...DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA ******* English 112 ********** April 18, 2012 Presently, Marijuana is illegal in the United States due to the racially motivated Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. This law was proposed by Harry J. Anslinger the acting commissioner of Federal Bureau of Narcotics. In his testimony to Congress he stated, "There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others" (ukcia.org, (n.d), para. 1). Since this time, the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 has spawned more strict laws that have many unintended side effects. After many decades, effective federal propaganda has won public support for these laws. Only recently, U.S. citizens have started to question why marijuana is illegal. I feel that it would be beneficial to discard these laws and beliefs of the past. We need to analyze how the legalization of marijuana would positively affect the United States and its citizens in the following fields: medical, criminology, and financial. I support the legalization of marijuana not because I use this herb, because I do not and would not even if it was legal much like a majority of our populous. I have taken this stance because of the benefits that would arise from legalization. Marijuana has been criminalized for private citizens since 1930’s bringing...
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...Marijuana decriminalization and regulation can be a potential solution to marijuana addiction in America. Carl Hart is a neuropsychopharmacology and the the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Columbia University. He writes the book “High Price” which gives a new perspective on drug addiction and the failures of the American drug policies. “The real problem in such communities, especially those of color, was not the drugs(Hart 717). I disagree because drugs can have very addictive chemicals in them making it hard for people to stop taking them. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Marijuana potency, as detected in confiscated samples, has steadily increased over the past few decades. In the early 1990s, the average THC content in confiscated marijuana samples was roughly 3.7 percent. In 2014, it was 6.1 percent. Also, newly popular methods of smoking or eating THC-rich hash oil extracted from the marijuana plant (a practice called dabbing) may deliver very high levels of THC to the person. The average marijuana extract contains more than 50 percent THC, with some samples exceeding 80 percent. These trends raise concerns that the consequences of marijuana use could be worse than in the past”(...)....
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...Decriminalization of Marijuana. Marijuana is a drug that comes in many forms and strains. The decriminalization of marijuana could have outstanding effects on our country. Decriminalization is to make something no longer a criminal act but was marijuana always illegal. The benefits of decriminalization are double to triple the negatives of decriminalization. Four groups of people would be hurt by this. You may be wondering can this be regulated by government. The answer may shock you but California already has it well regulated. I believe it best we decriminalize it when the time is right and some states are already seeing that the time is right. We can’t talk about why something needs to be decriminalized without first discussing why it was criminalized in the first...
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...cashing in on children’s addiction. Marijuana is being marketed in candy form, bright intriguing packaging, used to attract youth. Marijuana is easier than ever to use with all the new gadgets coming out to make smoking undetectable, efficient, and easy. There is no more need to develop a bong out of a water bottle, now youth can buy items such as the third iteration of Pax Labs’ eponymous handheld vaporizer which is subtler than ever before. Or one can purchase a Puffco Peak, which is a battery-powered gizmo with four different heat settings, which allows smoking to go undetected. For older parents with children using marijuana, they may not even know what to look for to know that their child is using. Macro Perhaps the government perhaps sees this all as part of the consumer society. Using taxation, regulation, and prohibition to gain. “Most critics have argued that...
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...cousin Jimmy started smoking marijuana at an early age of 13. As his life progressed, he continued to keep on smoking marijuana. Since he smoked Marijuana for a good 5 years of his life, Marijuana affected him on the long run. Since he started smoking Marijuana at the young age when his brain was not fully developed, it caused him to be “slow” in the head as some people say. Since he was “slow”, his worth ethic was not so good, and he lacking many skills due to his brain not being fully developed which caused him not to be hired at certain places. “By the end of 2014, four states- Colorado, Washington, Alaska, and Oregon passed laws decriminalizing Marijuana”. Many people want to legalize Marijuana due to how it saves money off of tax revenue. For example, “Michigan is said to have saved millions off of medical tax revenue”(VanHulle). Furthermore, the recreational use of Marijuana is a big subject in our world today, and it should be illegal. It causes many health problems, such as a decline in IQ...
