CJ 432 Excelsior College Drug Classifications Marijuana Discussion

This activity addresses module outcomes 1 & 2. Upon completion of this activity, you will be able to:

• MO1: Discuss the criteria for the classification of drugs in the United States. (CO1)
• MO2: Evaluate the effects of drug policy on law enforcement. (CO3)

Many states and Washington, D.C. have decriminalized “nominal” amounts of marijuana and have medical marijuana provisions. This means that many other states and the federal government continue to classify marijuana strictly as an illicit drug.

Review Marijuana overview and state medical marijuana laws (Links to an external site.), with a focus on challenges for penalties and enforcement, then respond to the following:

Review the Drug Enforcement Agency’s Schedule of Drugs (Links to an external site.). Consider the criteria that is used to determine a drug’s classification provided on the DEA’s website, in addition to the effects of these drugs discussed in the assigned chapters in your text.

• Consider the burden of enforcing marijuana laws.
• Discuss the difficulties of classifying the same drug differently in different parts of the country.
• Can we justify criminalizing behavior in one state that is legal in other states?