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Marijuana 2 While it seems that numbers are steadily increasing, to legalize marijuana, there are still many states who have yet to legalize the use of medical marijuana. Many of the public feel that, due to the recent legalization of medical marijuana, the U.S. is a step closer to legalization marijuana for use by the general public. Choosing to legalize marijuana for the general public will cause an increase in users and put users health at risk, both mentally and physically. In 1937, a legislation was passed, the marijuana tax act, giving the government control over the drug which made it illegal. Twenty years later, harsher laws with mandatory sentences for any drug convictions were put in place. A movement in the 1970’s reevaluated the status of marijuana and in turn led to lighter sentences, in most states, for those caught with a small amount of the drug.(Drug Legalization, 2010). In 1996 California was the first state to legalize the use of the drug for medical purpose only. (California leads again) Personal use of marijuana is still illegal across the entire country and should stay that way due to the effects on your health and personal life. There was and experiment done in Alaska in 1970, legalizing marijuana, which ended with their teens using marijuana at more than twice the rate than any other teen across the U.S. In 1990, Alaskan residents voted to re-criminalize marijuana use. (www.dea.gov) The public needs to be made aware of the studies that have been done, dealing with the consequences of the legalization of marijuana. The National Institute on Drug Abuse, studied 6,000 teenage drivers who drove more than six times a month after smoking marijuana. It was found that they were two and a half t... ... middle of paper ... ... crisis, the federal government stood back as the states relaxed Prohibition, until the 21st amendment officially ended it.” We can no longer put money before health. We have to protect our children from having the legal option to become lazy, unproductive, and unhealthy. Legalizing marijuana would be a very big mistake, that would produce a epidemic which I think the people of United States is not ready for. References (2006, Dec.) Drug Legalization Issues & Controversies On File. Retrieved April 10, 2010, from Issues & Controversies database (2010). Joint effort; Legalizing marijuana. The Economist(US),42EU. Retrieved April 9, 2010, General OneFile.gale group database Marijuana Facts (Pot, Weed) Retrieved April 10, 2010 from www.abovethe influence.com Speaking out against drug legalization www.dea.gov May 2003
Marijuana is influencing children as young as 10 to smoke, it decreases your brain cells rapidly, and can cause you to face jail time. In the article “Legalize This!” by Douglas N. Husak it states “Our alleged concern for the welfare of children seem to vanish as soon as they actually begin to use illicit drugs. When a child is caught with drugs, sympathies are put aside and mercy is seldom forthcoming” (68). Due to their surroundings, most children become what they see. If they see all the adults smoking marijuana freely around them, of course their going to think it’s okay to smoke marijuana. They believe with marijuana staying illegal, it should be impossible for them to smoke weed. Once the child smokes illegal drugs, they’re no longer seen as being innocent. They’ll be punished severely for their actions. The novel “High Price” by Dr. Carl Hart, discusses Dr. Harts personal story growing up around poverty, drugs, and turning his life around to better himself. The text states “The U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics examined the connections between drugs and crime in prisoners, analyzing data from 1997 to 2004. It found that only a third of state prisoners committed their crimes under the influence of drugs and only around the same proportion were addicted” (110). Drugs have proven time and time again to influence prisoners to do wrong especially when they’ve become
Why isn 't marijuana legal in the United States? Marijuana could serve many purposes to the human body and the community. In 1937, the government issued the Marijuana Tax Act. This act immediately criminalized marijuana. This means you can not have possession of the drug for medical purposes or not. This act is still in effect today, but it should be repealed .
America is in a war. A drug war with marijuana.Marijuana is a hallucinogen grown naturally as the cannabis plant. Smoking pot clearly has far fewer dangerous and hazardous effects on society than legal drugs such as alcohol, yet it is federally illegal. It is established scientific fact that marijuana is not toxic to humans; marijuana overdoses are nearly impossible, and marijuana is not nearly as addictive as alcohol or tobacco. But, the marijuana prohibition continues to be thriving. Marijuana prohibition causes more problems than it solves. This nation spends too much money where it could be making more money. If America were to legalize marijuana, it would cause a healthier economy, improve health care, and it would be safer than legal drugs like alcohol and cigarettes. The prohibition ruins thousands more lives than it supposedly tries to save and it should stop.
The legalization of marijuana is, and has been a heavily disputed issue for decades. On one hand, marijuana could lead to a medical breakthrough, or at least provide relief to cancer and AIDS patients. On the other hand, legalizing a drug could expose it to too broad an audience. As a drug, marijuana has never proven to be anywhere near as harmful as cigarettes or alcohol. Each year in the United States, 400,000 people die from tobacco, 50,000 from alcohol, and from marijuana, zero. Regardless of what side one may take to this argument, there are some causes to this marijuana debate that everyone should know. Marijuana was not always illegal, and the reasons behind the history of narcotic regulation are interesting when viewed from today's perspective. The history of marijuana prohibition is a story of racism, political repression, and poorly represents the qualities this country claims to embody.
