Arguments Against: Prohibition of Marijuana 1. Medicinal Use a. STUDY- According to Congressional Research Service, “By the 1840s, marijuana’s therapeutic potential began to be recognized by some U.S. physicians. From 1850 to 1941 cannabis was included in the United States Pharmacopoeia as a recognized medicinal. By the end of 1936, however, all 48 states had enacted laws to regulate marijuana.” b. Certified physicians prescribing marijuana (specifically for the THC in it) as a form of medicine i. Many people can find benefits from its medicinal purposes 1. Improves nausea and vomiting 2. Stimulation of hunger a. Cancer and AIDS patients b. STUDY- University of California, San Francisco concluded that 30% more AIDS patients who smoke cannabis compared to those who did not felt “significantly less pain and better appetite” 3. Lower eye pressure c. Specifically Glaucoma patients 4. Generic pain reliever ii. Many countries have begun the process of legalization for medicinal use 5. 9 Countries around the world, including Spain, Germany, Italy, and Canada 6. As well as 14 states within the United States, making you wonder what exactly will happen if over half the states legalize medicinal marijuana c. VIDEO----------------------------------------------UNION MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS ------------- 2. Industrial Use d. Hemp is a natural, durable soft fiber that can be found in the stalk of a Cannabis sativa plant iii. Uses 7. Building materials-textiles 8. Rope 9. Clothing material 10. Paper substitute- stronger than paper made from trees (recycled more) 11. Fuel-oil from the hemp seed, used as diesel substitute or motor oil e. By middle 1930’s all forms of Cannabis had been restricted and legalized, even though hemp had been a huge industry prior iv. EXAMPLE- Without even realizing the plant had been outlawed several months prior, Popular Mechanics magazine published an article in 1938 entitled The New Billion-Dollar Crop 12. Anticipating the possibility of the hemp industry exploding with new machines to make them 3. Reduce Crime Rate f. A top chief of the Tijuana Cartel was quoted by undercover agents as saying “The drug war is a sham put on by American taxpayers” and that it was “good for business” v. After Prohibition. An Adult Approach to Drug Policies in the 21st Century. p92. ISBN 1-882577-94-9 g. Compare this to the prohibition of alcohol in 1933…. vi. What exactly happened? 13. Rise of violence and gang warfare i.e. bootleggers, Al Capone h. Illegal drug dealers resolve disputes with violence and intimidation, whereas people who sell legal drugs do not have to do this vii. It is the risk of dealing all these illegal drugs, such as marijuana, that makes the drug business so profitable. i. Drug money feeds terrorism viii. Prohibition forces drugs into an underground, unregulated market which creates a highly lucrative source of funding ix. According to www.drugpolicy.org , Afghanistan’s Taliban profited from the opium trade because of drug prohibition, not in spite of it. x. The United Nations reports that the illegal drug trade is worth $400 Billion a year - more than the U.S. Department of Defense budget. 4. Feeds into….Regulation/ Quality Control j. If marijuana were legalized, it would be possible for the government to regulate it and tax xi. By regulating, you make it much harder for any person to find on the street 14. Compare availability of alcohol, cigarettes vs. illegal drugs k. By taxing the marijuana industry like they do with any legit business, everyone benefits xii. STUDY-According to a study done by Harvard Economic Prof. Jeffery Miron, he estimated that legalization would save state and local governments nearly $10.3 billion per year and federal government $3.5 billion per year for not enforcing prohibition. While at the same time creating a tax revenue of nearly $6.4 billion if taxed similarly to tobacco or alcohol. 15. www.cnbc.com