DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
2301
Subject
Health Science
Date
Nov 24, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
4
Uploaded by samuelnjehia
Running head: DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA
1
Police Departments Should Lower Their Marijuana Standard
Students Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Date
DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA
2
Police Departments Should Lower Their Marijuana Standard
States across the United States must reconsider the marijuana threshold in police recruitment. In most jurisdictions, recruiters have used the marijuana criterion to exclude individuals from joining the force. It should not be the situation now that medical marijuana has been legalized in 23 states and doctors are prescribing it to treat various ailments (Yarnell, 2015).
For multiple reasons, police forces like the Baltimore PD have an insufficient police force, one of which is that many people do not apply to be policemen (Abell Foundation, 2017). The handful that does is subjected to a thorough vetting process to assess whether or not they will be effective cops. The marijuana prohibition has ruled out a wide range of potential officers, requiring police forces to rely on extra hours, which is costly and detrimental to officers' morale.
People are capable of changing, and they do make mistakes. Members of the community fear that lowering the criteria will result in police officers of poorer caliber than previously. I will
debate all day about it, but I do not believe it's correct, in my opinion. Lowering the recruitment requirements will be a manner of upgrading the guidelines to suit community demands of what a law enforcement officer ought to be and their life experience. Additionally, A candidate's academics, physical health, and defensive tactics may all be great. A single blunder should not overshadow their good traits. A recruit's use of marijuana as a child is not always indicative of how they will perform their officers' duties. As a result, county sheriffs and police departments should not dismiss people who could have made excellent officers based on minor missteps in high school or college.
It is likely that someone had used marijuana before and regretted it. As a result, police forces should have abandoned rigorous hiring rules for a more comprehensive approach. Police
DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA
3
agencies should analyze each individual without any predetermined standards and evaluate earlier behavior in light of the person's entire existence under this concept, also known as the "whole of person" technique (Bottema & Telep, 2021). For instance, A criminal charge at the age
of 18 appears different for a 20-year-old who claims extensive drug usage than for a 36-year-old with a stable family, a solid employment record, and no history of drug use. Light marijuana usage, on the other hand, can be overlooked if the rest of the person's life, psychological profile, and work are all in order.
Instead of excluding potential recruits because of prior marijuana usage, police departments should concentrate on other variables such as physical, cognitive, and emotional health, which are better indicators of officer ability. There is little proof that previous marijuana use impacts work performances (Abell Foundation, 2017). As a result, the criteria unfairly exclude persons who can change public perceptions of police personnel. Many people support marijuana use. Thus its inclusion in the police force could help them avoid alienating officers. By complying with the marijuana guideline, police departments overlook the various advantages of using the drug. Doctors can prescribe marijuana for pain management and the treatment of diseases, including post-traumatic stress disorder, since multiple studies have demonstrated a link between marijuana use and these illnesses (Yarnell, 2015). Failure to adapt to changing times indicates how stuck police agencies are in their methods, which might not be the ideal option when people want law enforcement improvements.
References
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help
DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA
4
Abell Foundation (2017, September). High Standards?- Reassessing the use of marijuana standards to screen police recruits in Maryland. Retrieved from: https://abell.org/publications/high-standards.
Bottema, A. J., & Telep, C. W. (2021). Examining Views of Police Chiefs and College Students Regarding Drug Disqualifiers for the Hiring of Police Officers in Arizona. Journal of Drug Issues, 51(1), 109-127.
Yarnell, S. (2015). The use of medicinal marijuana for posttraumatic stress disorder: A review of
the current literature. The primary care companion for CNS disorders, 17(3).