...Drugs & Marijuana legalization in California United States: Thoughts on our War on Drugs The United States has been fighting a "war on drugs" for decades, yet illegal narcotics remain a problem for the country. Unfortunately, the developed world’s criminalization of many drugs has been neither effective nor free from unintended consequences. Though we may wish to judge the war on drugs by the good intentions of those who instigate it, we must evaluate it based on the terrible outcomes that it has produced. Prohibition has not been without unplanned consequences. Indeed, much of the harm caused by drugs is precisely due to the fact that they are illegal. For typical, legal businesses, murdering your competitors is not a feasible business strategy. For businesses that exist outside of the legal system, this strategy is not only feasible, but archetypal. By making drug use illegal, we have turned otherwise law-abiding citizens into criminals. America has the highest incarceration rate in the world — nearly five times the world average — which is primarily due to harsh drug laws. According to Human Rights Watch, “More people are sent to prison in the United States for nonviolent drug offenses than for crimes of violence.” Instead of criminalizing the production and use of drugs, we should legalize and tax these activities while supporting greater prevention and treatment programs. Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron calculated that drug legalization in the United States “would...
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...| Marijuana Legalization: Why Marijuana Should be Legalized in All Fifty States English 102 Final Paper Table of Contents I. Introduction …………………………………………………………………………… 1 II. Is Marijuana a “Gateway Drug?” ……………………………………………………... 2 III. Arguments against Legalization ………………………………………………………. 3 VI. Recent Legalization Efforts …………………………………………………………… 4 V. Medicinal Uses of Marijuana …………………………………………………………. 5 VI. Economic Arguments Against Criminalization ………………………………………. 7 VII. Marijuana Cultivation and DTO ……………………………………………………... 8 VIII. From Decriminalization to Legalization …………………………………………… 8 IX. Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………… 10 Marijuana Legalization: Why Marijuana Should be Legalized in All Fifty States I. Introduction The issue of marijuana legalization in the United States is a charged one that brings forth supporters and opponents arguments alike. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Uniform Crime Reports, one marijuana-related arrest occurs every forty-two seconds in the United States. The government conducted over 1.53 million drug-related arrests in 2011, 90% for possession alone, and nearly 50% due to marijuana (FBI Uniform Crime Report). State governments are currently responding to shifts in public opinion, especially given the recent legalizations that passed in Colorado and Washington. According to Gallup Polls, more Americans supported the legalization of marijuana than not in 2011 (50% vs. 46%)...
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...Legalization Of Marijuana For Recreational Purposes Jerry Cashatt COMM/125 7/20/2014 Yolanda Orizondo - Harding Legalization Of Marijuana For Recreational Purposes Even though the social effects of abuse and addiction are in question, I believe marijuana should be legalized for recreational use because the government is spending unnecessary money to control the production and use of marijuana and legalization for recreational use could provide jobs that will improve the economy. With the proper regulation of the sale and use, marijuana could become a precious crop to the United States of America. As adults, we are all responsible for our actions. Just as we should not drink and drive, or drink and show up for our shift at work, we should also refrain from using any other mind-altering substances before or during our shift. Those who make a conscious decision to use marijuana should also be aware of the consequences. If a person chooses to use marijuana, and it is against the policy of their job to have T.H.C. (the intoxicating substance in marijuana) in their system they should lose their job. If this is preventing them from working, all government aid should be denied them. This will combat some of the social effects that legalization of marijuana may have on society. States are currently facing massive budget deficits, and the California legislature is debating AB 390 to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. California already...
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...Time for Legalization of Marijuana Jane doe University of Phoenix Time for Legalization of Marijuana Since the early 1970's marijuana legalization has been an issue for debate (Rawson, 2012). Those who do not want it legalized argue that it would increase its use, but the benefits of legalization are hard to ignore. Some of the benefits legalization would bring are: legalization would stimulate the economy, the criminal court system would be free for more important cases, and users and sellers would no longer have to carry the stigma of a criminal conviction for the rest of their lives; any one of these things would help any one of us. The fact is that even if someone does not use marijuana they should reexamine their stance on the issue, and see that everyone can benefit from legalization. To examine this issue thoroughly everyone should know the history of marijuana prohibition in the United States. Although most states had local laws prohibiting marijuana use and possession, it was not until 1937 that the federal government passed the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act. The act itself did not criminalize the possession or usage of marijuana but instead levied a tax of approximately one dollar on anyone who dealt commercially in marijuana. The penalty provisions for violators of the proper procedures could result in a fine of up to $2000 and five years' imprisonment. The intended result of the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act was to effectively make it too risky for anyone to deal in...
