Timpson 1

Joseph Timpson Nkenna Onwuzuruoha English 1010-058 July 30, 2013 Annotated Bibliography I am researching: Drugs and why we should legalize them, I am reminded of this issue constantly because the issue is always on the news, radio, and even right out on our street corners. Many things about this issue interest me, like how many people die from drugrelated crimes each year, and how prevalent it is in the United States. Caulkins, Jonathon P., Hawken, Angela, Kilmer, Beau & Kleiman, Mark: A Voter's guide to Legalizing Marijuana. 'The American Interest' Washington DC, November/December 2012 Print This article discusses mostly Marijuana which has the most users as far as drugs go, and it is the candidate up for consideration. Before reading this article I thought that legalizing drugs would not solve but remedy many problems, but what I hadn't totally taken into consideration was how many problems it will bring up. As I discuss this topic more and read further into it, I have found that many people who are saying that drug legalization is good haven't really researched it, which is puzzling because its defiantly not something to take lightly. This article has really changed my view on how I feel about the legalization of any drugs, I now have a lot to take into consideration before I place my vote. After reading this I am much more aware of how important it is to legalize not all drugs, but some. NIDA (National Institute of Drug Abuse) The science of Drug Abuse & Addiction http://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse 2010. Print.

Timpson 2 Getting on the NIDA site really helped me to understand each drug for what it is and the effects it has on people, and also what is in each drug, they really explain and have every major drug on the site so that you can research each one individually . The National Institute of Drug Abuse is an excellent source to reference back to because they're accurate and by letting you know each drug and how it performs on you you have a much a much clearer idea of why it's important to not legalize every drug out there, but also helps you be aware that there are some drugs that are very harmful and others not so much. The NIDA give an interesting report that plainly states how drug abuse can have a huge effect on you mental status and also on you physical health. The medical consequences can be many thing ranging from cardiovascular disease to HIV/AIDS. Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP) Why legalize Drugs? http://www.leap.cc/about/why-legalize-drugs/ History has shown that drug prohibition reduces neither use nor abuse. LEAP gives me an important piece of information in an analogy written on why to legalize drugs; once a rapist is arrested there are fewer rapes; but after a drug dealer is arrested there are not fewer drug crimes, it is a fact that once a drug dealer is arrested it just opens up a way for a new line of drug capitalists. The LEAP believe that by eliminating drug prohibition for all adults it will severely help to focus on crimes that are very prevalent in our society such as assault, child abuse, murder etc. If we were to control the regulating of drugs then it would decrease the problems of criminal gangs bribing and killing each other over drugs and the money that drug trafficking makes them. Zill, Oriana & Bergman, Lowell. FRONTLINE (special reports) Do the Math: Why Illegal Drug Business is Thriving Abt Associates Inc.

Timpson 3 What keeps the drug industry going is it's huge profit margins. That is absolutely correct, in this article written by former producer Oriana Zill, and former reporter for Frontline's Drug Wars Lowell Bergman, I am enlightened and 100% backed up about my hypothesis and research, it is once again plain to me why it is so important to legalize drugs. It is estimated that in New York alone at least 1% of the population 80,000 plus spends $200 on illicit drugs, that alone would amount to $16 million dollars a week or $832 million dollars a year! And that's just New York. In 1988 Cocaine was the most used drug and highest priced coming in at 76.9 billion dollars, it has gone down since then and is now at 39.0 billion dollars, but Cocaine is still number one ranking. These authors give an impressive fact that an average drug trafficking organization from Medellin to the streets of New York, could afford to lose 90% of its profit and still be profitable! From these articles that I have read and the extensive information that they provide me, I can write my paper with a more thorough diligence and from the facts that I have gathered here I will enlighten people as to what we as a nation need to do.