Ever since the federal criminalization of marijuana in the United States in 1937, there has been a large underground drug market (Paul). Much like how the prohibition of alcohol simply forced imbibers underground, those who chose to partake in marijuana are forced to stay away from the prying eye of the law because of present marijuana laws. This means the drug world is concealed from the average citizen, hiding the dangers of drug deals gone wrong, police shootings, and other dangerous occurrences. In a way this allows the government to mask the fact that their well-funded ‘War on Drugs’ is ineffective, a ‘War’ with a budget of roughly twenty billion dollars; which is not profoundly effective in the curbing the use of drugs (Jillette). If the average citizen does not know what is happening, in the eyes of the American zeitgeist, it is not happening. Criminalizing a harmless drug to cut down on its use simply turns its users into criminals, making the crime rate go up and clogging prisons with non-violent criminals. Marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco and the laws pertaining to it should reflect that. The legalization of marijuana would let loose the floodgates of free enterprise allowing capitalism to generate marijuana distribution and manufacture corporations which will generate billions upon billions of dollars. Marijuana, if legalized, will almost certainly be taxed by the federal government, generating cash-flow while still keeping prices reasonable. The price of marijuana would also drop exponentially, because the dangers of smuggling and police raids will be eliminated. Legalized marijuana would likely to legal to grow as well, but require some sort of permit, or license to distribute. Just like any other... ... middle of paper ... ...0080205147/cannabis-news/marijuana-replaces-ritalin-in-treatment-for-add/adhd-video.html>. Jillette, Penn, and Teller "War on Drugs." Penn & Teller: Bullshit! Dir. Christopher Poole. Prod. Patti Duce. Showtime. 22 Apr. 2004. NORML. 20 Apr. 2009 Paul, Ron. "Ron Paul On Marijuana Legalization." Interview with Joy Behar. Larry King Live! CNN. 9 Mar. 2009. Prince, Star. In Pot We Trust. Dir. Star Prince. Prod. Joshua E. Kessler. DVD. Showtime Networks Inc., 2007. Rosenfeld, Irven. "Getting Marijuana From The Government." Interview with Videojug.com. VideoJug.com. 5 Mar. 2008. . Yurchey, Doug. "The Marijuana Conspiracy | www.tpuc.org." Home | www.tpuc.org. The People's United Community. 14 Apr. 2009 .
In January of 1919, the 18th amendment, the prohibition of alcohol, was ratified due to progressive movements. It was soon repealed in 1933, when crime increased and issues spread throughout the country. The concept of “gangsters” was established and unsafe alcohol became apart of America’s diet. This problem is now evident in this country today. Marijuana, an all natural plant that is known to get someone “high,” or to alter the state of mind, has been illegal since 1937 when the Marijuana Tax Act was put into action. But, this has caused problems throughout the country, just like the prohibition of alcohol. Making marijuana illegal has affected the social and cultural aspects of America negatively, by increasing the crime rate, making our country somewhat unhealthier, and weakening the economy.
Lately it seems that drug policy and the war on drugs has been in the headlines quite a lot. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the policies that the United States government takes against illegal drugs are coming into question. The mainstream media is catching on to the message of organizations and individuals who have long been considered liberal "Counter Culture" supporters. The marijuana question seems to be the most prevalent and pressed of the drugs and issues that are currently being addressed. The messages of these organizations and individuals include everything from legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, to full-unrestricted legalization of the drug. Of course, the status quo of vote seeking politicians and conservative policy makers has put up a strong resistance to this "new" reform lobby. The reasons for the resistance to the changes in drug policies are multiple and complex. The issues of marijuana’s possible negative effects, its use as a medical remedy, the criminality of distribution and usage, and the disparity in the enforcement of current drug laws have all been brought to a head and must be addressed in the near future. It is apparent that it would be irresponsible and wrong for the government to not evaluate it’s current general drug policies and perhaps most important, their marijuana policy. With the facts of racial disparity in punishment, detrimental effects, fiscal strain and most importantly, the history of the drug, the government most certainly must come to the conclusion that they must, at the very least, decriminalize marijuana use and quite probably fully legalize it.
in Colorado and Washington as not only medicinal, but recreational use. They have also begun
How aware are we, the people, of the destructive and ultimately lethal affects of marijuana? Expert in crime control and national security, Charles Stimson informs the general public about the disasters of marijuana in his essay, “Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Should Just Say No”. He writes about the damaging use of prolonged marijuana and the “additional (financial) strain on an already faltering economy”, while also enlightening Americans on the terrible untruths that supporters of legalization make. Mr. Stimson effectively convinces his audience that citizens should not legalize marijuana by referring to outside sources with credible background, by answering questions from the opposing side, and by explaining the cause and effect of black-market profits.
