Legalization of Marijuana

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Marijuana, or Cannabis, is a plant that has been in use since ancient times. Cannabis has had significant affects on history and societies throughout the years. It is a plant that can grow in any environment, with the exception of the Arctic Circle. Up until recent years the Cannabis plant has never been looked upon negatively. The debate on Cannabis has started again; with some people thinking that it should be legal and others thinking that it should stay illegal. It is time for people to see Cannabis as what it really is and not as what manipulative advertisements have shown it to be. Cannabis was used in Ancient China for medical purposes and in Ancient India for pleasure. In the Ancient Indian religion the God Shiva said that the Cannabis plant was placed on earth as a pleasurable pastime for human beings. Soon Cannabis spread to the European region. In Europe, Napoleon Bonaparte introduced Cannabis to his soldiers. He preferred it to alcohol because it did not leave hangovers. Queen Victoria used Cannabis to cure fevers, insomnia, and menstrual cramps. The Cannabis plant was introduced to North America when Abdul Hammid, the Sultan of Turkey, gave the American government an assortment of Turkish delicacies, which included smokable Cannabis. Since then Cannabis has been widely used in the United States. However, alcohol continued to be the preferred drug of the American people. Once the Prohibition Act was put into effect, despite the back alley bars, Cannabis became an alternative to drinking alcohol. In New Orleans, known as the party center of the country, Cannabis became frequently used. It was here, after Cannabis assisted in the emergence of jazz, that people began to look down upon Cannabis. William Herst was ... ... middle of paper ... ... advancement to our medical field, economy, and agriculture. Works Cited www.abovetheinfluence.com/facts/drugsmarijuana www.testcountry.org/advantages-of-legalizing-marijuana.htm www.heroinonline.org/HOL www.davidbearmanmd.com/docs/ADHD1.pdf Advances in Hemp Research, by: Paulo Ranalli The Benefits of Marijuana:Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual, by: Joan Bello www.ncn.org/issues/43.12/ganjanomics-bringing-humbolts-shadow-economy-into-the-light?gclid=CMuurevRxaz.CFQ1U7 www.legalizationofmarijuana.com www.norml.org/news/2011 www.pbs.org www.ncjrs.gov/app/abstractdb/AbstractDBDetails.aspx?id=125676 Cannabis Dependence; it’s nature, consequences and treatment, by: Roger A. Hoffman www.norml.org/pdf_files/NORML_Economics_Cannabis_Legalization.pdf www.skeptically.org/recdrugs/id8.html www.cga.ct.gov/2008/rpt/2008-r-0455.htm www.timemagazine.com

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