...decline due to soil erosion, drought, and costs to income ratios. The cultivation of hemp will restore our economy and environment. In the article titled “The Forgotten History of Hemp,” author Jack Herer claims that: Farming only six percent of continental US acreage with hemp could end America’s dependence on fossil fuels. Capable of producing ten tons of biomass per acre in four months without chemical fertilizers, hemp-energy farms could return billions of dollars’ worth of natural resource potential back to the farmers and bring millions of jobs back to America’s heartland. (Herer) The cultivation itself helps farmers, as no chemicals...
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...the facts of this topic have been completely laid out. It’s time we take this industry into our country’s hands and not let it go unregulated and untaxed. State Thesis & Main Points: The legalization of cannabis would be another step closer to the way out of this economic crisis our country is in today. the regulation of this product would bring economic improvement, new-found resources, and medical aid. however, we must establish both the positive and the negative sides to truly comprehend this movement. Body (3-5 MAIN POINTS PREFERRED (USE ONLY COMPLETE SENTENCES I. MAIN POINT (state as a single declarative sentence): A major upside in the legalization of cannabis is the benefit of economic improvement. A. SUBPOINT: Legalizing this drug would bring about millions to billions of dollars in tax revenue. 1. Marijuana growers account for 14 billion dollars a year in sales in CA, making it the states most valuable cash crop which is a perfect reason to tax it. a. Economist Stephen Easton estimated in 2012 that legal marijuana could be a 45-100 billion dollar industry b. Adding the tax to this industry would bring substantial growth to the already massive amount of money that the product makes on it’s own 2. Government legalization of marijuana could bring 7.7 billion dollars annually by not having the current...
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...Industrialized Hemp: A Revolutionary Idea PHL 354 Dr. Ozar Decmeber 16, 2010 Abstract: This paper will focus on the potential benefits that legalizing and producing (or “large-scale production of”) industrialized hemp could have on the environment and possibly the economy of the world. I shall argue that the United States should set a precedent and legalize industrialized hemp in order to hopefully spur on similar actions by other countries and world powers across the globe. I will begin by explaining a few of the beneficial uses of industrialized hemp in order to strengthen the case that will be presented in the latter part of the paper. Although the production of hemp has typically been looked down upon, it could in fact be the very thing we need to solve the ecological problems we currently face. I believe that allowing for the growth and sale of industrialized hemp could revolutionize the world and could ultimately save the environment and benefit all of the environmentally unfriendly industries across the world. I will examine the use of hemp to create textiles, renewable fuels, biodegradable plastics, paper, health foods, medicine, etcetera. The legalization of hemp cannot move forward unless we are willing to reexamine and reformulate our societal values. The modern system of agriculture has caused more problems than it has solved over the past few decades. Thus, I will be examining the legalization of hemp in the context of a postmechanistic concept...
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...When the police entered the yard office they found a small amount of marijuana around a gram. Camera footage reviled that this marijuana was used only by the owner after his shift. He lived a block away where he had a family of a son, daughter and wife. His wife was aware of his use and had no problem with it and he chooses to keep it at the yard to keep it away from his children. Now the owner of the yard is unemployed with no way to support his family (Nadelmann). The same war that failed to control booze has failed to control marijuana. Where there is a demand and money to be made there will be a supply these principals are consistent (Cohen). The war on drugs has failed in the United States and a probable solution would be a federal legalization of marijuana. The current drug war claims to help but it really hurts more then it helps. The drug war is a giant web of failed policies so huge today is such a part of America is hard to envision an alternative (Cohen). Currently enforcing marijuana laws cost around 10 to 15 billion only indirect costs (Webb). When the idea for medical marijuana was created many states who choose this option started to see a rise in their state income. In many states such as Colorado this extra money has been used to help with public schools. Colorado who recently choose to legalize recreational use of marijuana has seen in five months 200 million dollars in taxes accountable to marijuana. This money has been funneled back into its public schools....
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...and the debates really been heating up. The main question is how much would our country benefit from the legalization of recreational marijuana? Our citizens and political leaders have a chance to cash in on one of the biggest cash crops in existence today. Legalizing marijuana for recreational use has the potential to be very lucrative and beneficial to our country and society. To fully understand the debate on legalizing marijuana, you must know what marijuana is and how it came to be outlawed in the U.S. in the first place. Marijuana is a plant that produces flowers or buds that can be smoked to produce...
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...the facts found to ultimately come to a conclusion on whether or not legalization would positively effect our country. Introduction Background Information The legalizing of marijuana for both recreational and medical purposes will have significant benefits for smokers and non-smokers, the economy, and the population. Currently any production, sale, distribution, or consumption of the drug marijuana is illegal in forty-eight states in the nation. Legalizing marijuana in this situation would mean executing the same or similar laws as are imposed on to alcohol. “On November 6, 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize the sale and possession of cannabis for recreational use since the Marijuana Tax act of 1937 when they passed Colorado Amendment 64 and Washington Initiative 502” (Szalavitz). The few states that have legalized marijuana are instituting practices to integrate the substance into society. To continue, consumption of marijuana would be illegal as well as the purchase of the substance by minors under the age of 21. Driving or performing certain tasks under the influence of the drug would be illegal and result in criminal consequences. The unlicensed sale of the drug, or any sale to minors will be illegal as well. The personal production or growth of the substance would be legal and untaxed permitting that the product is not sold or distributed for money. Legalization offers an...