Brett Harvey’s documentary, “The Culture High” is an interesting story that takes a raw and honest look that tears into the very grit of modern day marijuana prohibition to reveal the truth behind the arguments and motivations governing both those who support and those who oppose the existing pot laws. As we ask ourselves will marijuana be legalize in our life time? Or is the “war on drugs” really fundamentally affecting this country? This documentary states two reasons why the information on cannabis is kept from the public, either just one joint ‘can cause psychiatric episodes similar to schizophrenia’ or the addiction and how this drug can lead to another drug. This documentary places a lot of focus in how the government is being involved,
Marijuana is an emergent problem in the United States; the main reasons behind this problem are the extensive use of the drug and the federal government’s determination to put an end to the drug’s illegal sale and use. The government’s efforts to stop the use of marijuana inside the country have been ineffective and actually caused the problem to increase. Its efforts have only added on to an enormous national debt. Jeffrey Miron, a professor of Economics at the University of Harvard, estimates that the total expenditures of enforcing the ban of marijuana of local, state, and federal government combined to be 7.7 billion dollars in 2003. The U.S. government simply cannot afford these extra expenditures while struggling economically. The fact that the government is spending so much money in its attempts to stop the use of marijuana has actually helped to create another problem. Overcrowding in U.S. prisons is also on the increase; marijuana laws are a driving force behind the overcrowding. Eric Schlosser, ...
In our society today, a big debate has emerged. People are squabbling, arguing, deliberating and discussing on whether Marijuana should be legalized. In the United States, this debate is amplified because people think that illegalizing the substance does not fight its illicit use but only makes it more available and easily accessible. It also makes it “as a cool recreation drug” (Pi, 2007) for the young people. “It is actually easier for many high school students to obtain Marijuana than it is for them to obtain alcohol, because alcohol is legal and therefore regulated to keep it away from kids” (Marijuana, 1999). Debate about legalization of the drug is a significant issue that is socially important to our community and it should be analytically discussed in length. I personally believe that legalizing the drug across the United States of America would help fight its usage and save us a lot of cash (Marijuana, 1999).
Marijuana has been the center of debate for several years now. There are many opinions on the subject, some believe that marijuana will be a “save all” that can help with medical advances, is less harmful than alcohol along with the taxability, so they push extremely hard for it to be legal. Others believe it will cause the world to collapse starting with it being addicting and moving to the detrition of our mental health, and want to do all they can to keep it illegal. Even though some believe it is bad for your mental health and can be very addictive, marijuana should be legal because it has positive medicinal and recreational uses and is taxable and safer than alcohol.
Across the United States, men and women are serving multiple years in prison for marijuana related crimes. According to King and Mauer’s research about war on drug, “New York experienced an 882% growth in marijuana arrest including an increase of 2,461% for possession offenses” (King & Mauer). The essential issue about an increase in marijuana related arrests diverts law enforcer’s attention away from greater criminal activities. It has such an immense effect on citizens today because they are forced to break the law in order to relieve their chronic pain, similarly; arresting citizens for marijuana possession creates a criminal record that they will forever carry along their life. Over the past years, the arguments about marijuana have concerned many citizens whether if it should be used for medical purposes or as a recreational drug. It is important to realize marijuana is considered to be less dangerous than tobacco and alcohol combined. So how did marijuana become illegal in the first place? It began back in the early 1900’s century; when hemp turned into a huge industrial usage because it could turn into, fuel, paper, food, textile, and oil. Soon enough hemp was going to be the next billion-dollar product; it became a threat to several multi-billion dollar markets across the nation. William Randolph Hearst owned a chain of newspaper companies, and used everything in his power to have marijuana outlawed. The real threat against Hearts was because hemp could produce paper much more efficient and could easily turn his company down, so he then began printing stories in the newspaper about a new drug called “marijuana,” and said people were smoking it, and made black people rape white women’s. Within the next few years, congress ...
