If you look back through history, the only real reason that drugs, any drugs are illegal is because of racial insecurities. Affluent Americans love their drugs and throughout history have used them with wild abandon until the minorities began using them. Suddenly, they were concerned that minority men would either go crazy on the drug and rape the white women or would use the drug to seduce and stain her virtue.
The level of THC is what makes Marijuana harmful to the user. The War on Drugs is the single greatest contributor to high levels of THC found in Marijuana today. Until the drug began to be targeted by the government, Marijuana was virtually harmless and widely used throughout the United States and around the world. The strict enforcement of the drug forced its use underground and the bulk of it was produced by only a handful of growers. The growers made the drug more potent to keep people wanting it at the higher prices they had to charge to supply it. Even after all this, the drug is still mostly harmless compared to other drugs that took the same road, such as coca and poppy seed drugs.
The War on Drugs also put the business into the hands of people who’s only motivation is quick cash. Street gangs, organized crime, and criminal factions both in the U.S. and south America are the beneficiaries of this new, more potent drug and the increased profits they gain insures that they’ll never stop and never have a shortage of money to fight back against the government.
Another side effect of the War on Drugs is the increase of migrant workers coming across the border. The Coyotes, as they are called, run illegal aliens across the border to see if the way is clear to run drugs, because it’s a lesser offense to run people. If the people get through, the drugs soon follow.
The biggest reason the United States has to maintain a War on Drugs is to create jobs. Tens of thousands of jobs have been created over the years to wage this war. Everything from police and border patrol to prisons and civilian contractors depend on a never ending War on Drugs. It gives us the self imposed right to operate military units in South America and keep Mexico in our pocket. The United States doesn’t really want to win this war. If we did, we’d have found a better solution by now.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to legalize the drug, put it under the supervision of the FDA, who could regulate the amount of THC, net billions in taxes instead of spending billions to fight a war the government doesn’t want to win anyway, take the money out of the hands of street gangs, organized crime and South American militants, and reduce the incentive to run illegal immigrants into our country?