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...Legalization of marijuana A large topic of argument in today’s society is the legalization of marijuana from state to state. A growing trend of marijuana legalization started when it was first allowed to be used for medical purposes in california in 1996. Marijuana has been classified as an illegal substance since the passing of the Marijuana tax act of 1937 and is considered by many to be a gateway drug along with alcohol and tobacco products. A brief history From the 1600’s to the 1890’s the production of hemp(cannabis) was encouraged by the government for use as a material to make rope, sails, and other items that were made from plant fibers. In 1906 the pure food and drug act required and distributors who sold hemp based medicine to be labeled. From the 1930’s and up there has been a “fear” of marijuana because it had been linked to violent crimes; in order to make this common product...
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...gives out more money than it takes in” (Advise Men, 2008). Through the legalization of Industrial hemp and female marijuana growth, the government could add trillions of dollars to our debt and eliminate it within five years. First, legalizing industrial hemp would alleviate our national debt by trillions of dollars. Second, female Hemp growth in America would gross 43 billion dollars a year. Third, by taxing more harmful drugs, using our own oil and higher taxes we could cut our deficit but not nearly what legalizing all forms of marijuana growth would do. Legalizing the growth of industrial hemp in America would create a new gross national product (GNP). By legalizing hemp we would create a new GNP, which in turn would eliminate our debt. With the ability to make roads, highways, and foundations out of hemp concrete that would last for centuries, we could eliminate road taxes and costly repairs. Bio-diesel made from hemp seed oil creates oxygen when consumed by motor vehicles, instead of producing acid rain and smog clouds. According to Meints, America could eliminate non-biodegradable plastics and cars by reintroducing Henry Ford's 100-year-old dream of building cars made from hemp with a plastic hemp car body that can withstand a blow 10 times greater than steel without denting, weighs one thousand pounds less than steel, hence improving gas mileage, can run on a vegetable oil-based all natural hemp fuel, and is completely biodegradable (Meints, 2007). According to Herer...
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...Carter May 7, 2012 Legalizing Marijuana: A Utilitarian Perspective The legalization of marijuana in the United States remains a major issue and has caused much controversy due to opposing views. With the economy being in the state that it is, we need to utilize all available resources and set aside personal emotion regarding “smoking weed”. While some support decriminalization, there are many reasons why other individuals, including the government, do not. From a utilitarian point view, legalizing marijuana will produce the greatest good for the greatest number of people affected by the choice (Mosser, 2010, sect. 1.7) Misleading perception and harmful effects influence the decision of marijuana remaining illegal. But, the best way to control its use is to legalize it for its positive effects on the environment, medical uses, and revenue it generates for the government; therefore, producing the best results for the greatest number of people. Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America following alcohol and tobacco. It is most commonly smoked out of a pipe, or rolled like a cigarette. The active ingredient in marijuana that causes the “high” followed by smoking it is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC for short. This is the most common perception of individuals who encounter the drug but what is failed to be considered are its environmental advantages. Like marijuana, hemp is another form of the Cannabis plant. It is often confused with marijuana...
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...Lindholm PROS AND CONS OF MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION Legalization of marijuana is one of the biggest topics today. Is the legalization of marijuana a good thing both morally and financially? Are we even moving in the right direction by moving down the road to legalization? There are many good and bad reasons on both sides why marijuana should and should not be made legal. There are also the moral obligations to be considered in smoking marijuana. Let’s not forget about the possible economic effects the legalization of marijuana could have. In the end it will be up to every one of us to decide if legalization is worth the effort in changing the status quo. There are always reasons why people don’t want the status quo to change. The D.E.A. and other government agencies are no different in their desire to keep Hemp and marijuana illegal. Hemp, a plant with a number of possible uses, could replace most oil products at a much cheaper price. It can be used in making rubber, a durable rubber, like what is used to make car and truck tires out of. Hemp can also be used to make fabrics, like those that are used in clothing. Keeping Hemp and marijuana illegal is more profitable to various local, federal government agencies, and private industries. There are five main groups that are in opposition to legalization. There are five main groups that are in opposition to legalization. There are five main groups that are in opposition to legalization. The biggest reasons that government wants...
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...medicinal marijuana was put on the Schedule 1 list for narcotics by Harry J. Anslinger, the Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN). Decades later, after marijuana became illegal, states around America are starting to take a new position on the drug and have legalized marijuana. Knowing this, people around the nation are still hesitant of pro-legalization and the Federal Government is taking little interest in the matter. The legalization of marijuana would increase crop cultivation in America, provide jobs for those in need during this economic downfall, and decrease the amount of criminal activity involved with the use and distribution of marijuana. Before marijuana was made illegal by the FBN and before the roaring twenties, marijuana cultivation produced valuable products such as paper, rope, canvas, and textiles. Canvas is a Dutch word in which its meaning is cannabis, hemp or marijuana. All around the world professionals are finding ways to recycle materials in order to avoid cutting down trees and greenhouse gasses. These professionals are aware of hemp and its increase production, for example; an acre of hemp can produce four times more paper than...
