steps to ease their own cannabis laws. Nine states, along with the District of Columbia, currently allow recreational use of marijuana. Medical marijuana use is permitted in an additional 29 states.
Earlier this summer, Oklahoma voters agreed to legalize medicinal marijuana, with recreational use set to appear on the November ballot. Michiganders will also be voting on a marijuana initiative in the fall.
Proposal ignores clear dangers of marijuana use
While vigorously advocating in support of marijuana legalization, Ryan’s op-ed unsurprisingly neglects to address or provide counterpoints to any of the well-known hazards of marijuana use. There is no significant discussion of the detrimental effect of cannabis on cognitive development in teens, the dangers of marijuana-impaired driving, and productivity losses among heavy users.
It remains to be seen whether any significant action will be taken on the proposed legislation championed by Ryan.
Legalization advocates and opponents alike will surely be keeping a close eye on state-level ballot initiative outcomes in November.
1,320 Responses
You ought to get involved in a contest for one of the most effective blogs over the internet. I’ll recommend this great site!
Most of what you point out happens to be supprisingly appropriate and it makes me ponder the reason why I hadn’t looked at this with this light previously. Your piece truly did turn the light on for me personally as far as this particular subject goes. Nevertheless there is 1 position I am not really too comfortable with and whilst I make an effort to reconcile that with the main idea of your position, let me see just what the rest of the visitors have to say.Nicely done.
I dugg some of you post as I thought they were handy very helpful
digital cameras are really great because you can shoot and preview the pictures right away;
I have to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in writing this blog. I’m hoping to see the same high-grade content from you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own website now ;)|
Hi, Neat post. There’s a problem along with your website in web explorer, would test this… IE still is the marketplace chief and a big section of other people will omit your magnificent writing because of this problem.
Hello to all, it’s truly a nice for me to visit this web page, it consists of important Information.
Very shortly this site will be famous amid all blogging and site-building viewers, due to it’s pleasant articles or reviews|
everyone loves wedding parties, it is fun, it is lively and there are lots of food and drinks too,
As a Newbie, I am always browsing online for articles that can help me. Thank you
My spouse and i felt absolutely lucky Raymond could carry out his researching through your ideas he got while using the web site. It is now and again perplexing to just possibly be offering secrets and techniques which the others could have been making money from. And we see we’ve got the writer to give thanks to for that. These explanations you have made, the straightforward web site menu, the friendships you will help to engender – it is mostly extraordinary, and it’s aiding our son in addition to our family know that the subject is fun, and that’s especially serious. Many thanks for the whole thing!
thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I’m impressed! Extremely helpful information particularly the last part 🙂 I care for such information much. I was seeking this particular information for a very long time. Thank you and best of luck.|
This site is disseminating valuable info to people who are most concerned of the following issues being targeted by this site. Many certainly will keep coming back to check out updated posts.
I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the layout of your blog? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or 2 images. Maybe you could space it out better?
my baby enjoys playing on the baby swing, baby swings can really make your baby happy.,
hey there, your site is cheap. We do thank you for work
Fine way of telling, and nice post to take data on the topic of my presentation topic, which i am going to deliver in school.|
Hi webmaster, commenters and also everybody else !!! The blog was absolutely fantastic! Many fantastic information and also inspiration, both of that we all need to have!b Keep ‘em coming… you all do such a awesome job at such Concepts… can’t tell you how much I, for one appreciate all you do!
Some genuinely terrific work on behalf of the owner of this site, absolutely great written content .
I just like the helpful info you provide in your articles. I’ll bookmark your blog and take a look at again here frequently. I’m fairly sure I’ll be told plenty of new stuff proper here! Best of luck for the following!
I was curious if you ever thought of changing the layout of your blog? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1 or two images. Maybe you could space it out better?
weight loss is sometimes difficult to attain, it all depends on your motivation and genetics-
I am impressed with this website , very I am a fan .
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact was a amusement account it. Look advanced to more added agreeable from you! However, how could we communicate?
I will right away grab your rss feed as I can not in finding your e-mail subscription hyperlink or newsletter service. Do you have any? Kindly let me recognize in order that I may just subscribe. Thanks.|
His or her shape of unrealistic tats were initially threatening. Lindsay utilized gun first basic, whereas this girl snuck outside by printer ink dog pen. I used absolutely sure the all truly on the shade, with the tattoo can be taken from the body shape. make an own temporary tattoo
It’s a shame you don’t have a donate button! I’d without a doubt donate to this superb blog! I guess for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look forward to brand new updates and will talk about this blog with my Facebook group. Chat soon!
I really like your writing style, superb info , appreciate it for posting : D.
Have you considered about introducing some social bookmarking buttons to these blog posts. At least for twitter.
Excellent blog! Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers? I’m planning to start my own site soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m totally overwhelmed .. Any ideas? Cheers!
It is best to take part in a contest for top-of-the-line blogs on the web. I’ll recommend this website!
I every time emailed this webpage post page to all my friends, because if like to read it afterward my contacts will too.|
Thanks for your write-up. What I want to point out is that while looking for a good internet electronics shop, look for a website with comprehensive information on critical indicators such as the personal privacy statement, security details, any payment procedures, and other terms in addition to policies. Constantly take time to look into the help along with FAQ areas to get a far better idea of how a shop functions, what they are capable of doing for you, and just how you can make use of the features.
Hello. excellent job. I did not expect this. This is a fantastic story. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing superb informations. Your web-site is so cool. I’m impressed by the details that you’ve on this website. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles. You, my friend, ROCK! I found just the information I already searched all over the place and just could not come across. What a perfect site.
Hello There. I found your blog the usage of msn. This is a very neatly written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and return to read extra of your useful information. Thank you for the post. I will definitely return.
Hello There. I discovered your blog the use of msn. That is an extremely smartly written article. I will be sure to bookmark it and return to read extra of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I’ll certainly return.
Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to safeguard against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any tips?
My coder is trying to persuade me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on various websites for about a year and am anxious about switching to another platform. I have heard very good things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress content into it? Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated!