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Importance of the constitution
Importance of the constitution
Importance of the constitution
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The Constitution of the United States also plays a factor in the legalization of marijuana. The Constitution is one of the most important documents to America and the way it operates. It establishes our way of life and gives America its structure and guidelines to operate with. Yet, in the Constitution, there is no amendment that declares marijuana illegal (Boaz, 2007, p.2). Marijuana being illegal is not authorized by the Constitution which means that the government should not be authorized to punish us for it. Alcohol was once illegal in this country and it was prohibited in the twenty-first amendment, where marijuana does not have an amendment prohibiting the use of it across the nation. If the prohibition of alcohol required a constitutional
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 It was soon repealed in 1933, when crime increased and issues spread throughout the country.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.
Cannabis, since its discovery, has been used for recreational and medical purposes. It was seen as a drug that was “safe” and did put the body at risk but benefited it. However, this is not the case anymore because the government under I Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970 law banned the use of the narcotic and has the right to persecute anyone who attains the substance. Nonetheless, the question is not whether the drug is “safe” to use but whether the States should have the power to regulate marijuana or the federal government should continue having the control over the drug. Since 1996, 23 states including Washington D.C have passed laws that have legalized the medical use of marijuana, yet the federal government does not protect or even recognize the rights of users or possessors. The debate over marijuana has picked up momentum and many would agree that all this uprising conflict can be traced back to the constitution and the flaws it presents. The constitution is blamed for not properly distributing the States and Federal powers. Although the federal government currently holds supremacy over marijuana, States should have the power to regulate the drug because under the 10th amendment the federal government only has those powers specifically granted in the constitution, Likewise the States have the right to trade within their own state under the Commerce Clause.
in Colorado and Washington as not only medicinal, but recreational use. They have also begun
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.
as marijuana, has been one of the most heated controversies ever to occur in the
Legalizing marijuana on a federal level can prove to be very beneficial to America in various ways, especially if it is taxed and regulated the same as alcohol or tobacco products. Of course opposes of marijuana legalization proclaim that there are no benefits and that legalization would only add to drug abuse in America especially with adolescents. However, tobacco and alcohol are used far more among teens; marijuana use among teenagers has decreased to 7.2% in 2007 as opposed to 8.2% in 2002, yet all three are illegal for teens (Johnson). Not to mention that marijuana use has proved to be less harmful than drugs that are legal such as alcohol, tobacco, prescription painkillers, and a new popular drug known as synthetic marijuana or K2. Synthetic marijuana is a non-cannabis product that contains chemicals and dried plant material and produces psychoactive effects similar to marijuana, but it is more dangerous (Wanlund, 865-88). Unlike marijuana, synthetic marijuana is cheaper and readily available; it can cause death, seizures, psychotic episodes, heart attack and strokes (865-88). In fact, within the first six months of 2015, synthetic marijuana claimed the lives of 15 people, yet it is still sold at local stores (865-88). By legalizing and regulating marijuana, the U.S can increase the safety of its citizens using the drug, restrict minors’ access to the drug and decrease its death count of citizens using similar or far worse drugs. Street dealers do not check ID’s or provide childproof packaging and carefully label products. “When we take cannabis out of the underground market and put it behind a legal, regulated counter, we create a safer more responsible system” (865-88). Furthermore, cannabis is not addictive. “A small min...
Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is a plant that is consider one of the many illegal sustains. Marijuana is a plant that clams to make people addicted like other drugs like meth, cocaine, and other harmful sustains. Marijuana has been refer as pot, grass, reefer, weed, herb, mary jane, or mj by National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). (34) When mentioning of this plant, it cause sirs among the public about the dangerous use of the plant. The news media portal marijuana as harmful plants that changes people for the worst. For the past years, states has proposal to legalize marijuana for medical purposes. While other states has taken the actions of making the plant completely legal. With the change of the laws changing, marijuana has been the subject of debate if marijuana should be legalize or not. The United State people are divided from the supportive uses of marijuana uses, while other are against the use of marijuana. For example, nowadays most young people are in the favor of marijuana use for either the benefits or the fact that they have easy access of the drug. By a group of young people that are supportive with the legalization of an illegal drug, there a sign of support that U.S citizens are in favor of legalizing of marijuana. While the older generation, who are oppose with the use of marijuana, shows disagreement of marijuana use due of believing that it will bring more harm than good in their society. Whatever the case might be, the supporters are in favor of legalizing the plant, while the oppose people are not interested of legalizing it. Since some states are election for the legalization of medical marijuana uses, it recommend to the public that they should vote on the legalization of medical marijuana uses. ...
Marijuana has a greater beneficial impact on society then many people realize. Marijuana should be legalized for medical as well as recreational purposes. This is a highly controversial issue that is being debated throughout the country. In essence marijuana is evaluated by the effectiveness of the drug. It is defined as the dried flowered clusters and leaves of a hemp plant smoked for the intoxicating effect. Whether it should be legalized or not is the real question.
The government only has a right to limit those choices if the individual's actions endanger someone else. This does not apply to marijuana, since the individual who chooses to use marijuana does so according to his or her own free will, and the government also may have a right to limit individual actions if the actions pose a significant threat to the individual. But this argument does not logically apply to marijuana because marijuana is far less dangerous than some drugs are which legal, such as alcohol and tobacco. There for the most basic reason that marijuana should be legal is that there is no good reason for it not to be legal. Some people ask 'why should marijuana be legalized?" but we should ask "Why should marijuana be illegal?" From a abstract point of view, individuals deserve the right to make choices for themselves.
There are so many benefits of legalizing marijuana, far outweighing the negative aspects. Physical, psychological, spiritual, economical, and medical benefits are all being denied because marijuana, as it stands, is an illegal narcotic. George Washington once said, “Make the most of the hemp seed. Sow it everywhere.”(Rosenthal, 1996,p.95) Would you consider the first president of the United States a criminal? In this country there are people who drink responsibly, people, I think, should be able to use marijuana responsibly as well. Though marijuana has been illegal for over thirty years, there is are roughly 65 million Americans, one third of the population, who use or have used the drug. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was quoted in 1963, “One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”
Why should marijuana be illegal when people just use it to help themselves enjoy their lives more? Tobacco and alcohol are both used, and abused for the same reasons, but with many more negative side effects than pot. "Government's surveys indicate more than 70 million Americans have smoked marijuana at some point in their lives, and that 18-20 million have smoked during the last year" (Rose, 1). Marijuana has no solid negative effects, and "the U.S National Institute of Drug Abuse's bureau of mortality statistics report that per year there are zero deaths caused by marijuana. In comparison tobacco causes 400,000 deaths, where alcohol causes 100,000" (Rose, 1). People generally believe that marijuana is addicting, but "marijuana is not a narcotic and is not a mentally or physically addicting drug. One can use mild cannabis preparations such as marijuana in small amounts for years without physical or mental deterioration" (Adams 1). People who smoke marijuana feel relaxed and sociable, tend to laugh a great deal, and lose the sense of time. Those under the influence of marijuana also do show loss of coordination and have an impaired ability to perform skilled acts. As long as people don't drive, or operate heavy machinery, these effects although maybe not positive, are certainly not negative. It should be up to the individual if they want to enjoy marijuana. America is supposed to be a free country, where everyone has basic human rights, including privacy. What happened to the Declaration of Independence speaking of every citizen's right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?" If the United States is to be persuasive in promoting freedom in other parts of the world, it must respect the privacy of it's own citizens.
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....
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.
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.