Carlos Johnson Jr.
Speech 101
Persuasion speech

Marijuana is a mixture of dried and shredded leaves, stems and seeds and flowers of the cannabis sativa plant. This drug can either be brown, gray, green or purple. It has multiple names; cannabis, grass, marijuana and weed are only a few of them. Marijuana can be used in multiple ways. It can be smoked through a water pipe, “joint”, smoking paper used to roll it into, or as a “blunt,” which is a hollowed out cigar filled with the drug. It can also be made into edible items such as brownies or cookies. It was originally brought to the “New World” in 1545, but was introduced and used as a cash crop in Jamestown in 1611. The drug never really caught on and had been used until the 1920’s. Many people believe that the prohibition was the cause of the cannabis use. It was mostly used by people in show business and was not considered a social threat, but yet a treat (Narconon). Marijuana was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia until 1942. The United States Federal Bureau of Narcotics conducted a campaign in the 1930’s to show that weed is dangerous to society and is very addictive. In 1937 the Marihuana Tax Act made Cannabis federally illegal in the United States. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified marijuana along with heroin and LSD as a Schedule I drug (Narconon). Should this product really be illegal? People look at it as being such a negative drug, but have they ever really looked at the positive views of marijuana, its effects, how it compares to alcohol and what Americans think of it.
Cannabis is a drug that has many different uses. It can be used for medical or social uses. It is classified as a gateway drug, meaning it may lead to other drugs being used. Most people who smoke marijuana don’t go on to using hard drugs, but may smoke tobacco or possibly drink alcohol. Weed allows a person to