...Running head: LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA 1 Legalization of Marijuana Communications and Thought 1 February 23, 2015 LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA 2 Abstract The debate surrounding the legalization of marijuana has been raging decades. The debate is centered on the issues of health, addiction and economics. Arguments and claims supporting the legislation are countered by contrary arguments and claims. Scientific claims from one side are disputed by scientific claims from the other. The tug-of-war is beginning to show signs of a clear winner. Time has brought about changes in the thinking and behavior of a large segment of our population. Marijuana usage is now considered acceptable behavior by a clear majority of Americans. Social mores have changed and the use of marijuana is commonplace. We have reached the point in the debate where the trend is leaning toward legislation. LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA 3 Legalization of Marijuana Introduction There is an ongoing national debate about the legalization of marijuana. According to a 2013 Gallup poll, a clear majority of Americans (58%) favor legalization. The age group most likely to support legalization is young adults from the age of 18 to 29 years. Surprisingly, the majority of the 30 to 64 years age group also favors legalization. The opposition to legalizing marijuana comes mostly from Americans 65 and older. Changing social...
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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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...Legalization of Marijuana Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in the United States. Despite the harsh laws against marijuana use, approximately twenty five million Americans have used the drug in the past year and more than fourteen million continue to use marijuana on a regular basis (norml.org). In turn, not only is the criminal justice system over-flooded with marijuana cases, but law enforcement is focusing valuable time on finding marijuana “criminals”. With the legalization of marijuana, the United States judicial system would be able to handle more important cases in a timely manner and law enforcement officers would be able to spend more time on more important crimes. However, the judicial system is not the only one standing to benefit from the legalization of marijuana. The United States stands to greatly benefit economically on the legalization of marijuana as well. The legalization of Marijuana would benefit our society in many ways. Being aware of all of this, I was curious to know why so many people oppose legalization of the drug. However, it was important for me to gather knowledge from credible sources. I did not want to learn the benefits of marijuana from a “stoner” blogging from his parent’s basement, nor did I want to learn about the negatives of the drug from an extremely right wing conservative who will stand against it- just to be against it. First, I went straight to George Mason University’s online library in the hopes...
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...Legalization of Marijuana Michelle Shepard Soc 120 July 16, 2012 Danielle Camacho There is no denying that the drug problem in our country today has reached an epidemic proportion. The problem has gotten so out of hand that many options are being considered to control and or solve it. Trying to end the drug war may not seen to be the best answer in the beginning, but those so-called wars on drugs have not been very successful at stopping the drug wars. I feel that there should be some different options. The legalization of marijuana is an option which hasn’t received much of a chance, but should be given one. Given that marijuana has known important medical uses, such as the alleviation of nausea, and the treatment of glaucoma, can the government justify banning it just because some individuals use it for recreational purposes? Is it even the business of the government to regulate the private lives of its citizens? I really don’t condone the use of any kind of drug use, but a drug such as marijuana should be legalized to a certain extent, because marijuana helps people with some medical conditions they may have. In order for one to solve the ongoing issue of the legalization of marijuana one must take a look at the classical theory of deontology. Deontology is the classical theory where the reason for which an act is done is assessed. (Mosser, 2010) When assessing the issue of the legalization of marijuana, one must question the exact reasons as to why individuals...
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...Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is a form of the cannabis plant. In 1923, marijuana was added to the Confidential Restricted List as a prohibited drug in Canada. However, many Canadians believe that marijuana should be legalized because it can play a significant role in the medical industry. However, others hold the opposite attitude toward Marijuana legalization. This serious controversy has lasted for many decades. Canada’s neighbor, the U.S. government, has forbidden this drug since the early 1900s. However, this implementation didn’t produce a satisfactory result. (National Prevention Strategy, 2011) Marijuana should be legalized in Canada because its advantages outweigh the disadvantages. These advantages are likely to promote the Canadian economy, eliminate social issues and benefit the health of its residents. In terms of the economy, legalizing marijuana could conduct not only negative effects, but also positive effects. In the past decade, underground trade of marijuana has caused harm to Canada’s income. Werner Antweiler, the UBC professor, believes that the marijuana market is sizable. (2013) In B.C., the estimates show that Canadians consume at least 3 billion dollars in marijuana products annually. (Barmak, 2013) Other data from The International Journal of Drug Policy indicate that the retail value of marijuana consumption in B.C is between $443 million and $564 million. In addition, further estimates point out that marijuana legalization is likely to help the...
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...Why Marijuana should not be made legalized * Introduction * Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States, with nearly 17 million Americans age 12 and older reporting past‐month use, and 374,000 people entering an emergency room annually with a primary marijuana problem. * Proposals such as legalization that would promote marijuana use are inconsistent with this public health and safety approach. * This is in contradiction with the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and any economic argument that applies to the legalization of marijuana applies most other illicit drugs. * Tax incentives argument * Alcohol Tax Incentives to Cost incentives * The debate over how much tax money recreational marijuana laws could produce is playing an outsize role in the campaigns for and against legalization — and both sides concede they're not really sure what would happen. * The argument is for: * it could prove a windfall for cash-strapped states with new taxes on pot and reduced criminal justice costs. * The report shows that marijuana legalization -- replacing prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation -- would save $7.7 billion per year in state and federal expenditures on prohibition enforcement and produce tax revenues of at least $2.4 billion annually if marijuana were taxed like most consumer goods. If, however, marijuana were taxed similarly to alcohol or tobacco, it might generate...