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...“Weed makes me fly wid out visa”, are words from a popular song by the renowned dance hall artist Adijah Palmer. This is typical of the messages that are conveyed through the lyrics of many popular Jamaican songs today, but is this the most rewarding use of marijuana? Would the development of a medical marijuana industry prove more beneficial to Jamaica? Would the decriminalization of marijuana in order for such an industry to be enacted be economically viable? Other questions to ask ourselves are, what is Decriminalization and how would decriminalization of marijuana help with enacting a medical marijuana industry? According to the Merriam-Webster decriminalization means “to remove or reduce the criminal classification or status of; especially: to repeal a strict ban on while keeping under some form of regulation”. Marijuana currently is a banned drug in Jamaica and for Jamaica to develop a medical marijuana industry which would therefore means large scale production of the drug for scientific research and medicine production. The drug would have to be legalized on a certain level to facilitate such. Note in the above definition for decriminalization it made mention of the drug being kept under some form of regulation which for this research basically means certain punitive usage of the drug would still be rendered as illegal. The scope of this research paper will cover areas such as, the economic state of the country and its ability to facilitate and withstand such an industry...
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...Paraphrasing Practice Decriminalization of Marijuana Author: Lucia Pizzo Throughout the early 2000s, many states decriminalized marijuana. Levels of decriminalization varied with regard to the amount of marijuana in possession and whether the drug was for personal use, cultivation, or distribution. By 2010, marijuana had been at least partially decriminalized in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin. In Alaska and Massachusetts possessing one ounce of marijuana was deemed legal. Various groups supported decriminalization and pushed for state reform. These groups included National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (commonly known as NORML), Americans for Safe Access, and Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. Advocates of the legalization of marijuana argued from the standpoint of freedom of choice, with supporters clamoring against unnecessary government interference. Promoting the therapeutic aspects of cannabis, some groups presented marijuana access as a human-rights issue and proposed that the drug be available for medical purposes. As more states decriminalized marijuana, and as proponents of decriminalization argued widely against prohibition, the argument for protecting “cherished values” began to weaken. “Charles Kelly’s Paraphrase...
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...Why the Decriminalization and Legalization of Cannabis Would Improve Canadian Society Criminology 101 - Section 02 Nikaya Mirhadi-Pathon Capilano University Cannabis, the plant from which marijuana is derived, is the most widely used, produced and trafficked drug worldwide (Ducatti Flister, 2012). The decriminalization of marijuana has been a widely debated topic on a global scale as many advocate for it’s therapeutic purposes. In the city of Seattle, there are reportedly more medicinal marijuana dispensaries than Starbucks outlets. With the recent rise of dispensaries, two Washington University students are preparing to capitalize on this phenomenon by releasing an app for iPhones called Canary, billed as “Uber for marijuana” where an illegal delivery service can bring high-grade cannabis to your home within the hour (Altman, 2014). Governments world wide have invested copious amounts of money in fighting drug production and consumption, even though, the war on drugs has increased cannabis seizures, we see in countries like Canada, that regulated distribution of marijuana, has made it more readily available for both recreational and medicinal users (Ducatti Flister, 2012). Although, police within the Canadian jurisdiction are capable of pursuing criminal charges for cannabis possession for those who are distributing and consuming illegally, there is still a lack of consensus on the legal status of cannabis in Canada. Though the drug is illegal in Canada, with exceptions...
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...state of Texas, if caught with marijuana, also known as cannabis, weed, or hemp, on your person(s) in any shape or form, you would be arrested immediately and charged for possession. In addition to the possession charges, if you were found to have consumed it in any way, you would be arrested and charged with a DUI or DWI. Can you imagine the amount of money the government puts into criminalizing this drug? Our research consists of the economic effects of both the legalization as well as the criminalization of marijuana, specifically through government spending and budgets. Additionally, we will be explaining whether if there would be any sort of correlation between the prohibition of marijuana, government allocation on legalization,...
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...Decriminalization and Legalization of Drugs in Canada The Decriminalization and/ or legalization of drugs is a highly contentious issue regarding political, legal, economic, and social implications. It is also a highly contagious issue that the media cannot seem to cure its self of. Then again the public definitely cares about this issue intensely and so do many politicians whether they are users themselves or just simple supporters (of the tax revenues that legalizing certain narcotics will bring in to the country), especially in the United States and Canada where people are being thrown in jail for years only because of small possession charges (more so in the USA). Prisons in The United States are overcrowded with people who shouldn’t be...
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...The consequence of marijuana legalization in adolescents is a topic of concern in the public. Even though there is no recorded death due to excessive consumption of marijuana, society fears its legalization increases youth intake, health problem, and violence. In the article “Teens will suffer if R.I. decriminalizes marijuana”, the author Brendan P. Doherty argues that use of marijuana results in effect to brain, violence, and public safety (par 1). Doherty is a law prosecution veteran and a criminal investigator (par 4). He is experienced in operating drug arrests and interviewing teens, adults, and juveniles indulged in marijuana (par 4). He is a 28-year-old adult; fearing decriminalization will encourage young people to smoke pot, which impairs their health. Therefore, he writes the article to make teachers, counselors, parents, and any person concerned about young adults of the country aware of the effects of decriminalization (par 2). Furthermore, he...
