...Legalization In most countries, possession and use of cannabis that is also commonly known as marijuana is considered illegal. In fact, it can be noted that for many years, cannabis has been considered to an illegal drug in most countries. Nevertheless, today, some countries have legalized cannabis while other countries have not. In particular, small quantities of cannabis have been allowed in regions such as Europe, North America and South America. Moreover, in the United States, some states such as Washington and Colorado have also legalized the possession and usage of marijuana for medical purposes. On the other hand, various penalties are imposed for use or possession of cannabis in most countries. The penalties generally range from simple to severe punishments. Possession of small quantities of marijuana is not punished the same way as possession of large quantities. In this argumentative essay, I seek to argue the reasons why cannabis should be legalized, and why it should not. Primarily, cannabis should be legalized since it is used for medication, and its legalization means better and higher quality health standards. For example, Sativex is a recent drug that has been discovered to cure Multiple Sclerosis (Kmietowicz 89). The drug has been used in the United Kingdom to treat MS patients, and it has been found to work effectively. Therefore, banning of cannabis would be a disadvantage to people who suffer from diseases that use cannabis as a major component in their medicine...
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...I feel that the death penalty should not be abolished, at least not here in the United States. I feel that the death penalty should be administered because: • There’s an overflow of the human populace and the death penalty can (at least somewhat) keep the populace in check. However, if we were to abolish the death penalty, there might be an even greater inflation of the human populace. • There’s an overflow of criminals in the court systems and not many efficient ways of handling these prisoners; however, with the death penalty set in place, there’s at least one guaranteed method of dealing with inmates if they step too far out of line. • The death penalty is a significantly cheaper and more efficient way of handling prisoners; especially those with a life sentence on their heads. The cost of keeping a...
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...Lavida Wilson Intercultural Communications July 4, 2014 The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado The three main topics that I plan to cover are the economic benefits, decrease in crime, and medical benefits of legalizing marijuana in Colorado. The legalization of the drug marijuana has been a very hot topic within the past decade. Marijuana was first made illegal in 1937. The United States government gave marijuana a bad name many years ago by putting it in the same category as heroin and cocaine. For many years the government has provided inaccurate information about the effects of marijuana and as a result, the drug was labeled as a schedule one drug. Over the last few decades especially in the 70’s, marijuana became more common and socially accepted by society. This past year Colorado voted on legalizing marijuana for recreational use. “Focusing on Colorado, Amendment 64 passed on November 6th, 2012 which would legalize the possession of up to an ounce of the plant. Amendment 64 was passed in Colorado with the winning vote of about 55% of the Colorado population. They chose to make marijuana legal for those 21 and over in Colorado such as alcohol is legal everywhere else.” (Ferner 2014) Of course this whole legalization in Colorado comes with a whole list of stipulations such as users can only grow up to six plants at a time and only three of them can have flowers. The most a user can have in their possession one ounce. The marijuana laws are very similar to the...
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...The death penalty, black point of the American democracy Unfortunately Death penalty still exists and is applied in the U.S.A. According to Amnesty International, 58 countries around the world have maintained the capital punishment. United States included. Who has never heard of this controversial and polemical debate? The death penalty is controversial due to its lack of coherence regarding to basic human rights. First of all, it was shown that the American model has advocated democracy and self- determination in the entire world. Consequently, the presence of death penalty in a democratic and developed country can appear as a strange contradiction. How this singularity can be perceived and explained ? As the sociologist Arnaud Gaillard explains in the newspaper “Le Monde”, several hypotheses are possible. Firstly, the violent environment shown by the legalization of guns or the important criminality would agree that death penalty has been part of the American culture for decades. Another plausible cause proposed by A.Gaillard is the young age of the population influencing the construction of the United States by its excesses. This argument can seem excessive since young people should be in favor of the system’s abolition. The youth are certainly more open-minded than the past generation. It is contradictory to Gaillard’s argument. Then, if we look at the death penalty itself...
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...Legalization of Marijuana “Marijuana is a mind altering substance produced from a plant whose scientific name is Cannabis sativa” (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2003). Marijuana is primarily used because its active chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) induces relaxation and heightens the senses. Marijuana is dried shredded leaves, to include stems, flowers, and seeds of the cannabis plant. This substance resembles tobacco however; it is green, brown or gray, and most recently purple in color. Marijuana comes in varying quality types, and is priced accordingly. Higher quality types of marijuana comes in colors such as purple, shades of red and yellow, and is composed of buds (National Drug Intelligence Center, 2003). Marijuana has many street names to include; Pot, Bud, Grass, Weed, Chronic, Indo, Ganja, Mary Jane and Herb, to name a few. Marijuana is used by many, to include teens and adolescence, and many debates have ensued as to legalities and dangers of use, however marijuana continues to be the most liked, and drug of choice by many. Marijuana is used by smoking it like a cigarette in a joint, pipe, bong or blunt. Recently, marijuana has become legal in many states, for the purposes of treatment of many medical disorders and diseases, which has resulted in legislation to legalize it, making it available to patients with medical conditions, for use by a prescription. Legalization of marijuana would reduce incarceration rates of drug related offenses...
