Introduction The legalization of marijuana is considered a controversial issue, something that can benefit people for medical purposes, but what about recreationally? Marijuana has been illegal since 1937, but there’s never been a bigger push for legalization. There are several reasons why it is illegal, because of government propaganda and big industry not wanting to lose money, but this will be discussed later. The purpose of this paper is to educate, theorize, and discuss various aspects of marijuana, such as its history, development, and the advantages and disadvantages of marijuana legalization. Finally, my personal reflection on legalization and marijuana in general will be discussed. History of Marijuana Prohibition Marijuana has been illegal for less than 1% of the time that it’s been in use (Guither, 2014). Going back to 1619, the Virginia Assembly passed legislation requiring every farmer to grow hemp. Hemp was allowed to be exchanged as legal tender in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland (Block, 2014). It was actually a crime in some states to refuse to grow hemp in the 1700's. In the late 19th century, marijuana was a popular ingredient in many medicinal products and was sold openly in public pharmacies (PBS, 2014). However, in the early 1900’s things changed, a prejudice and fear began to develop around marijuana because it was being used and associated with Mexican immigrants. In the 1930’s, the massive unemployment rates increased public resentment and disgust of Mexican immigrants, which escalated public and governmental concern (PBS, 2014). In 1930 a new federal law enforcement agency, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) was created. Harry J. Anslinger was appointed the first commissioner of the FBN in 1930 (... ... middle of paper ... ...s/jacobsullum/2014/01/30/dueling-pot-billboards-at-the-stoner-bowl-marijuana-is-safer-vs-marijuana-will-ruin-your-life/ Szalavitz, M. (2014, January 13). Don't Believe The (Marijuana) Hype. Retrieved from TheFix: http://thefix.com/content/Maia-Szalavitz-pot-addiction-health2100 Vozick-Levinson, S. (2013, June 20). Is Weed Really Bad for You? Retrieved from RollingStone: http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/is-weed-really-bad-for-you-20130610 WebMD. (2012, July 23). Marijuana Use and Its Effects. Retrieved from WebMD: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/marijuana-use-and-its-effects WHO Expert Comittee on Drug Dependence . (2003). Thirty-Third Report. Retrieved from who.int: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/WHO_TRS_915.pdf?ua=1 Woodward, D. W. (1937, May 4). Taxation of Marihuana. Retrieved from DrugLibrary: http://www.druglibrary.org/Schaffer/hemp/taxact/woodward.htm
The history of marijuana in North America is integral in understanding the reasons it is now illegal and how to...
The word Marijuana also known as cannabis, pot, weed, herb and green stuff has been universally criticized since the beginning of the century. According to (Fitzgerald, K. T., Bronstein, A. C., & Newquist, K. L. 2013) “the term "marijuana” typically refers to tobacco-like preparations of the leaves and flowers” (Fitzgerald et al., (2013). (McGuinness, Teena M, PhD,P.M.H.-N.P., B.C. (2009) stated that “Cannabis cigarettes are also called joints, nails, and reefers; pipes for smoking are also known as bongs and bowls” (McGuinness et al., 2009) The truth is that the legalization of Marijuana has positive effects on both society and the wellbeing of individuals and should be legalized. The government can monitor and tax Marijuana thus helping the economy. Secondly Marijuana can be used as medical therapy; thirdly there would be less youth and adults in jails and prisons. Conversely the use of Marijuana can be proven highly addictive among individuals in our society; Marijuana is more harmful that cigarettes and Marijuana is known as the (Gate Way) drug to harsher drugs. The benefits of legalization Marijuana outweigh the cons.
Today, in the United States alone there are over: 400,000 cases of Multiple Sclerosis, 4 million cases of glaucoma, and between 1.3 and 2.8 million cases of epilepsy. That is at least 5.7 million people that suffer every single day. For many of those people, the situation seems hopeless, but there is an option that may help. Medical marijuana has been proven to be very helpful in all of those cases including other things such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and just pain in general. Not only has it been known to help reduce pain and other symptoms from those diseases but it has also becoming apparent that marijuana may also be able to potentially slow down cancer as a connection has been made between the plant turning off a gene
Did you know that marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug, with 19.8 million past-month users according to the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. That year, marijuana was used by 81.0 percent of current illicit drug users. Now think if every state in America was to legalize marijuana. There would be so many pros and cons that will change the economy. In this paper I will tell u all the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana. Some pros are that it will help cure many illnesses and different forms of pain, it will decrease the crime rate, and will help the economy. But, as a result of legalizing marijuana there will be cons. For example it will affect teens, harm the person smoking marijuana, and harm those around the person
well as medically, those are the two main points right there. Marijuana is not manmade it is it
Marijuana legalization has been in the air for a while now and is a heavily debated subject on both the national and local government agenda. While many are concerned marijuana in our society is unnecessary and will be the start of a downward spiral, DuPont and Barthwell, authors of the op-ed article “Op-ed: Don’t legalize marijuana. It’s addictive” in The Seattle Times, seem quite certain that marijuana, as a legal drug, will cause a rise in addiction. While the authors make a valid argument that marijuana, like any other recreational substance, can be addictive, it would be best to legalize the drug because of future revenue through taxation, a decrease in crime rate due to less drug trafficking, and the fact that marijuana is, medically,
In 2012, Colorado took a bold move and declared that Cannabis, also know as Marijuana or weed, is legal to buy for people 21 and over. Washington followed Colorado's footsteps and legalized weed, too. These actions are sparking questions if Colorado and Washington made the right choice. Should all states legalize weed or not? Initially, the United States is split into two sides. Those sides are people that want Marijuana legalized and those that don't. Legalizing marijuana has its pros if it is used to benefit the medical field, but there are cons in overusing and abusing it.
