Throughout history the legality of drugs has often changed. Marijuana likely began in the 1600’s as many people were growing hemp to make ropes. During the Civil War opiates were used to anesthetize patients so that the doctors had time to perform surgeries. In the 1870’s the original recipe for Coca Cola contained cocaine and drugs like heroin and morphine were used to combat alcohol addiction (Reed n.d).
In America, today the laws regarding drugs differ from state to state. In some states, even the smallest amount of illegal drugs will cause a person to be arrested for possession. In other states a person will only be arrested if they have more then what would be attributed to personal use. However, all states drugs such as methamphetamines, heroin, cocaine, and other illicit drugs are viewed as illegal. Marijuana is legal in some states, but illegal under the Federal government. Therefore, a person who is caught with marijuana can be charged with possession in a state such as California where it is legal. However, more and more states are passing laws to legalize marijuana and the federal government has been taking steps to overturn their ban on weed.
Currently the only drugs that are legal in every state are over the counter and prescription drugs. It is these drugs that are the epidemic drugs of this generation. There are millions of people who are suffering from addictions from prescription drugs such as OxyContin and Adderall. In 2011 it was reported by the CDC that there were 106,000 people who died from prescription drug use, compared to about 15,000 that died as a result of illegal drugs (Shilhavy 2017). Even though more people may be in prison on illicit drug charges. Prescription are responsible for more crimes. In fact, there are more criminal convictions related to prescription deaths. These convictions result in more damages being paid out (Shilhavy 2017). Currently there are no laws to deal with the epidemic of prescription drug addiction.
References
Reed, R. (n.d.). Drug Law Timeline. Retrieved from http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/history/drug_law_timeline.htm
Shilhavy, B. (2017, January 12). Legal Drugs vs. Illegal Drugs: Are we fighting the Right War? Retrieved from https://healthimpactnews.com/2012/legal-drugs-vs-illegal-drugs-are-we-fighting-the-right-war/
