An Argument in Favor of Legalizing Marijuana

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“There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others.” This quote, said by Harry J. Anslinger (Then director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics) was used with many like it to persuade congress to pass a bill against marijuana in 1937. Marijuana was made illegal in the US in 1937 due to pure ignorance, incompetence in our government, and personal advancement. Marijuana needs to be made legal because of medical and economic benefits that have been previously explored by other countries and states that have decriminalized medical marijuana. While marijuana is used for recreational purposes, its medical value is unparalleled. With marijuana legalized, the United States can gain more insight into the medical properties of this plant. On top of the medical benefits, we can stop theorizing about the benefits we could see in our economy and justice system and actually get some answers.
Marijuana wasn’t always illegal. It was made illegal because of fear, one man’s goals of personal advancement, and ignorance. For years before it was illegal (dating back to the 1600’s in the United States), marijuana was used for things such as rope, paper, and clothes. The very first marijuana law, which was enacted in Jamestown Colony, Virginia in 1619, was a law commanding farmers to grow marijuana. Marijuana was such an important part of the economy that the government didn’t simply ask for it to be grown, they ordered it. In 1930, Harry J. Anslinger was named director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, a newly establis...

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...trieved November 6, 2013, from http://druglibrary.org/schaffer/hemp/history
Mozes, A. (n.d.). Active Ingredient in Marijuana Kills Brain Cancer Cells. ABC News. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=7235037
Peleg, M. (n.d.). MAPS Media Archive: PTSD Relief in Israel Through MDMA and Cannabis Research. MAPS Media Archive: PTSD Relief in Israel Through MDMA and Cannabis Research. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http://www.maps.org/media/view/ptsd_relief
Szalavitz, M. (n.d.). Marijuana as a Gateway Drug: The Myth That Will Not Die | TIME.com. Time. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/29/marijuna-as-a-gateway-drug-the-myth-that-will-not-die/
William Randolph Hearst [1863-1951]. (n.d.). William Randolph Hearst [1863-1951]. Retrieved November 6, 2013, from http://www.zpub.com/sf/history/willh.html

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