...Beyond Legalizing Marijuana for Medical Purpose Angel Padro Devry University Professor Natalie Reid English 112 February 23, 2011 In this time of day we still have people that are against legalizing marijuana, but now it brings up discussion about marijuana if United States should legalized marijuana for medical purpose. Now you have to ask yourself something, why is marijuana illegal in the first place? If the government wants to legalize it for medical purposes, why not completely legalize it. So the question is if prohibition is here to protect us, does the prohibition really work? Where in today’s studies there no proof that marijuana is harmful to the American people, so let take a closer look on why marijuana should be legalized in Untied States. Couple years now the discussion of legalizing marijuana is coming up a lot more nowadays. It’s showing that marijuana is actually more useful than people think. So the government is thinking about legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. That raises some red flags, because everybody thinks it so harmful, but that’s not the case. “Actually it’s a proven fact that marijuana does not kill brain cells, it actually stimulates the brain cells and helps them grow.” (The Union-Adam Scorgie 2011) “Also from today polls there are no record death from Marijuana.” (CNBC-2011) Let’s take a look at a poll taking by “The United States government National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bureau of Mortality Statistics: TOBACCO……….400...
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...are a kid you don’t really understand the reasoning behind it, but you listen to your elders regardless. I remember being told this my entire life and even to this very day. But when I got older I realized that people would still use drugs even though it’s illegal. I could never understand why someone would go against the law and risk there future just to use drugs? The drug that I am talking about is marijuana, and surprisingly it is all around us. Marijuana is even referred to in today’s media Mainstream media sources that people enjoy, like music, movies, and TV shows, do not even bother to leave the drug out of their system. Now being a young adult and having my own personal experience with the drug and knowing its effects on others, I wonder why it’s not legal. Why is it that this drug has become illegal all over the world? The debate to legalize marijuana in the United States of America has been fought over nonstop since the existence of the drug and its effects. Marijuana has been tested and proven to provide a very positive impact on the American society for many reasons. Some of these reasons are for America’s economy, health and even crime. These reasons could very well help America thrive in the future and that is why Marijuana should be legalized in the United States of America. This naturally found plant known as marijuana is recognized all around the world. This plant is known to be a drug that gives users a “high” and is illegal in almost every location...
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...Should marijuana be legalized for medicinal use? Cierra Cook Medical Ethics April 12, 2014 Marijuana has been hailed as a prescription for many ills and physicians once used it to stimulate appetite, relieve chronic pain, and treat asthma and migraines. But is marijuana really a medical miracle? If so, do its clinical benefits outweigh its drawbacks? Should we legalize marijuana? Is medical marijuana really worth the risks? These are the issues one needs to think about before making the decision to legalize marijuana. Marijuana is a drug that is derived from the dried and cut leaves of the hemp plant known as "cannabis sativa". Marijuana has a variety of street names such as "grass", "Mary Jane", "pot", "smoke", "reefer", "herb", and "weed". The active ingredient in marijuana is delta tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (3). Marijuana has been used throughout history and in many different cultures to change mood, perception, and consciousness (to get "high"). Its effects range from increasing creativity to provoking mystical experiences, to heightening the capacity to feel, sense and share. After alcohol, it is the most popular of what are called "recreational drugs." It has been used around the world for other purposes. In some primitive tribes of South America, Africa, and India, "cannabis" is used in religious ceremonies and for medical purposes. African mine workers have used it to ease the drudgery of their work and many Jamaicans use it at the end of the day to relieve...
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...Sandin WVU English 101 The Ancient Debate The legalization of marijuana is one of the most controversial topics in America and its debate has been fought over nonstop since the existence of the drug. This naturally found plant is known and used across the entire world. It is illegal in most places including the majority of the United States yet in reality it is safer than alcohol and tobacco. Today, more and more people are starting to realize this and side with pro legalization in America and are even questioning why it is illegal. There are many reasons why people support its legalization. Many say it would actually prove to be more helpful if it were legalized. Legalization could help America’s economy, health and crime. In one article journalist Ryan Schuette uses logos, ethos and pathos to support this claim and proves how legalizing marijuana as soon as possible could help America thrive in the near future. Schuette starts off his argument with his first supporting statement, that the legalization of the drug would bring our country economic relief. Its legalization would create jobs and help prevent bankruptcy, which America definitely needs at this moment in time. There is no way around this fact for anyone who is against the legalization of the drug. The United States has a total debt of 17 trillion dollars and with 20 billion dollars in debt alone in Detroit, who recently became the largest city in America to declare bankruptcy after years of financial instability....