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...18-10638 Should Death Penalty Is Compulsory For The People Who Kills Other People? Death penalty is a very contradictive topic and has received tremendous support to abolish it. Society considers death penalty to be very unethical and barbaric. Death penalty is basically a legal process in which the criminal is executed for committing serious crimes such as murder, rape or human trafficking. Death penalty is the most debatable issue in the world. There are also some people who think that death penalty should be legalized in order to provide justice to the people. However I personally disagree that death penalty can put to end to a crime, nor can it help promote social security; but instead it is just a form of inhumane act which is immortal and it promotes violence and risks the innocent lives. The proponents of this argument believe that death penalty is morally right and fair because when one life is taken, one life must be paid in return. This is a complete mistake in mortality. The fact is that every form of killing, even through death penalty, is obviously wrong because it does not make us moral by killing a killer. The question most people ask is that if the first killing is wrong then why do we allow the second killing? The former U.S president Jimmy Carter also stated that the process of death penalty is broken and cannot be repaired and now it should be the time to seek a better way and more moral substitution (Carter,2012a). In addition death penalty is not only immoral...
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...Although the use and possession of marijuana is considered illegal in most of the country, many people still consume the drug every day. The recent legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational use in some states has caused a nation wide debate. Marijuana users and supporters argue that the drug’s benefits out way the possible risks, while non-supporters argue that the potential addictiveness and health issues associated with the drug are strong enough reasons to keep it illegal. The effects of marijuana are less harmful than most other drugs, including alcohol and tobacco. Yet, marijuana is the most common drug that Americans are arrested for possessing. Our current U.S. drug policies and federal laws on marijuana are inadequate and in need of change. I support the legalization of marijuana throughout the nation because of the drug’s medicinal benefits, and its potential to stimulate the current economic recession by creating new jobs and tax revenues. The Controlled Substance Act (CSA) is a federal U.S. policy that ranks drugs into five categories based off their abuse potential, medical applications, and overall safety. In the United States, the CSA classified marijuana as a schedule I substance claiming the drug offers no medical benefits and has a high potential for abuse (Marijuana). However, in recent years, several U.S. states have legalized the use of medicinal marijuana. Modern research suggests that marijuana is a valuable aid in the treatment of a wide range of...
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...are more reasons marijuana should be legalized than people think. Such as impact on tax revenue. Colorado collected more than $135 million in taxes and fee on medical and recreational marijuana, sales in the state totaled over $996 million in 2015.(Investopedia, pg 1) Income and jobs is another great example. Jobs such as working at dispensaries or nurseries would create a lot more occupations in the states. A RCG economics and marijuana policy groups says that legalizing recreational marijuana would generate over $1.7 billion in labor income. (Investopedia, pg 1)...
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...Joe Mittelstaedt Instructor Baasen English 101-24 09 December 2008 Legalization of Marijuana On August 2, 1977 President Jimmy Carter expressed his belief in a message to Congress that: "Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private for personal use" (NIDA, Government). Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America; right behind alcohol and tobacco. Nearly 80 million Americans have tried the drug during their lifetime. Roughly 20 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 11 million do so on a regular basis (NORML, About). It is rather obvious how the majority of Americans feel about marijuana consumption; why do our current public policies deny this reality? It should not be the ability of the government to force citizens not to indulge in recreational drug use. Instead, this decision should lie within each individual. Marijuana laws need to be revised on a state and national level in order to benefit both the citizens and the government. Marijuana is a mixture of the leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers resulting from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. The main mind-altering ingredient present in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; better known as THC (NIDA, Infofacts). A few slang terms for marijuana are pot, weed, grass, herb, chronic, ganja, reefer. The use of marijuana...
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...Name Lecturer Institution Course Date Legalization of marijuana Introduction In most regions, the use and possession of marijuana are considered illegal. Marijuana is also known as cannabis. For many years, cannabis has been termed as an illegal drug. Today some countries in the world have legalized marijuana. To be specific, a small amount of cannabis has been legalized in regions such as Europe, South America and North America. In USA, some states such as Washington and Colorado have also legalized the possession and the usage of marijuana for medical reasons. Most countries in the world have great penalties for the usage and possession of cannabis. It should be observed that these penalties range from very simple to severe punishments. The punishment for the small amount of marijuana is not the same as the punishment for the possession of a large amount (Earleywine, 2005). The paper does explain as to why cannabis should be legalized. Lack of evidence The main reason as to why the legalization of marijuana should be lawful is that there is lack of evidence for its legalization. From a philosophical point of view, people have the right to make choices and decision for themselves. Of course, it is the function of the government to limit those choices and decisions if the action that is taken by a person does not affect with the rights of other persons. Persons who choose and decide to use cannabis do so because of their free will. Marijuana should be legalized because for...