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...Legalization of Marijuana Tina Washington Everest University March 3, 2015 Abstract The prohibition of marijuana has brought forth multiple passionate debates for many years in reference to its effects on the human body, its medicinal properties, and its effect on society. Even though there are many people who are opposed to the legalization of marijuana, this paper will dispute that the legalization of marijuana is justified. This paper will provide proof by measuring marijuana’s effects on the human body when ingested by inhalation against the effects on the body when consuming alcoholic beverages and smoking tobacco, by submitting research facts on its medicinal qualities, and providing you with information on how the use of marijuana can benefit a lot of people as well as our nation as a whole. Legalization of Marijuana Legalization of marijuana is wide spread. There are so many benefits to it such as helping those with medicinal issues like anxiety, AIDS, Cancer, glaucoma, etc. Being able to assist someone without throwing pills down their throat is certainly a better approach. Most people don’t know this, but there are 18 states that have already gotten on the band wagon of legalizing marijuana. Colorado and Washington are the two most recent states that adopted this law. Not only is it a great way to aid in certain medical issues, but it is also a way for the states and our government to generate revenue...
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...half, 52 percent favor the legalization of marijuana up to an ounce, according to the national survey by Pew Research Center. Washington and Colorado have already legalized marijuana up to an ounce for recreational use. (“If you”) Fifty-two percent of America is a lot of support for a supposedly dangerous drug. Many doctors, health professionals, and American citizens in general wonder why marijuana is illegal. “According to Marijuana Facts and Stats, at least 100 million Americans have tried marijuana at least once in their lives.”(“If you”) 100 million people and no deaths from marijuana so is there really a problem with it? According to the Pew Poll 50 percent of Americans see nothing wrong with Marijuana. (“Marijuana Legalization”) So marijuana isn’t a moral issue to half of Americans, which is just again a lot of people. Because of jail overcrowding and the opportunity for millions of tax dollars, Marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. First let’s talk about marijuana in general and talk about some history behind the plant. Marijuana is a dry, shredded mix of flowers, stems, seeds and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. The active ingredient in marijuana is THC. That's short for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.(“Marijuana”) THC is rapidly absorbed after smoking marijuana. Within minutes, THC and the other substances in marijuana smoke cause short-term medical effects.(“Marijuana”) In 1545 the Spanish brought marijuana to the New World, the English introduced...
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...legal in our country and controlled and distributed by our government yet there are more deaths related to tobacco and alcohol compared to marijuana; therefore, the laws against personal marijuana use does not make sense and marijuana should be legalized. • “Marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. Around 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning. Similarly, more than 400,000 deaths each year are attributed to tobacco smoking. By comparison, marijuana is nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose.” (5) • “Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America (behind only alcohol and tobacco), and has been used by nearly 100 million Americans. According to government surveys, some 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 14 million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use.” (5) • “According to the prestigious European medical journal, The Lancet, "The smoking of cannabis, even long-term, is not harmful to health. ... It would be reasonable to judge cannabis as less of a threat ... than alcohol or tobacco."…” (5) If marijuana were to be legal and controlled responsibly, the state and taxpayers would benefit because the cost to enforce the drug is very high and yet marijuana is still very easy to obtain. • “Enforcing marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers an estimated $10 billion annually and results in the arrest of more than 829,000 individuals per year -- far more...
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...The topic I’m discussing today is the legalization of marijuana in the United States. There are so many opinions and views throughout the United States. People that are not for it like the politicians and non-smokers believe that if marijuana was legalized that it would just be everybody getting high everyday and it would just be a “high society” throughout the country. Also the increase of the people that end up getting addicted and have no money have no option but to do illegal actions, which increases the crime rate. Obama explained that legalizing it wouldn’t even grow the economy, and that “legalizing marijuana is not part of America’s plan”. Also violence would increase because of the intake of the drugs on a daily basis. In contrast, there are advantages to legalizing marijuana. The prices on the drug would hit rock bottom which means there would be no more drug dealing for this drug, also that people would be able to get the drug at a government price which would mean no illegal action to obtain the drug. It would also keep more non-violent people out of jail which saves money for the jail system. Even though both sides of this argument are very understandable, I believe that marijuana should be legalized. People that are against it believe that so many more people would start using the drug, and the people that were using it already would start using it way too much. I think that if it was legalized we could regulate it like we regulate alcohol. Just as the...
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