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...The History of the War on Drugs in America The War on Drugs here in America has been a stable talking point in politics for at least the last 30 years. And our view on how the war is being handled has been changing every year also. To understand why the current view of the War on Drugs is as it is today, one must look at the history of this war and its effects on the citizens. At the start of the twentieth century, there weren’t any nationwide laws stating that drugs were illegal. There were some state laws that made certain drugs illegal, but those laws were mainly targeting a certain group of individuals like the anti-opium laws that were directed at Chinese immigrants. The first big nationwide law on drug use was passed in 1937 called the Marijuana Tax act, which was developed to tax it to stop the use and distribution of it. The next big law to be passed would be in 1951. The Boggs Act established mandatory minimum federal sentences for possession of certain drugs, such as marijuana, cocaine, and other opiates. Which in 1956 they would increase the sentences with the Narcotic Control Act. While these bills were being enacted into law, the president at the time, Eisenhower established the U.S. Interdepartmental Committee on Narcotics, where in by being the first president to call to arms a war on drugs. The War on Drugs wasn’t officially declared until President Nixon declared drugs as public “enemy number one” in a speech in 1971, which a year earlier the government...
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...According to marijuana Addiction Treatment, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that nearly 40 percent of the U.S. population above the age of 12 has used marijuana at some point (2011). The statistics of using marijuana was shocking for me and it made me get interested in various drug issues and the drug policy in America. When I was searching for the drugs, I realized that legalization of marijuana is the hottest issue recently in America. So, I want to discuss about the legalization of marijuana by exploring its history why marijuana became illegal, how media describe marijuana and its impact on community. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in America. It has been used for thousands of years. Government prohibited marijuana because it is really addictive and it contains chemicals that can change how the brain works. However, there is a hidden fact behind the reason why marijuana was banned. Marijuana was prohibited not based on scientific and medical evidence, but on racism, personal career advancement and greed. Harry J. Anslinger became the first head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and he declared war on drugs in 1930. He banned opium and cocaine, but he thought prohibiting these two drugs are not enough to collect high budget. So, he decided to add marijuana to the list in order to build his career and his agency. And he also said “Marijuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eyes, step on white men’s shadows and look...
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...again. Now as a kid, you don’t really understand the reasoning behind it, but you listen to your elders regardless. When I was little, I remember being told this my entire life and even to this very day I am still being told that “drugs are bad for you.” But growing up, I realized that people would still use these drugs even though it’s illegal. Though its not something anyone could ever understand, why do these people go against the law and jeopardize their life just to use drugs? The drug that I am talking in this essay about is marijuana, and it may be surprising to some but it is all around us. Marijuana is even being referred to in today’s media. The way that they are doing this is through the mainstream media sources that people prefer; like music, movies, and TV shows. Now being a 20 year old adult and having my own personal experience with Marijuana and knowing its effects on others, and myself. I always ask why it’s not legal. Why is it that this drug has become illegal all over the world, but they allow cigarettes, alcohol, and prescription medication. The war to legalize marijuana in the United States of America has been and is now being fought nonstop since the existence of the drug itself. Marijuana has been tested and proven to have a very positive impact on the American society for multiple reasons. Some of these reasons are for America’s economy, the health of certain people, and even crime. These reasons could very well help America turn around its national debt...
