Drug Reform Policy Essays - 2528 Words

Drug Policy Reform Eric L. Morton Urban Policy/UST 458 Cleveland State University Abstract In the United States the prison population has increased from 300,000 in 1972 to 2.2 million people today. One in 31 adults in the United States is in jail, prison, on probation or parole. The American government currently spends over 68 billion dollars a year on incarceration. Drug Policy and the incarceration of low-level drug offenders is the primary cause of mass incarceration in the United States. Forty percent of drug arrests are for simple possession of marijuana. Growing evidence indicates that drug treatment and counseling†¦show more content†¦These interest groups are activity involved in the legislature process (on the national level) seeking to roll back the excesses of the drug war, block new, harmful initiatives, and promote sensible drug policy reforms (the Obama administration’s Office of National Drug Control Policy [ONDCP], also supports this approach). Grassroots organizations such as Drug Sense, and Stop the Drug War, are movements that inform citizens and encourage involvement in drug policy reform. In Ohio, The Ohio General Assembly is the state’s legislative body. The General assembly consists of two Houses, the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives, and the 33-member Ohio Senate. The Criminal Justice Committee is a committee in The Ohio Senate that focuses on bills, policies and issues that directly impact criminal law. This committee is composed of ten members, three Democratic (Joe Schiavoni, Tom Sawyer, Shirley A. Smith), and seven Republicans (John Eklund [chair], Bill Seitz, Jim Hughes, Frank LaRose, Peggy Lehner, Larry Obhof, Tim Schaffer). The Criminal Justice Committee works collaboratively with law enforcement and the legal community on policies that will protect Ohioans. Drug abuse and addiction have no single cause. 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I find it disturbing the American media does not report on the safety and security issues in Ecuador to explain to Americans the residential and non- residential crime in Ecuador. I wanted to clearly understand the issues so, I explored the major contributions behind the crime and residential security in Ecuador; and began to wonder; are the policies of the government beneficial for the development of creating