Marijuana Legalization and Regulation

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Since 2900 BC, Marijuana, has been used as a medication for people suffering from illnesses. The Chinese, Egyptian, Indian, Roman, as well as the Ancient Greece cultures became extremely interested in Marijuana’s healing properties when they realized that the drug helped treat people suffering from glaucoma, gout, cramped joints, violent pain, earaches, inflammation, leprosy, edema, and other diseases affecting the body (Deitch). The idea of using Marijuana as a healer became popular all around the World and by the 1900s, it was being used in South Asia to treat asthma, bronchitis, and the loss of appetite (“A Note on Marijuana”). Eleven years later however, Marijuana would be outlawed and prohibited, starting with the state of Massachusetts (Gieringer). This prohibition was started because the researchers at the time could not find solid facts that supported the idea that Marijuana helped heal the body of diseases. The prohibition really took over by the mid 1900’s when the Boggs Act was passed which established minimum prison sentences for simple possession of Marijuana and then the Narcotics Control Act which lead to even stricter penalties for people possessing Marijuana (“Busted: America’s War on Marijuana”). In the 1970’s, however, the first advocacy group emerged known as the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). The NORML’s mission was to end the Marijuana prohibition, and since the 1970’s, numerous research studies have taken place, looking at the effects Marijuana has on the human body (“About NORML”). Throughout the 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s, and 2000’s, many studies have been done and have proven that Marijuana has healing properties that can help the human body fight diseases as well ... ... middle of paper ... ...Ed. Noah Berlatsky. Detroit: Greenhaven, 2012. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 3 Apr. 2014. "Medical Use Of Marijuana." Supreme Court Debates 4.5 (2001): 129. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2014. "NORML - Working to Reform Marijuana Laws." About NORML. N.p., 29 June 2013. Web. 04 Apr. 2014. PBS. "Historical Timeline - Medical Marijuana - ProCon.org." PBS- Frontline. PBS, 2014. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. Preidt, Robert. "Medical Marijuana's Legalization Doesn't Raise Crime Rates: Study ? WebMD." WebMD. WebMD, 26 Mar. 2014. Web. 04 Apr. 2014. Preidt, Robert. "More Doctors than Consumers Say Medical Marijuana Should Be Legal: Survey." CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 02 Apr. 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2014. Wyatt, Kristen. "News Democrat." DENVER: Poll: Three-fourths of US Says Pot Will Be Legal. BND, 2 Apr. 2014. Web. 04 Apr. 2014.

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