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...America’s Cash Crop “Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally upon our planet. Doesn’t the idea of making nature against the law seem to you a bit . . . unnatural?” ― Bill Hicks The legalization of marijuana is a debate being held all over the country. Everyone has their own opinion on the whole idea of marijuana. There are legislators who think that if marijuana is legalized that it will be grown illegally, and medically abused. There are potheads who think it would be cool and that they would get cheaper weed. But what it comes down to are the numbers. Marijuana is a cash crop. How can Wisconsin say no to numbers like fourteen billion, and thirty five billion dollars? Can legalizing marijuana rescue Wisconsin’s economy? Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington. In seventeen states, and DC it is legal to have at least an ounce of marijuana. In fourteen of them it is legal to even have plants (ProCon). Should Wisconsin be state number eighteen? NBC News produced an article Marijuana Called US Cash Crop and within that article they state “The study estimates that marijuana production, at a value of $35.8 billion, exceeds the combined value of corn ($23.3 billion) and wheat ($7.5 billion).” Wisconsin is in forty six billion dollars of debt and increasing every second (WisconsinDebtClock). If marijuana can bring in millions of...
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...The history of Marijuana dates back many years, and has served every culture since the beginning of time. Weed, ganga, pot, hash, bud, and mary jane, have become apart of many peoples lives today across the world. This growing “green” movement has become a huge topic of discussion in the recent years. Marijuana has been adapted to fit our lifestyles, and social environments. The love for pot in the United States of America is blatant and common. With such attention from celebrities, and rappers, such as Wiz Khalifa, Snopp Dogg and many more, Mary Jane continues to be everyones favorite girl. The realization that a great majority of people in America smoke weed, state governments such as California, Washington, Colorado and many more have legalized pot for either recreational or medical purposes. The legalization of pot nation wide is eminent, and in the near future. I believe that pot should be legalized because of its helpful medicinal purposes, the governments inability to stop this movement, and the incredible potential weed has to help state and national economies. The use of marijuana dates back 2737 B.C and has been used in civilizations for different purposes ever since then. Some ancient societies such as the Chinese used the herb for medicinal purposes to treat gout, malaria, and even absent mindedness. Other places such as India, the drug was used strictly for recreational purposes. Marijuana was first introduced to the United Sates in Jamestown in 1611 and instantly...
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...Marijuana has been used all over the world, by people from many different backgrounds and cultures and is dated back as far as 2737 B.C. It wasn't until 1937 that marijuana became illegal in the United States. Marijuana is a very prominent and controversial issue in society today. According to a nationwide Rasmussen poll, as of 2012 fifty-six percent of Americans think marijuana should be legalized and regulated like alcohol and tobacco. Today there are seventeen states that have legalized the use of medicinal marijuana, and two states that have legalized it for recreational use as well. However, in a world where millions of people have died from alcohol and tobacco use, do we really need another legal drug? Many would argue no, but when scientific studies have shown that marijuana is actually less harmful to a person than alcohol or tobacco, it makes no sense to keep it illegal. Marijuana prohibition is simply doing more harm than good to society. In the 1920s, alcohol prohibition led to the widespread proliferation of violent criminal organizations that corrupted politicians and law enforcement officials to illegally peddle booze to otherwise law-abiding citizens. Similarly, by keeping marijuana illegal for the last seventy-five years, we have created a black market that helps fuel some of the most dangerous terrorist organizations in the world. Legalizing marijuana could take the marijuana business out of the hands of drug cartels, by regulating and taxing marijuana in...
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...Marijuana is the most frequently used illegal drug in the United States. There is a huge debate on whether marijuana should be legal or not and many people have substantial view points for both sides of this topic. Although marijuana can be used for medicinal purposes, many proponents of this subject say it can be a harmful substance that can not only cause short term but also long term harm. Marijuana is such a controversial topic in today’s society that it really needs to be discussed. There are many different theories and misconceptions as to whether marijuana should be legalized or not and it is something that should be examined, researched and discussed more closely. There are many unwavering reasons why marijuana should be legalized. Unfortunately, these truths are under heavy criticism due to the stereotypical view of what people view as the “pot smoker.” This infers to someone who is lazy, lackluster,...