Aside from the violence and costly attempts of control that accompany drug trade, there are severe social implications of the U.S war on drugs. One of the major social topics today is that of Marijuana use and punishment in America. Since 1937, over 26 million Americans have been arrested for Marijuana use. [2] The effects and harms are still debated today, yet many people serve time in jails and prisons, waiting to be released with criminal record that will follow them for the rest of their life. Further, those incarcerated are represented by a disproportionate amount ...
Marijuana, also known as Cannabis is the third most well-liked recreational drug, which only falls behind alcohol and tobacco, in the United States (The Whitehouse, n.d.). Marijuana is made up of dried leaves, plants, stalks, and pits from the hemp plant Cannabis Sativa, which comprises of the mind-altering compound delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in addition to other associated compounds. This plant substance can correspondingly be converged in a resin called hashish or an adhesive black fluid called hash oil. Efforts to legalize marijuana for medication treatment and recreational use in the United States have grown in current years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that marijuana may perhaps assist in a reduction of nausea, encourage hunger, and lessen pain (Food and Drug Administration, 2006). On the other hand, the American Medical Association (AMA) does not tolerate marijuana as a medication (1995-2013). So many answers are needed with such contradictory opinions around this exceedingly controversial drug to decide what measures need to be taken from the federal government for a final solution.
As mentioned before, Marijuana is considered a “gateway drug.” The idea that “softer” drugs lead to “harder” ones implies that an increasing severity of crime will follow—due to each drug carrying an innate quality of varying illegality. However, one must consider multiple perspectives. Is the Government regulating the drug because it simply promotes crime? What of other entities, such as violence on television? If violence begets crime, should the Government then regulate television? No. But pove...
The legalization of marijuana has the potential to bring our economy back to life if it were to be legalized. There are a number of ways in which legalization could improve the economy. We could use the revenue from taxes on marijuana to provide for a better quality of life for Americans in need. Legalizing marijuana would also save us money by cutting the cost of putting someone in jail for harmless marijuana related charges that waste tax money. Also it would put more money into circulation by keeping the profits off the black market and into the legal and taxed market. With an estimated twenty-five million active marijuana smokers in America that consume nearly thirty-one million pounds of marijuana each year, we are missing out on extreme revenue that this country cannot afford to go without for much longer (Krulick).
Much debate has been brought to Capitol Hill concerning the legalization of the Marijuana. Analyzing the history, data, and health effects of marijuana it becomes clear that the debate for the legalization of marijuana should be seriously considered and should be brought to congress as an issue that can stimulate the economy and bring together a divided nation. This issue along with many others will not be a reality until congress takes action and addresses the issue directly. Conflicting views arise when so much time effort and money have been spent to eliminate drugs. America’s “War on Drugs” has been an intense operation to eliminate narcotics on the streets and often catch the criminal distribution before it even reaches the public. Citizens of the United States have petitioned for the legalization of marijuana since its origin, yet minimal progress has been made and the illegal existence of the plant remains. Congress has faced the vote to legalize marijuana countless times while the majority of politicians favor the ban on the substance, however there are certain individuals of political office that have and continue to vote for its legalization. America’s emphasis and concern for the use, distribution, and growth of marijuana is outstanding with arrests reaching nearly 5.9 million since the year 1990. A large amount of time, money, and man-power has been applied to the operation of controlling the substance of marijuana in society and many people argue against this. As long as marijuana is not legalized, the debate and fight for its legalization will undoubtedly continue from the millions of people who use the herbal matter in this country alone.
Recently, the California elections proposed a controversial new law for the state to apply a new tax on cannabis, Proposition 19. Many reasons arise to contest this new proposition. Firstly, we currently do not have a sufficient system in place to prevent the dispersion of cannabis to minors. Secondly, drivers already have enough to be concerned about, such as drunk drivers and people using cell-phones, therefore we should not add marijuana as an additional influence for people to have open access to. Moreover, once we compromise by sanctioning a recognized drug, what is stopping us from eventually legalizing far more serious drugs, like cocaine and heroin? Say no to legalizing marijuana, and keep our country safe.