Brandon Bliss

Tory Childs
MacKenzie Reddick
Mr. Gross
English 12 B (3)
8 May 2015
Peace Treaty for the War on Drugs
In 1776, when the magnificent United States of America gained its independence, one of
the great principles it was founded upon was the pursuit of happiness. This means people are free
to do what makes them happy without infringing on the rights of others. In 1971, President
Richard Nixon declared war on drugs and claimed Americas number one enemy was drug
abuse. The War on Drugs must end and legalization of all drugs for recreational and medicinal
use in the United States needs to be legal. The War on Drugs is costing taxpayers millions of
dollars and flooding the prison system with frivolous and nonviolent drug charges. The War on
Drugs continues as 12.7% of all arrests made in the United States are non-violent drug-related
crimes (Flatow). The drug schedule system in use by the Drug Enforcement Administration is
outrageously and atrociously inaccurate and outdated. Since the schedule system used to classify
drugs and narcotics was created, many drugs and substances on this schedule have been shown to
have medicinal qualities and be substantially less harmful than originally thought. With the
advancement of scientific research on various psychoactive substances, it is being found that
many illegal drugs have promising potential for medicinal use. The illegal status of recreational
drugs pushes suppliers to cut and toxify substances with other chemicals in order to increase
profit by increasing the volume of product. This causes a significant increase in the danger of the

product to the user, who is usually negligent to the fact that the drug has been tampered with.
Alcohol and tobacco products account for a substantially higher death toll than all illicit
substances combined, yet are still regarded as safe and deemed acceptable due to ignorance. The
key to reducing and eliminating drug abuse is not outlawing drugs; it is to legalize, research, and
inform the public of the effects drugs have on the human body. Irresponsible use of illicit drugs
and substances can harm users, but with proper education, it will arm American citizens with
essential knowledge for responsible use of recreational drugs. Legalizing all drugs in the United
States will in fact decrease overdoses and drug abuse among its constituents.
The War On Drugs is costing taxpaying citizens millions of dollars and flooding the
prison system with frivolous and nonviolent drug charges. The United States is considered to be
a free country, without oppression from those in power. Though many freedoms are enjoyed in
the United States, there is a dark underbelly corrupting the system that is often overlooked by
many. The United States is notorious for the mass incarceration of its own citizens, being the #1
country in the world for internal incarceration. 1.5 million people were arrested on nonviolent
drug charges in 2013 (Drug War Statistics 1). The arrest process is a costly one, and millions in
state and federal funds go to this process. On a national scale, more than $51,000,000 is spent on
the war on drugs annually (1). This money could be put to better use, such as drug education
reform or research and development. With the legalization of drugs, the government can focus its
funds as well as its priorities on more important internal tasks. The state of Colorado has
spearheaded the use of legal recreational marijuana, a schedule 1 drug, to generate revenue for
state funded projects. In the first year of legalization of marijuana, Colorado has collected $17
million dollars from taxed cannabis (Hughes 1). That is $17 million dollars more than it received
last year from marijuana taxes (a resounding $0) and it is expected to skyrocket to over $40

million dollars annually within the next couple of years. Pot smokers who were already smoking
marijuana are now doing so legally and willingly paying taxes, which in turn, is increasing
multiple aspects of the public educational system in Colorado. This is just one example of how
legalization of a schedule 1 drug can benefit the American society as a whole.

The drug schedule system in use by the Drug Enforcement Administration is

outrageously and atrociously inaccurate and outdated. Since the schedule system used to classify
drugs and narcotics was created, many drugs and substances on this schedule have been shown to
have medicinal qualities and be substantially less harmful than originally perceived. The current
drug schedule system was created in 1970. This means the DEA has been using the same method
of classification for over 45 years,
with no adaptations or changes
fitting to the growing
pharmacological knowledge. The
Drug Enforcement Agency states
Schedule I drugs are considered the
most dangerous class of drugs with a
high potential for abuse and
potentially severe psychological
and/or physical dependence (DEA).
As an example, marijuana is a
schedule 1 substance, giving it the
title of highest potential for abuse and no recognized medicinal use. Regardless, eleven states
have legalized its medicinal use along with 4 states allowing recreational use. This shows that the
system is outdated and needs to be changed to fit countrywide societal change. The misleading
classification of drugs and their danger by the federal government harms citizens more than it
helps. The schedule system in place needs to be eliminated or reformed to fit current knowledge
of drugs, substances, and chemicals.