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...Legalization of Marijuana Jimmy Martin, II Saint Leo University Author Note This paper was prepared for Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior CRM 328, taught by Dr. Pappas. Abstract With exception to the debate surrounding the Affordable Health Care Act and the attacks on the United States Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, public policy regarding legalization of recreational and medical marijuana has reached a boiling point in most state legislatures. However, possession and use of marijuana is still viewed by many as comparable to consuming an alcoholic beverage. Regardless, it (marijuana) is still classified as a Schedule I Controlled Substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Introduction After prohibition of alcohol was rescinded by the Twenty First Amendment, years later the focus from the United States government shifted to prohibition of drugs. But there have always been varying ulterior motives. According to Baylor University Professor of Sociology, Dr. Diana Kendall, the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was passed solely to criminalize marijuana by taxing it; this would dissuade migrant Mexican workers who smoked marijuana to seek employment elsewhere and not take jobs from U.S. citizens as the country struggled during the Great Depression (Kendall, 2010). Last year, voters in Colorado and Washington State approved legislation that supported the commercial growth, sale, possession and use of recreational marijuana. In response, United...
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...SHOULD MARIJUANA BE FULLY LEGALIZED? Marijuana which is also known as cannabis sativa is an increasingly hot topic in today’s society. Marijuana legalization has been considered as one of the disputable issues that is currently all over the world. There’s a lot of debate in the United States is claiming if marijuana should be legalized or not. Marijuana is known to serve as medicine and a form of recreational purpose for a very long time. Is America fully ready for the legalization and the legal changes that would follow it? Today more and more people are deciding to side with pro marijuana legalization for America. People that never gave marijuana legalization a thought or were heavily against it are now starting to believe legalization would...
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...of legalizing marijuana has been on a rise over the last couple of years, especially in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, they conducted a Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health (CCHS – MH) in 2012 that “12.2% of Canadians aged 15 or older (3.4 million) used marijuana in the past year” (Langlois and Rotermann). Over the years, smoking marijuana has become more and more of a ‘leisure activity’ amongst many young adolescents and teenagers. Whether or not society realizes, by participating, it has situated biased perceptions towards narcotics, strained their social relationships and triggered physiological effects on themselves. The majority of adolescents participate because of peer pressure. Regrettably, the innocent fifteen year old teen does not realize how detrimental smoking marijuana is after it is done once. Whereas, adults smoke marijuana because they are not able to escape their addiction therefore they partake in smoking marijuana to escape their reality. Prohibiting marijuana is a detrimental to their mental abilities, their health and the government. The prolonged misconception that smoking marijuana carries little to none health effects has been proven wrong by many doctors, scientists and researchers. Many users and pro-marijuana movements are under the impression that marijuana is not an addictive drug. After committing to smoking marijuana for the first time, the addiction is let off its leash. Recent studies has proven that marijuana is in fact and...
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...Rodolfo Ruz Professor Eric Shockley English Composition 164 12 December 2013 Why Legalize Marijuana? A Complete Overview of the Benefits Marijuana, the most illegal drug consumed in the United States, “more than 18 million Americans consumed it” (White House, 2013). Furthermore, a recent study showed that 42% of Americans aged 12 and older had consumed the drug (White House, 2013). Nevertheless, why is marijuana illegal? And what would happen if it gets legalize. Marihuana can bring health, economics, and social benefits to our society. Thus is why Marijuana should be legal. At the beginning marijuana was introduced to United States by Mexican immigrants, who were working in farms and factories as laborers (Zimmer, Lynn). This new migration wave scared some of the conservatives groups in America, because of the cheap labor that Mexicans represented. Many of those Mexicans immigrants used to smoked marijuana, therefore, some people picked this as an excuse to ban it. It was not only banned because of its effects, it was criminalized to isolate and discriminate different races than the Caucasian. So, one of the main excuses to banned marijuana was fear towards Mexicans, Hispanics and other races. As we can see in a letter from the editor of the Alamosa Daily Courier, in south-central Colorado that was used as an official testimony for the Act that banned marijuana, “I wish I could show you what a small marihuana cigarette can do to one of our degenerate Spanish-speaking...
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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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...DECRIMINALIZATION OF MARIJUANA ******* English 112 ********** April 18, 2012 Presently, Marijuana is illegal in the United States due to the racially motivated Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. This law was proposed by Harry J. Anslinger the acting commissioner of Federal Bureau of Narcotics. In his testimony to Congress he stated, "There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most 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, entertainers and any others" (ukcia.org, (n.d), para. 1). Since this time, the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 has spawned more strict laws that have many unintended side effects. After many decades, effective federal propaganda has won public support for these laws. Only recently, U.S. citizens have started to question why marijuana is illegal. I feel that it would be beneficial to discard these laws and beliefs of the past. We need to analyze how the legalization of marijuana would positively affect the United States and its citizens in the following fields: medical, criminology, and financial. I support the legalization of marijuana not because I use this herb, because I do not and would not even if it was legal much like a majority of our populous. I have taken this stance because of the benefits that would arise from legalization. Marijuana has been criminalized for private citizens since 1930’s bringing...
