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Marijuana in Criminal Justice

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Submitted By billybeans
Words 1409
Pages 6
William Emker
Intro to Criminal Justice
Professor Rosen
05/02/2011
Marjuana in the Criminal Justice System Should the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes be legalized? Wouldn’t it be simple to provide a simple black or white answer to this question? Across the nation there is much debate on this very topic, one that I don’t believe can be solved so easily with a yes or no. There are so many activists that have strong opinions on this subject and go to the fullest extent to ensure they are heard. As simple and straightforward as this question is it was hard for me to determine which side of the line I stood on. After reading all of the articles and much research on the issue I find myself leaning toward allowing medicinal marijuana use. By allowing medicinal marijuana use there are going to have to be many precautions taken to ensure that such a non-traditional controversial medicine is not abuse as many people will try to take advantage of the situation. Racism played a key role in the illegalization of marijuana in the early 1900’s. Harry Anslinger, Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, said, “Marijuana is the most violence causing drug in the history of mankind. Most marijuana smokers 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.” (4) He used this sort of propaganda to get a racist America behind his push for the criminalization of marijuana in the mid-twentieth century. Anslinger submitted the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 to Congress, which made marijuana illegal on a federal level for purposes of medical and industrial only. This act was found to be unconstitutional in 1969, since it violated the Fifth Amendment, because people seeking the tax stamp would have to incriminate themselves.

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