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Effects of marijuana legalization essay
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They achieved this by using race as a key component in fabricating lies about the substance in court such as this, “claims were made about marijuana’s ability to cause men of color to become violent and solicit sex from white women” (Burnett and Reiman). With the notion that marijuana is illegal, marijuana is commonly thought to be an extremely detrimental substance for human consumption, but in fact there is not much suggesting that this be true. Marijuana accounts for so much of the drug trade in the united states, as it is classified as a class one drug, but in reality it is not even a harmful substance relative to other substances. Marijuana is classified as a schedule one drug, a drug with high potential for abuse and no medicinal purpose,
For over seventy years, marijuana has been a growing problem in our society. Due to all of the controversy over this drug, there have been countless battles fought concerning marijuana's capabilities. In the 1930's, a moral panic surfaced with regard to the use of marijuana. The movie Reefer Madness is a perfect example of how the media stereotyped and distorted this new drug in order to construct it as a social problem, convincing society that this narcotic was single handedly destroying humanity.
Cannabis Sativa, or marijuana, has been around for centuries. This flowering plant has been grown in many locations across the world. Marijuana comes from flowering top of the Cannabis Sativa plant which contains the chemical Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC causes mind-altering states which relaxes the user. After the Mexican Revolution the United States stated seeing an increase of Mexicans immigrating into the United States. These new immigrants brought along with their culture and native language. In the Mexican culture marijuana was used as a medicine and a relaxant. The media then began to play on the fears that the public had about the new immigrants by spreading false claims about the “disruptive Mexicans” with their crazy behavior due
Marijuana in America became a popular ingredient in many medicinal products and was openly sold in pharmacies in the late nineteenth century (“Busted-America’s War on Marijuana Timeline”). The National Institute of Drug Abuse defines marijuana as, “The dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, which contains the psychoactive (mind-altering) chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as well as other related compounds” (“DrugFacts: Marijuana”). It was not until the Food and Drug act of 19...
in Colorado and Washington as not only medicinal, but recreational use. They have also begun
Jessica Corry’s Article “Republican moms for marijuana: ‘Time to legalize is now’ discusses the positive effects of the legalization of marijuana, which is very much a controversial topic right now. She argues that since the majority of Americans want it then the Government should make it so, instead of going with their ideas of what Americans want. However, Jessica Corry’s argument is ineffective due to the fact of the ethos, logos, pathos and lack of organization.
Since then individuals who consume opiates carried the stereotype of being rapists and evil-doers. In the early twentieth century, minority groups such as African-Americans and Mexican-Americans consumed marijuana. One of the main reasons marijuana was prohibited was to ‘drive Mexican-Americans out of the United States and “back” to Mexico’ (Blum, 1997).To create prejudice against Mexican-Americans, a stereotype was formed which...
The story of marijuana's prohibition goes back as far as the early 1900's. The Mexican revolution was bringing a large population of Mexicans into the southwestern United States. The Mexicans brought with them the habit of smoking "motas", marijuana cigarettes. (Gerber) The locals claimed that the marijuana "incited Mexican immigrants to violent crimes, aroused a lust for blood' and generated superhuman strength." (Gerber) These statements stemmed more from the racist ideas of the time than from actual fact. There were similar claims made all over the states; by the 1930's, the New York Times was printing such headlines as "MARIJUANA MAKES FIENDS OF BOYS IN 30 DAYS; HASHISH GOADS USERS TO BLOOD LUST." (New York Times) This racism became, over time, a notion in the minds of Americans that marijuana was a dangerous narcotic. Marijuana...
Marijuana was outlawed to target Mexican immigrants who used the drug recreationally. According to Bureau of Narcotics Commissioner Harry J. Anslinger, Marijuana had a “violent effect on the degenerate races.” As you can see, the main reason most drugs are outlawed is not for health concerns or actual crimes related to the drug, but instead because egotistical white males got the idea that t...
Throughout history people have used marijuana for its dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds to relieve pain, stress, and other medical issues from one’s life. Within the recent years it has become one of the most debated issues in the United States. In the 1930s, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics (now the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) claimed that marijuana was a “gateway” drug and was a powerful, addicting substance. During the sixties marijuana became a symbol for rebellion against authority so it became very popular by college students and “hippies”. So in 1982, Drug Enforcement Administration increased pressure on drug farms and houses which decreased the use of marijuana. In the past twenty years marijuana has become a
American politicians are constantly finding themselves in a heated debate concerning the legalization of marijuana. Currently the no’s have it but the real question is how long will they be able to keep it that way. Since, "To the agriculturist, cannabis is a fiber crop; to the physician, it is an enigma; to the user, a euphoriant; to the police, a menace; to the trafficker, a source of profitable danger; to the convict or parolee and his family, a source of sorrow" (Mikuriya, 1969).
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 (...
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...
Many people crave the moment where they can just sit down, relax, and enjoy some free time. They could perhaps take a nice walk in a park, or possibly sit down and enjoy a movie on T.V. However, a large sum of people nationwide chooses to participate in a certain recreational activity to find their relaxation: smoking Marijuana. In fact, “Washington and Colorado are the first to allow adults to use the drug for recreational purposes” (Legalizing Marijuana, par 1). Unfortunately for half of our nation’s population, the use of the plant, Cannabis, was deemed illegal. “Before 1937, marijuana was freely bought, sold, grown, and smoked in the United States. Since that time, all of these activities have been illegal, but many groups and individuals have fought to decriminalize marijuana” (Rich, par 1). I find this preposterous! I believe that the federal government should look at what the people want, and pass the law making Marijuana legal, but of course having regulations to go along with it. Not only shall it please the people of the United States, but our economy could greatly benefit from legalizing Cannabis and it is an aid towards medical treatment. It would be to our nation’s best interest to have legislation legalize marijuana at not only the state level, but as a national level as well.
Drug laws have a history of being racially charged. The racism can date back to the first drug law put into place by California. This law targeted the Chinese individuals who were selling and smoking opium. The Reefer Madness of 1937, helped shape public opinion and ,depicted African Americans as murders and violent crimes when the smoked marijuana. Currently, in the state of Maryland if you are an African America you are twice as likely to be charged with a marijuana citation.
Marijuana or cannabis was first discovered in ancient china in 2900 B.C by the Emperor Fu Xi (Irvine). Marijuana was to be used as a form of medication because it was found to have powerful healing properties. Most of Asia used marijuana in ancient times because it was also known to have many health benefits. It would be used recreationally, medically, and spiritually in ancient India and China. As ancient physicians learned about the power of drugs, ma ( marijuana) was known to be very therapeutic. The first man who used it for a medical procedure was a chinese surgeon named Hua T’o. He claims that he had performed very difficult procedures on his patient without them feeling any pain (The Early Years). He performed surgeries on the stomach,