With the advancement of scientific research on various psychoactive substances, it is

being found that many illegal drugs have promising potential for medicinal use. For some
illnesses, narcotic substances are the only way to take the pain away or cure the disease. For
example, ecstasy (molly) is being shown to produce astounding results when assisting in
psychotherapy. According to Drug Policy Alliance, Because of MDMAs unique effect of
diminishing fear and enhancing interpersonal trust, it is an ideal adjunct medicine to
psychotherapy, and it has been administered to over 500 human subjects in clinical trials without
a single serious adverse event. A seminal study published in 2010 found that PTSD patients who
received MDMA-assisted psychotherapy reported overwhelming reductions in the severity of
their symptom (MDMA 1). Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, as of March 18th, 2015, is being
funded by the DEA to motion towards making it a legal prescription medicine by 2021. MDMA
was previously known to be a Schedule I drug with no medicinal benefits (Wing 1). Marijuana,
also a Schedule I drug, has time and time again shown medicinal benefits. The medicinal use of
marijuana is extremely prevalent in the documentary The Union: The Business Behind Getting
High where George Cooper, a multiple sclerosis and ataxia sufferer, talks about his usage of
marijuana and how it provides him the will to move on and reduce his pain (The Union: The
Business Behind Getting High 1:27:51). The application of these substances in medicinal
research shows just how much potential illegal substances have to help people recover from
disease and illness. By legalizing drugs medicinally, it will provide a healthier environment.
Opioids, pain medication such as morphine, will always provide the desired effect and will do
what they are meant to do. When using drugs such as ibuprofen, it is not safe for all patients to
take and is not always effective (Narcotic Treatment Contracts 1). Long term usage of ibuprofen
has been proven to cause liver problems in multiple humans (Livertox 1). The citizens of the

United States need substances that can be relied on and that work when taken. All drugs need to
be obtainable for everyone in the United States to provide medicinal benefits for various diseases
and illnesses.
Irresponsible use of illicit drugs and substances can harm users. The Controlled
Substance Act, enacted in 1970, was made to protect people from harmful substances and
regulate drug use and possession in the United States. The Act was initially good, because usage
of drugs can be harmful without proper education and without taking cautious measures before
ingesting them. Drug overdoses are generally caused by toxic mix-ins found in drugs that the
user is not aware of. Substances are most often sold by the metric measurement of mass, the
gram. Therefore, the more mass (grams), the more a dealer can sell the product for. These cutters
(often cheap and hazardous substances) are the reason drugs are often associated as dangerous.
Dealers have more motive to increase volume at the danger of the buyer by adding these cutters
to an otherwise harmless substance. With legalization and regulation, this factor would become
completely irrelevant. The harm drugs can cause comes from negligence and ignorance of how
controlled substances affect the body. Making all controlled substances legal, but regulated,
allows for more research to be done on them and for people to become more informed. By
studying these drugs in a lab, the medicinal uses could flourish and the recreational use would
become much safer.
Although alcohol and tobacco have proven to be more dangerous than multiple Schedule
I drugs, they are still legalized over other substances due to ignorance and stupidity. Over 88,000
deaths are traced back to alcohol related incidents per year just in the United States alone
(Alcohol Use 1). Tobacco is the number one preventable cause for deaths in the United States
averaging over 443,000 deaths a year and affecting over 8.6 million from second hand smoke.