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...California Legalization of Recreational Marijuana Initiative (2014) Jump to: navigation, search Not on Ballot | | This measure did not or will not appear on a ballot | Contents [hide] * 1 Text of measure * 2 Path to the ballot * 3 External links A California Legalization of Recreational Marijuana Initiative (#13-0013) was approved for circulation in California as a contender for the November 4, 2014 ballot as an initiated state statute. The measure would have: * Decriminalized marijuana and hemp use, possession, cultivation, transportation, or distribution. * Required case-by-case review for persons currently charged with or convicted of nonviolent marijuana offenses, for possible sentence modification, amnesty, or immediate release from prison, jail, parole, or probation. * Required case-by-case review of applications to have records of these charges and convictions erased. * Required the California State Legislature to adopt laws to license and tax commercial marijuana sales. * Allowed doctors to approve or recommend marijuana for patients, regardless of age. * Limited testing for marijuana for employment or insurance purposes. Bared state or local aid to enforcement of federal marijuana laws. Proposition 215: Text of Proposed Law This initiative measure is submitted to the people in accordance with the provisions of Article II, Section 8 of the Constitution. This initiative measure adds a section...
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...Borski Legalizing Marijuana: Could It Help Society? Living in Colorado for the past year has brought up much controversy about the legalization of marijuana. Many argue that the legalization of marijuana is detrimental to our society. It can be argued that it is a “gateway drug”, that marijuana could lead to more incidences of drug-related incidences, and that if it is legalized it can be more easily attained which will lead to more abuse of the drug. On the other hand, the legalization of marijuana will improve society. The legalization of marijuana will lower violence and crime rates, will stimulate the economy, and will be a safer drug than those already legalized, such as tobacco and alcohol. Marijuana is most often argued that it should remain illegal. It is argued that it is a “gateway drug” which leads into hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin, and meth. Some believe that marijuana users can build up a tolerance to the drug, which will then lead them to other drugs in search of a better “high”. However, this is not particularly true. “Marijuana itself does not lead the person to the other drugs; people take drugs to get rid of unwanted situations or feelings.” (On the Road to Drug Abuse). Other arguments in favor of marijuana remaining illegal is that it will be easier accessible and will therefore be more abused, and that is could lead to more deaths and crimes. Like anything else, if cannabis is abused it may have some of these consequences. However, alcohol...
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...Marijuana Legalization in the United States Elisha Havraniak Ottawa University LAS 30012 Writing and Critical Thinking in the Liberal Arts October 11, 2013 Marijuana Legalization in the United States Marijuana has had a long history as an illicit drug, but is quickly becoming a mainstream issue. Some people use marijuana to ease their pain and treat their illnesses. Many others use it because of it mood-altering effects. Laws have been passed to regulate both of these uses of the drug. Those who advocate legalization favor easing or overturning laws against the possession and use of marijuana for recreational purposes, medical use, or both. In general most proposals for legalization fall into one of three categories: decriminalization for recreational use, legalization for recreational use, or legalization for medical use. In opposition to these three choices is the option to keep marijuana illegal for both recreational and medical purposes. The purpose of this paper is to explore the facts, pros and cons, regarding the legalization of marijuana. The information for this paper was obtained from scholarly and peer reviewed journal articles, books, and online sources. The research questions answered are as follows; * Could the legalization of marijuana rescue our struggling economy or could it provide much need relief to the overcrowded prison system? * Will the legalization of marijuana lead to a regulation nightmare…can it even be regulated...
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...Lecturer Institution Course Date Legalization of marijuana Introduction In most regions, the use and possession of marijuana are considered illegal. Marijuana is also known as cannabis. For many years, cannabis has been termed as an illegal drug. Today some countries in the world have legalized marijuana. To be specific, a small amount of cannabis has been legalized in regions such as Europe, South America and North America. In USA, some states such as Washington and Colorado have also legalized the possession and the usage of marijuana for medical reasons. Most countries in the world have great penalties for the usage and possession of cannabis. It should be observed that these penalties range from very simple to severe punishments. The punishment for the small amount of marijuana is not the same as the punishment for the possession of a large amount (Earleywine, 2005). The paper does explain as to why cannabis should be legalized. Lack of evidence The main reason as to why the legalization of marijuana should be lawful is that there is lack of evidence for its legalization. From a philosophical point of view, people have the right to make choices and decision for themselves. Of course, it is the function of the government to limit those choices and decisions if the action that is taken by a person does not affect with the rights of other persons. Persons who choose and decide to use cannabis do so because of their free will. Marijuana should be legalized because for its medicinal...
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...Fall 13 Fall 13 The Marijuana Business James Knight This paper looks at historical information, current legislation, and makes formulates an opinion on the business aspect of the federal and state legislation. The Marijuana Business James Knight This paper looks at historical information, current legislation, and makes formulates an opinion on the business aspect of the federal and state legislation. 08 Fall 08 Fall The Marijuana Business Marijuana arrived with the mayflower and has had a close relationship with the United States ever since. The evolution of the nation’s perspective has been an ever-changing shift between legalization and regulation. This paper is not about the moral aspects of legalization, but rather the business aspect of the legalization of marijuana. It will examine the historical background, overview of the problem, current status, and the business impact of marijuana. Historical Background While marijuana has a somewhat “sketchy” background, its mention pre dates recorded history. While these historical instances are not business related, the instances do offer insight into the benefits of the substance. With the arrival of pilgrims and settlers on American soil, marijuana claimed a stake that has been ever evolving with our country. Jamestown settlers brought marijuana, or what was referred to as “hemp”, from England in 1611. All throughout the colonial era, hemp was a key export. Virginia even granted famers bounties for the cultivation...
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