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...Legalization of Marijuana Derane Walton English 215 June 11, 2013 Victoria Stewart Legalization of Marijuana Can there be a show of hands how many people here have ever smoked Cannabis sativa, commonly known as marijuana? Well obviously no one would want to admit to a criminal activity in front of their teacher, but why is it that smoking pot is so taboo in our society? After all numerous famous intellectuals support marijuana. Al Gore is considered by many to be the leading figure in climate change awareness and environmental preservation, but few people know that Al Gore also supports the legalization of marijuana. The famed German philosopher Freidrich Nietzche once said, if one seeks relief from unbearable pressure one is to eat hashish. The founding father of our nation George Washington, said, “Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere”! (Stack exchange, 2013) Marijuana is one of the safest medicinal substances on the planet and is supported by many acclaimed celebrity role models. Famous Hollywood actor Johnny Depp says, I’m not a big pothead or anything like that but weed is much, much less dangerous than alcohol. Other well known supporters of marijuana include Snoop Dogg, all of the Marley family, Niel Young, Willie Nelson, Michael Phelps, Chris Farley, Al Gore, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Nietzche, Barack Obama, John Adams, James Madison, JFK, and of course myself. A total of 11 United States presidents grew, smoked, or supported the...
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...Legalization of Marijuana One of the primary focuses of America’s War on Drugs in the controversial drug Marijuana. Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug and stirs up a debate everywhere. Could you imagine a world where Marijuana was legal in all states? Sure it would have its pros and cons on the side effects that could occur when smoking it, but I don't think that it would enable us from working or doing other things. For many years people have attempted to find ways to get passed the struggles of everyday life. With the pain of the world stopping people from enjoying simple pleasures, sometimes there is a need for help. Marijuana brings millions of people relief from pain on a day-to-day basis. This completely natural plant, which previously helped so many people, puzzled the leaders of our nation for a long time. Using marijuana for medicinal purposes is not a recent discovery. In fact, written references to use medical marijuana date back nearly 5,000 years. Western medicine embraced marijuana’s medical properties in the mid-1800s, and by the beginning of the 20th century, physicians had published more than 100 papers in the Western medical literature recommending its use for a variety of disorders (Introduction to Medical Use). These disorders include pain relief, nausea, glaucoma, and movement disorders. It is also used as a powerful appetite stimulant which helps patients that had HIV/AIDS or cancer patients going through chemotherapy. Today, thousands of...
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...The Time to Legalize is now It seems that every new group of youth turning mature fights for some type of right. That being said, I believe this generation’s fight has been for the legalization of Marijuana. Although this has been a controversy for many years now, in the more recent past there have been great strides toward legalization. The first great step was making marijuana legal for medical use, making marijuana legal for the first time since the early 1900’s. In the last year two states, Colorado and Washington, have completely legalized the drug. Marijuana should be legal because it is not harmful but helpful, could help boost the United States economy greatly, and is a very resourceful plant in multiple ways. Among the people in the United States there is a misconception that marijuana kills brain cells. A documentary called “The Union” goes into detail about how there has only been one experiment, done by the Untied State Government, which results made people conclude the drug indeed kills brain cells. They explained that in 1974 before the actual experiment was released to the public, it was said the scientist were giving the monkeys thirty marijuana joints a day, and after ninety days the monkeys died from severe brain damage. The actual experiment was not released to the public until six years later. When the real experiment was finally released it was found that scientists were actually pumping sixty-three extremely potent marijuana joints into the monkeys...
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...Legalization of Cannabis and Marijuana By: Angelita Balderas English 101 Mr. Chris Dietz 8 MAY 2016 There are many people who might disagree with legalization of marijuana, however as far as facts show, states that have legalized marijuana have significantly improved in multiple ways. There is an overflowing list of health issues that can be treated by consuming marijuana. The availability and distribution of hemp, and let’s not forget about the insane overflow of cash in tax revenue. This is not your average ‘dirty money’, this is supporting, providing, and bettering the lively hood for its resident’s type of money. It is time to throw away that stereotypical pot head image, and start understanding actuality. Let’s face it, when most people think about legalizing marijuana they probably are not thinking about how it can better their state. The profit that can be made is a major part of legalization that should not be ignored. Only 4 of states have legalized recreational marijuana and have taken advantage of all of the benefits, and then there are 24 states that are starting to get on board by having legalized marijuana medically. Take Colorado for example, one of the 4 states that has fully legalized recreational marijuana. When the state asked its people what they should do with all of the additional taxes gained from the sales of marijuana, they chose the less selfish road. The options they were given was to either return the $66 million of tax revenue back to...
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