Ever since marijuana’s introduction to the United States of America in 1611, controversy of the use and legalization of the claimed-to-be Schedule I drug spread around the nation. While few selective states currently allow marijuana’s production and distribution, the remaining states still skepticize the harmlessness and usefulness of this particular drug; therefore, it remains illegal in the majority of the nation. The government officials and citizens of the opposing states believe the drug creates a threat to citizens due to its “overly-harmful” effects mentally and physically and offers no alternate purposes but creating troublesome addicts hazardous to society; however, they are rather misinformed about marijuana’s abilities. While marijuana has a small amount of negligible effects to its users, the herbal drug more importantly has remarkable health benefits, and legalizing one of the oldest and most commonly known drugs would redirect America’s future with the advantages outweighing the disadvantages.
Many could argue that marijuana is destructive physically as well as mentally. “The National Institute on Drug Abuse says marijuana can cause heart irregularities, lung problems, and addiction” (Welch). “One joint can be just as damaging to [the lungs] as smoking at least two and a half cigarettes” (Ruff). According to Dr. Tom Wright, director of a substance abuse treatment center for adolescents in Rockford, “teens may be especially sensitive to marijuana’s effects because their brains are still being formed” (MJ Rebuttal). However, the marijuana legalization proposition would have tight restrictions and regulations by the states that would eliminate some of those issues, such as age. These facts are not consistent; the evidence is not backed from reliable sources. One institute is referred to, but more experts are needed to verify the information.
Cannabis, more commonly known as marijuana, is a plant that people have been using recreationally for years. In fact, people have consumed marijuana since ancient times. Until 1906, the year the United States Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act. The debate on whether or not marijuana should be legalized in the United States has really blown up within the last decade. And finally, in 2012, Colorado became the first state to officially legalize marijuana for medicinal and recreational uses. The prohibition of marijuana has gone on for far too long, and it is time for America to change its views.
“Prior to 1937, at least 27 medicines containing marijuana were legal in the U.S. Many of these medicines were made by well-known pharmaceuticals that are still around today. Eli Lilly being one of there that sold medicines containing marijuana had to stop production because of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. It was legal once so let it be legal again.
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).
You will be in amazement at how long our government has despised such a great thing. Let’s begin with the US revenue gains that would occur from legalizing marijuana. Marijuana Offers Extreme US Revenue Boost in several Different Ways. Shouldn’t we want to collect revenue due to taxation other than criminalization? Marijuana is too expensive for our justice system and should instead be taxed to support beneficial government programs....
Marijuana is the third most common leisure drug in the United States after alcohol and tobacco. Millions of Americans smoke marijuana despite the strict laws against its use. Marijuana is less dangerous compared to tobacco or alcohol. Smoking marijuana can cause breathing problems and coughing just like cigarettes and some people get addicted after using for a while. Regulating and legalizing marijuana will bring Americas greatest cash crop under law, create economic opportunities and jobs in the formal economy as opposed to the underground market. Adopting a legally controlled market for marijuana will ensure that consumers buy the products from a safe and legal source. Marijuana has been approved in some states for medical uses to ease the effects of different health challenges. Colorado and Washington legalized m...
Many experts fear that social cost increase dramatically. That means that because of the higher consumption rate, the number of health issues caused by marijuana consumption will increase. Furthermore, “there is plenty of evidence that drug-using employees are less productive and less healthy” (Walters, John P. “No surrender: the drug war saves lives”). What goes along with this is that a higher consumption rate also affects school. Experts fear that it has “a negative effect on high school graduation rates, college enrollment, and youth employment” (“Legalisation of Marijuana” Student Resource Center).
The first law that regarded marijuana in America required farmers to grow hemp in the year 1619 for clothing, rope, and other materials, but “as early as 1840, doctors recognized the medical applications of marijuana, and the drug was freely sold in pharmacies for over a century.” (Rich and Stingl). In 1937, the use and possession of marijuana was made illegal, but “before 1937 marijuana was freely bought, sold, grown, and used. ”(Rich and Stingl). In 1970 the Congress decided to classify marijuana as a schedule one drug, which has made the legalization more difficult.
In the perspective of America's war on drugs, marijuana is one of the biggest enemies. And since alcohol and tobacco, two life threatening substances, are legal it is a relevant question to ask why marijuana is illegal. The taxpayers of America can partly answer this question when they fill out their tax forms and when they hear the hash rhetoric used against marijuana by the government. The fact that marijuana is illegal is sufficiently caused by the amount of money, jobs, and pride invested in the drug war. In other words, the government cannot turn back now.
Right now in this country (and many other countries for that matter) we are experiencing a transitional period that is dependent on legislation, legislation that is bound to reinforce or oppress marijuana legalization. It’s not every day that states have policy that conflicts with federal laws and everyone seems to have an opinion. There are many options on the table for law makers. We could see the federal government enforce their current marijuana laws by cracking down and increase their raids on dispensaries, or they could make marijuana a higher priority with agencies from the DEA to local law enforcement. Another option is to loosen up on what some would deem a “futile” war on drugs; the end result would be each individual state deciding if medicinal marijuana would be ideal for their state. Last but not least there is the route that the states Colorado and Washington took which is to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Every option has their pros and cons. However I believe the option where the pros most heavily outweigh the cons is legalizing recreational use.