Every Schedule I drug combined account for less than 44,000 deaths per year, most of which
were due to overdoses of prescription drugs (Annual Causes of Death 1). With proper education,
overdoses would drop significantly. On top of all this, Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main
psychoactive substance in the cannabis plant, is a level 1 controlled substance. There is no record
of a THC overdose nor have any deaths been traced back to THC where the user was not under
the influence of alcohol also. With less ignorance and proper education, American citizens would
understand that these dangerous drugs are less harmful than substances that are consumed
every day without the bat of an eyelash.
The key to reducing and eliminating drug abuse is not outlawing drugs; it is to legalize,
research, and inform the public of the effects drugs have on the human body. This arms
Americans citizens with essential knowledge for responsible use of recreational drugs.
Legalizing all drugs in the United States will in fact decrease overdoses and drug abuse among
its constituents. Americans spend tax dollars every year to try and stop the War on Drugs, but the
only way to beat it is by making drugs legal. By doing this, tax money can go towards things that
are beneficial and not towards a wasted and costly cause. The DEA works off of outdated leads
and tools making them inefficient and untrustworthy. Lack of proper medicinal and recreational
knowledge on the usage of drugs causes an unsafe and ignorant nation. Alcohol and tobacco, two
drugs responsible for the most amount of deaths in the United States, are legal and their effects
are far more dangerous than that of multiple Schedule I drugs. The prohibition on drugs must
turn into a regulation. The United States must allow American citizens to pursue happiness,
without intruding on the happiness of others, in a safe and educational manner under our
Constitutional rights stated by the Declaration of Independence.

Sources Pages
"Alcohol Use and Your Health." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 07 Nov. 2014. Web. 08 May 2015.
<http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm>.

"Annual Causes of Death in the United States." Annual Causes of Death in the United States.
N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2015. <http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/causes_of_death>.

"DEA / Drug Scheduling." 2013. 28 Apr. 2015 <http://www.dea.gov/druginfo/ds.shtml>

"Drug War Statistics - Drug Policy Alliance." 2012. 23 Mar. 2015

<http://www.drugpolicy.org/drug-war-statistics>

Flatow, Nicole. "Police Made More Arrests For Drug Violations Than Anything Else In 2012."
ThinkProgress RSS. N.p., 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 20 Mar. 2015.

Hughes, Trevor. "Colo. Pot Users Helping Build Schools with Tax Dollars." USA Today.
Gannett, 17 Feb. 2 015. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/02/17/colorado-marijuanarevenues/23565543/>

"Livertox." Ibuprofen. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 May 2015. <http://livertox.nih.gov/Ibuprofen.htm>.

"MDMA - Molly | Facts about Ecstasy | Drug Policy Alliance." 2013. 5 May. 2015
<http://www.drugpolicy.org/drug-facts/mdma-ecstasy-molly-facts>

"Narcotic Treatment Contracts and the State of the Evidence." Science-Based Medicine. N.p., 03
June 2010. Web. 06 May 2015.
<https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/narcotic-treatment-contracts-and-the-state-of-theevidence/>

"One Year After Legalizing Weed, Here's the Lawless ... - Mic." 2015. 22 Apr. 2015
<http://mic.com/articles/107618/one-year-after-legalizing-weed-here-s-the-lawless-hellscapecolorado-has-become>

The Union: The Business Behind Getting High. Dir. Brett Harvey. Perf. Adam Scorgie and Joe
Rogan. Phase 4 Films, 2007. Netflix.
<http://www.netflix.com/WiPlayer?
movieid=70118444&trkid=13752289&tctx=0,1,1026564aabc87bc4da2b02301a66e72b0b2bf82c
:0a2a68a9744ee0deeece9e4bbe4ba2bcd6d73b9d>.

"Tobacco Use." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, 16 Nov. 2012. Web. 08 May 2015.
<http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/aag/osh.htm>.

Wing, Nick. "DEA Approves Study Of Psychedelic Drug MDMA In Treatment Of Seriously Ill
Patients." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 08 May 2015.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/18/dea-mdma-study_n_6888972.html>.