Bill Piper Marijuana Legalization

As you might have guessed by the title, my article addresses the issue of legalizing marijuana. Bill Piper is for the legalization of the drug. He starts by addressing the fact that more than three quarters of Americans believe the drug war has been ineffective. 40 years after the drug war began; we have little to show for our efforts. In fact, many well-respected politicians have used illegal drugs themselves. Some may think prohibiting a drug will save lives, however drug related deaths have actually increased. Piper also addresses the racial disparities between those who are charged and convicted with drug charges and the many other problems that arise with illegal drugs.
Making drugs illegal has actually caused a rise in other diseases such as AIDS and hepatitis C due to restrictions on clean needles.   The consequences that can arise from possession of illegal drugs causes some people to shy away from calling for help, even when a friend is overdosing, which also helps increase the number of drug related deaths. Drug use doesn’t just affect the users it also affects the people close to them. Many families have been torn apart due to drug addiction and the fact that many people were incarcerated just for possession. The fact that African Americans are heavily targeted for drug charges is rather disappointing. I thought we had got past inequality by now; but while only 15 percent of drug users are African American, they make up 59 percent of those convicted for drug violations. We are seeing a prosperous black market for drugs, just as we saw with the prohibition of alcohol. If the government regulated marijuana, then it could cut out the shady drug dealers making the market safer.
It is easy to find the strength in the author’s arguments. For instance, it is common sense that if less state and federal resources were spent arresting and prosecuting those in violation of minor drug laws, there would be more resources available to catch more dangerous...