Shots fired from left and right whiz by your head as you walk anxiously through the ghettos towards your downtown apartment steps. You find yourself caught in crossfire between two raging drug dealers. As you make an attempt to run for cover, a bullet strikes you directly in the middle of your back, and for what, a few ounces of weed? Thousands of people die each year because of senseless gang violence. Because marijuana and other drugs are illegal, addicts are forced to resort to crime to support their habits. Prohibiting drugs means that someone will have a monopoly on drug sales. So gangs who finance their activities with drug sales battle each other to determine who that someone will be. Innocent people get shot in crossfire and in drive-by shootings. It's the Prohibition era all over again, and the winner says, "Thank you, government, for making all this possible." This is the reality of the matter. The Drug War has not worked and it will never work. An alternative plan must be adopted. I propose that we

Similar plans have proven successful in the Netherlands. The retailers are known as "coffee shops" and must adhere to rules set forth by the state. This situation in the Netherlands today is a system "carefully balanced between cannabis consumers and retailers and the government." The consumer is no longer seen as a criminal, and cannabis is seen as equal to tobacco and alcohol. Statistics prove that since marijuana has been legal in the Netherlands, drug crime has dropped dramatically.

My proposal will meet the needs of society. Users will be able to support their habits without resorting to crime. Gang violence over marijuana will not threaten innocent people any longer. State and federal prisons will be able to make room for the rapists and murderers who are set free after receiving a shortened sentence, due to the lack of cell space. Levels of drug-related crime and violent crime would significantly decline resulting in less crowded courts, jails, and prisons. Organized crime would no longer control marijuana production, distribution, and sales.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Drug War, Drugs Legalizing, Legalization Shots, It's Prohibition, demand met, gang violence marijuana, users able, government tax, innocent people, drug dealers, gang violence, selling tobacco, alternative plan, violence marijuana, marijuana legal,
Approximate Word count = 719
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)