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...Legalizing Marijuana What do George Washington, Ted Turner, Michael Bloomberg, Barack Obama, Michael Phelps, and Carl Sagen all have in common? All have either admitted to growing, and or smoking marijuana. Peculiar, to say the least, all of these extremely influential people would be prosecuted and possibly arrested had they had been caught partaking in these illegal acts. If one were to go back to the time of George Washington’s presidency and take a glimpse at the first president’s garden they would be shocked to see that the leader of the American Revolutionary War Army grew marijuana. The growth of cannabis in today’s world carries quite a hazy perception. Most people would be shocked at the thought of someone; much less the president was growing marijuana. It is in this perception in which the problem stems, why be shocked? Why think less of person? Why even consider Marijuana to be this life-threatening, lazy causing, brain cell killer, schedule one drug? Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in America today. It is estimated that one hundred million people have admitted to smoking marijuana. However the winds of reform and legalization have begun to sweep this nation. Americans, now more than ever, are advocating the legalization of marijuana, as seen recently by two states legalizing the plant for recreational use. I, for one, am a strong advocate for the recreational use and legalization of marijuana in the United States. I have found that to understand...
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...PHI-105 Critical Thinking Legalization of Marijuana There has not been one marijuana induced death reported to the U.S Center for Disease Control, yet every year approximately 79,000 deaths are reported for alcohol induced deaths. (CDC, 2010). Alcohol is clearly more dangerous then marijuana, yet marijuana is illegal in 27 states. There are several positive arguments about this controversial subject, which will be addressed in this essay. Legalizing marijuana in the United States would benefit citizens with certain medical conditions, stimulate the economy, and reduce drug related crimes. Even though marijuana is considered a Schedule I controlled substance, meaning it has no accepted medical use, it would still benefit many citizens in the United States with certain medical conditions if it were legalized. Currently 23 States have legalized the medical use of marijuana, as well as DC. (Carter, 2008). Using marijuana as a safe an effective treatment option for citizens who have cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, glaucoma pain, epilepsy, and asthma provides benefits that cannot be found using anything else. (Carter, 2008).. It doesn’t have debilitating side effects and it gives a relaxing effect which lowers anxiety, reduces nausea and pain, and enlarges and relaxes the bronchial passage. It has been said that marijuana is psychologically addictive which is why it is so important to understand the medical benefits that marijuana offers. Any time something...
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...The Benefit of Legalizing Marijuana Of all legal reformations that should be made, the legalization of marijuana is perhaps the most necessary. If legalized on a controlled basis, it could greatly benefit our country in a variety of ways. Clearly the most controversial topic is marijuana's benefit to the medical community. The economy would also be a beneficiary of marijuana's legalization through taxation and all the while crime rates would inevitably decrease throughout the country. While many citizens are opposed to the legalization of marijuana they are often misinformed and misguided. Marijuana is a drug that is overlooked and can be used in many positive ways. There are many people that oppose the idea of legalizing marijuana and their point of view can be justified, but marijuana can be used for other purposes than getting “high”. Although there are valid points to each side, ultimately, if legalized the benefits of legal marijuana could greatly outweigh the risk. It has been documented that marijuana can severely reduce some effects of cancer. Also, it is known that marijuana has prolonged the lives of people who were diagnosed as terminally ill. Many rely on the drug to ease their pain and suffering. Another useful benefit is its aide in reducing nausea in chemotherapy patients. Medicinal uses for cannabis date back to 2737 B.C. when the Chinese emperor and pharmacologist Shen Neng prescribed the drug for gout, malaria, beriberi, rheumatism, and memory problems...
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...The arguments for and against the legalization of marijuana in the United States has been going on for many years. The valid points for both arguments are plentiful and each party feels strongly about their position on the matter. Marijuana should be legalized because the money the state and federal governments would make, and save, would ease or possibly eliminate any deficit they have. The average state and federal tax on cigarettes add up to $2.47(Boonn, 2011). The average tax is almost as much as a single pack of cigarettes before taxes. Conversely, smoking a single marijuana cigarette is the equivalent of smoking 7 – 10 cigarettes at one time (Miller, 1999). If marijuana is legalized a high price tag should be placed on the product as well as steep taxes. This would deter many people from actually trying if the price is so high. Some say if cannabis is legalized they will just grow their own. For cases like this permits as well as taxes will have to be in place for them as well. Overall the taxation of legal marijuana could potentially be a saving grace. A study at International Center for Prison Studies at King's College London found that “The United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population, but it has almost a quarter of the world's prisoners” (Liptak, 2008). The legalization of marijuana would reduce the number of drug related arrests, court and prison costs. In 2005, 19.1 percent of state sentenced prisoners were drug offenders and in 2007, a staggering...