Benson, Adam. "Brandeis U.: EDITORIAL: Recent ballot measures indicate need to legalize marijuana." America's Intelligence Wire 12 Nov. 2002. General OneFile. Web. 12 Oct. 2010.
Marijuana used to be legal in the mid-1930s, “until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was passed by Congress” (Drug Legalization) . Congress passed this to make it illegal to have sold marijuana to anyone without having tax on the product (Drug Legalization). From that point on, marijuana was made illegal because of the few tax stamps that were being sold. During the 1970’s and the 1984’s, Congress was revoking laws that involved drug offenses (Drug Legalization). At the same time, the federal government was toughening the drug sales and possession laws (Drug Legalization). This has been going on for the past 80 years (Drug Legalization). Doctors then started to recognize the medical uses of marijuana (Rich). That made marijuana become deliberately sold in pharmacies (Rich). “The origins of marijuana prohibition in the United States stem from fears of a criminal element sneaking into the country, in t...
A controversial topic that has spread throughout the nation of the United States of America, and that is also widely popular, is the issue on cannabis. Cannabis is infamous for its natural state as a plant, and also for its ability for allowing people of all kinds to become “high”. A bad name has been given since there has been much negativity and false claims towards the subject. Cannabis is used medicinally to help those in need to aid to medical disabilities, disorders, as well as chronic pains. This plant is an issue through the laws of congress and year after year, lobbyist to this day are still fighting for its legality. In this paper, I will present an argument in support of legalizing the use of cannabis, and then argue that this argument has certain flaws that
The legalization of marijuana has been a highly debated topic for many of years. Since the first president to the most recent, our nation’s leaders have consumed the plant known as weed. With such influential figures openly using this drug why is it so frowned upon? Marijuana is considered a gateway drug, a menace to society, and mentally harmful to its consumers. For some people weed brings a sense of anxiety, dizziness, or unsettling feeling. Like alcohol, tobacco or any other drug, those chemicals may not respond well with their body. For other people marijuana brings joy, a sense of relief, and takes the edge off of every day stress. For those who are associated with cannabis, purposes usually range from a relaxant, or cash crop, to more permissible uses such as medicine, and ingredient to make so many other materials. We now need to look at what would change if marijuana were legal. Benefits to the economy and agriculture, health issues, and crime rates are three areas worth looking at. Deliberating on the pros and cons of this plant we can get a better understanding for marijuana. From there it will be easier to make a clear consensus on what is best for the nation.
In the 1900’s, the use of marijuana skyrocketed and its abuse gained momentum. In 1937, the Marijuana Act placed tax on its purchase. Those who refused to pay higher taxes were criminalized (Wikipedia). In 1969, the Marijuana Act was told to be unconstitutional, adding marijuana to the list of controlled substances and one year later marijuana was made illegal. In 1970, the people of America stood up for marijuana, creating the group NORML (the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws). Their goal was to convince America to decriminalize the use of marijuana for adults. Oregon was the first state to decriminalize marijuana in small non-medical ...
The legalization of marijuana is a very prominent and controversial topic in today’s society. Many people will argue against the legalization because of the lies and stereotypes that have been posed against the typical “pot smoker.” The skewed perception of lazy and unmotivated Americans spread over the last century have distorted the truth about cannabis. There are many different reasons for legalizing marijuana including an easy tax to profit from, medical reasons, and also many drugs and substances that are already legal are much more dangerous.
Marijuana use and possession has been illegal across all states since the passing of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. However, its usage and abuse were relegated more to the minority populations and had little to do with most of mainstream America. Laws were in place to punish offenders and since most were minorities at the time, there was little to no sympathy for the sentences being handed out from the courts. The outcry from those in mainstream America didn’t come until the 1970’s during President Richard Nixon’s proclaimed “War on Drugs.” This followed a massive increase in drug use during the 1960’s. People blamed the music of the era, politics and mostly the war in Vietnam for the sudden spike in users and ultimately abusers. The difference was that this time it wasn’t just isolated to the minority communities. Educated Caucasian students and even professionals had begun to use drugs and were very open about it. Thi...
The Pros and Cons of Drug Legalization Should drugs be legalized? Drugs are resources that are capable of affecting the American economy in many ways—both positively and negatively. Drugs often have a bad name, even though they help us everyday in medical cases. and the drugs with the worst reputations are not the most abused drugs. One may benefit from the legalization of drugs in many ways, while others would suffer greatly.