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...Federal and State legislation has its focus on prohibiting and reducing the illegal drug trade. The federal and state anti-drug legislation policies differ and from state to state various factors are considered. The federal government as well as the government of every state has established policies and laws to discourage the production, distribution and consumption of several types of controlled substances. The United States anti-drug legislation dates back to around 1875 with a statute enacted by the city of San Francisco on the prohibiting of smoking opium (Pearson Edu, 2010). In 1914 the federal anti-drug legislation enacted the Harrison Act. This act required physicians, pharmacists, and other medical professionals to register and pay a $1.00 tax per year (Pearson Edu, 2010). Those individuals who were not registered and were found to be drug trafficking were faced with a maximum fine of $2,000 and up to five years in prison. The Crime Control Act of 1990 is another federal anti-drug legislation targeting drug crime and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 provided funding for rural anticrime and antidrug efforts (Pearson Edu, 2010). In 1986 legislation was passed by U.S. Congress requiring mandatory prison sentences for a variety of drug offenses. This legislation was brought about due to the death of University of Maryland basketballs star Len Bias. Maryland along with several other states quickly followed...
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...The Death Penalty: Cruel and Unjust As Ronald Ryan fell to the ground on February 3, 1967, a flock of pigeons flew away in a scare (York). Everyone nearby knew this man’s life had been taken from him and never to be used again. This moment was the last of Australia’s executions. 50 years later, however, the United States of America still commits Capital Punishment, and regularly, too. The topic is debated whether or not the Capital Punishment should be legal. The government is already involved in the lives of those who commit crimes, but the idea of it taking away someone’s life creates an uneasy thought. Some people believe that execution is wrong, inhumane and should be abolished while others believe that it projects positive impacts and will benefit the world, in such ways as lowering crime rates and ridding the world of the worst criminals....
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...Marijuana Legalization: The War on Drugs and Criminal Law Howard R. Burke Strayer University Abstract This research will point out that the United States’ current policy on drug prohibition, the so called “War on Drugs,” is ineffective. The current draconian prohibition policies against drug consumption may actually increase their use. As well, contrary to claims made by current drug policy supporters, increased drug enforcement can reduce public safety and compound the individual and social costs of drug use. The U.S. drug policy, born over a hundred years ago, has gone through several transformations becoming more voracious with each new invocation. The War on Drugs is an expensive and failed concept which has incorporated racism in its administration, increased crime rates, imposed harsh sentences for nonviolent offenses, facilitated police corruption and aggressively eroded civil liberties. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION Introduction to the Problem Background of the Study Statement of the Problem Purpose of the Research Research Questions Significance of the Research Assumptions and Limitations Organization of the Remainder of the Study LITERATURE REVIEW CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Marijuana Legalization: The War on Drugs and Criminal Law INTRODUCTION The United States has conducted a long experiment of drug prohibition. The prohibition of marijuana and other illicit drugs has only...
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...debate about the public health risks and benefits of cannabis. Legalization of cannabis for medicinal and recreational use has been a one of most disputed issues in the United States. This has become an important issue in public health because, although some risks and benefits are known, more research is needed to determine other harmful and therapeutic effects (Wilkinson, 2016). There is not enough evidence for wide-spread clinical or recreational use. Laws, initiatives and policies for making marijuana legal may lead to, “increased clinical and recreational usage, a wide range of methods for consumption, and conflicts between state and federal laws. However, these policies would focus on guarding the health and safety...
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...back for centuries, but it wasn’t until 1906 when the first bill to legalize euthanasia in America was introduced in the Ohio legislature. For several years, legislatures have been turning down bills aimed at the legalization of euthanasia in the United States. In 1937, the Nebraska legislature voted down a bill legalizing voluntary active euthanasia in the U.S. Only two years later, the New York legislature rejected a bill that was also aimed at the legalization of euthanasia in the United States. “In 1991 the Washington State Initiative Bill legalizing voluntary euthanasia was narrowly defeated.” (6) In 1994, Oregon passed a law to allow doctors to prescribe lethal drugs, but an injunction prevented it from taking effect. As of today, euthanasia is illegal in almost every country. In fact, it is only legal in the state of Oregon and the Netherlands. These are the only two places in the world where laws specifically permit euthanasia or assisted suicide. Oregon permits assisted suicide while the Netherlands permits both euthanasia and assisted suicide. In 1995, Australia’s northern territory approved a euthanasia bill which went into effect in 1996, but it was overturned by the Australian Parliament in 1997. “Also, in 1997, Columbia’s Supreme Court ruled that penalties for mercy killing should be removed.”(4) This ruling will not go into effect though until guidelines are approved by the Columbian Congress. In Belgium, lawmakers have agreed on the provisions of a key article...
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