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...half, 52 percent favor the legalization of marijuana up to an ounce, according to the national survey by Pew Research Center. Washington and Colorado have already legalized marijuana up to an ounce for recreational use. (“If you”) Fifty-two percent of America is a lot of support for a supposedly dangerous drug. Many doctors, health professionals, and American citizens in general wonder why marijuana is illegal. “According to Marijuana Facts and Stats, at least 100 million Americans have tried marijuana at least once in their lives.”(“If you”) 100 million people and no deaths from marijuana so is there really a problem with it? According to the Pew Poll 50 percent of Americans see nothing wrong with Marijuana. (“Marijuana Legalization”) So marijuana isn’t a moral issue to half of Americans, which is just again a lot of people. Because of jail overcrowding and the opportunity for millions of tax dollars, Marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. First let’s talk about marijuana in general and talk about some history behind the plant. Marijuana is a dry, shredded mix of flowers, stems, seeds and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. The active ingredient in marijuana is THC. That's short for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.(“Marijuana”) THC is rapidly absorbed after smoking marijuana. Within minutes, THC and the other substances in marijuana smoke cause short-term medical effects.(“Marijuana”) In 1545 the Spanish brought marijuana to the New World, the English introduced...
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...fight the war on Marijuana. Marijuana has been a hot topic lately, and the debates really been heating up. The main question is how much would our country benefit from the legalization of recreational marijuana? Our citizens and political leaders have a chance to cash in on one of the biggest cash crops in existence today. Legalizing marijuana for recreational use has the potential to be very lucrative and beneficial to our country and society. To fully understand the debate on legalizing marijuana, you must know what marijuana is and how it came to be outlawed in the U.S. in the first place. Marijuana is a plant that produces flowers or buds that can be smoked to produce...
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...Marijuana is the most abused drug in the United States of America. People believe that by making marijuana legal it can reduce crime and costs of using law enforcement, but the reality is that making marijuana legal can affect many Americans. The cost will just be unbearable due to many addictions, overdose, and juveniles/adults committing delinquency acts because they are under the influence of drugs. Addiction will be the major cause of the United States spending money on overdosed people being admitted to the hospital. Many will not be able to afford visits to the hospital because of their addiction they have nothing left. Car accidents will be immense because being under the influence of any substance can and will impair driving. The cost of making marijuana legal would be ten times more than what the United States is spending on keeping it illegal. Drugs are stimulants that affect the body in many ways. There are many drugs that are legal and many that are illegal. Drugs are used in many ways doctors use it to help people. Then there’s abuse of drugs and addiction of getting drugs illegally to stimulate the body. Marijuana an illegal drug that stimulates the body. Has been the center of attention for a few years now because some Americans believe marijuana should be legal. They believe it can reduce crime and that it can save Americans money as well as making money by selling the illegal drug legally to Americans. Marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal...
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...Government infringement on our bodies “Colorado pulled in $2 million in taxes related to the sale of recreational marijuana… in January 2014 alone. Combined with taxes on sales from medical marijuana, that number jumps to $3.5 million (Phillips par.2).” Let that sink in for a second, 3.5 million dollars in one month. Think of all the uses that money could be put towards, Education, Prevention, Treatment, the possibilities are endless. That number doesn’t even include the amount of money we would be saving by not criminalizing non violent drug offenders. Federally marijuana is still illegal but states are starting to take the initiative by legalizing on a state level, and it’s clear why. The recreational and medical use of marijuana should be federally legalized and taxed. 48% of all federal inmates are a drug offender that’s 94,600 people. That’s only the federal numbers, if we were to take into account people in prison state by state for drug charges the number is 330,000. Of the federal inmates, only 7.4% are doing time for violent crimes (Alcyone par.1, 5). The mandatory minimum sentence for a first time nonviolent offender caught with 100kg of marijuana is five years, a second time offence is ten years, and the third offence means life in prison (Families against…). We’re talking about nonviolent people going to prison potentially for life, for the possession of marijuana. Aside from the moral aspects of that issue, let’s address how much it costs tax payers to keep these people...
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