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...Davis English 1020 10 November 2015 The Legalization of Medical Marijuana Legalizing marijuana has been a controversial issue for quite some time, but only recently have commercials in regards to legalization flooded American television. The recent exposure occurred largely because the issue finally made it to a ballet for Ohioan’s to vote. Ohio spoke and the legalization of marijuana was not passed. Those that are for the legalization of marijuana believe that marijuana is a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of chronic illnesses. It is marijuana’s addictive properties and ability to become a gateway drug that concerns those who are opposed to legalizing marijuana. While some say medicinal marijuana is safe and effective, others say that marijuana as a whole is dangerous. There has not been enough research and medicinal marijuana lacks FDA approval. Should we be concerned with the legalization of marijuana? Medical marijuana refers to using the whole unprocessed marijuana plant or chemical derivatives from it to treat diseases or symptoms. Marijuana contains over 400 chemicals, the chemical that is most talked about and used in medicine are cannabinoids which are related THC. THC is the main ingredient that gives users the effect of being “high”. Currently, The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not recognized or approved the marijuana plant as medicine. Scientific studies however, of the chemicals in marijuana, called cannabinoids, have led to two FDA-approved...
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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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...Legalization of Marijuana Marijuana, also known as cannabis, hash, or weed, is the new trend rising in America. This psychoactive drug has been used for thousands and thousands of years; from Ancient China, to Colonial America. It has recently come into the light because of the legalization of the plant in two states: Colorado and Washington. This law legalizes the use of the plant for recreational purposes, and allows the growing of 12 plants in each household for personal use. How will this affect our economy? What are the health benefits / advantages? The use of the Cannabis plant throughout history is surprisingly large. The earliest documented use of it was in Ancient China, around 4000 B.C. To most cultures, Marijuana was viewed as a gift, or treasure, from the Divine spirit. It was used during ceremonies, ingested for deep meditation, smoked for pleasure, or used as clothes. The Chinese emperor and herbalist Cheng-Nung wrote about its medicinal uses 5000 years ago, stating its effects on malaria, and many other illnesses. In England, King Henry VIII required the cultivation of one quarter acre of it for every sixty acres of farming land. When the Pilgrims landed in early America as early as 1632, the Native American people taught them about the farming of Marijuana. The first president of the United States, George Washington, grew Indian Hemp, or Cannabis sativa, on his farm. Marijuana is the dried blossom of the Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica plants. Parts...
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...Legalize It! John G. Krape JR COM/156 June 19, 2011 Lugene Rosen Legalize It! The legalization of marijuana would not hurt the country, but it would benefit it in many ways. Alcohol and tobacco are legal although they are more harmful than marijuana, which can be used to raise revenue, decrease the crime rate, and help heal the sick. Marijuana, or cannabis, has many positives much good can come from it being legal. Some of the main positives of legalizing marijuana include raising revenue for the country as a whole, decreasing the crime rate and number of prisoners, and it can be used as a cheap way for people to self-medicate. As with everything where there are positives there are negatives. Some negatives that could be argued would include how the government would control it, what to do with prisoners who were arrested prior to the legalization, and what kind of damage long term use could cause. The benefits of legalizing cannabis outweigh the negative side of it, like raising the revenue and economy of this country. One reason why marijuana should be legalized is that it can raise the revenue and economy of this country tenfold in a short period of time. People do not just start doing something because it becomes available in mass quantities with no prosecution. Marijuana can be grown by companies, like Phillip Morris a cigarette company, and taxed by the government. A high tax should be put on the product of course, making enjoying it a rare occasion. Alcohol and...
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...Marijuana Legalization The legalization of marijuana is something that I have always been interested in. In high school, I heard about people first smoking marijuana, and I thought it was so bad because of everything that I was taught in elementary and middle school. Kids always pledged to stay away from any type of drug. Once I knew friends that were smoking and I talked to them about it, they made it seem so harmless, and that’s when I really got curious about it. Then I started to find out more information about marijuana and its effects, and I started to wonder whether marijuana should be legal for recreational use? After all my research I have come to the conclusion that marijuana should be legal for recreational use in the United States. Lets start by looking at the economical perspective. The United States has a national debt of trillions of dollars, and a huge financial problem is how much our law enforcement and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) are spending to enforce the prohibition of marijuana. “In America we spend nearly $8 billion trying to enforce the laws prohibiting the use and possession of marijuana” (Cartwright 86). This money could be spent on highways, schools and other government properties but instead it is spent on enforcing laws that are being broken every single day. Another huge part of the DEA is the so-called war on drugs. Mexican drug cartels are a huge supplier of marijuana to the U.S. “In 2009, the U.S. National Drug Intelligence Center estimated...
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