First, we will analyze the evolution of cannabis through American history. According to an article, ??????? in 1619 the first American law pertaining to marijuana was passed by the Virginia Assembly, which required every farmer to grow the plant (????). Fibers from the hemp plant were used in the production of ship sails, rope and clothing. Production continued through the Civil War in the years 1961-1965, but new imports and other domestic resources began to replace it. After the Mexican Revolution of 1910, Mexican immigrants began to enter the U.S. in waves. The new immigrants were the first to introduce the recreational use of marijuana to the American culture. The drug and its effects along with the fear and prejudice about the newcomers …show more content…
The changing legal standings of many states has since reflected Americans’ growing support for the legalization and decriminalization of a drug many see as benign and non-addictive. According to the 2014 Pew Research survey, more than half of Americans support legalizing the intoxicating weed, particularly for medical use. Perhaps the drug’s popularity may also have something to do with the number of Americans who have reported using marijuana. The 2014 Pew Research survey also stated that, about one in 10 Americans said they have smoked or ingested marijuana in the last year; nearly half, 48 percent, of all Americans said they have tried the drug at some point in life. Those numbers include politicians, presidents and advocates from both sides of the debate, including Jeb Bush, President Barack Obama, and New York Times conservative columnist David Brooks. say money???, the growing evidence of medicinal benefits, and a widespread perception of pot as a benign non-addictive drug are driving the current push for legalization. States like Washington and Colorado have legalized marijuana for recreational and medicinal use, hoping to regulate and collect additional revenue by taxing drug …show more content…
Essentially it has gone through all these changes because of how the drug and its effects have been presented to the public. At first the fiber in the cannabis plant was known to be very useful in everyday household items, so the government made sure everyone knew those benefits. They went so much as to pass a law that required farmers to grow the plant. It was not until the prejudice against the Mexican immigrants who had introduced the drug to America, was the drug suddenly seen as dangerous. Their association with the drug and the supposed terrible crimes that they committed were attributed to marijuana and the Mexicans who used it. Public and governmental concern about the newfound problem of marijuana use instigated a flurry of research which further linked the use of marijuana with violence, crime and other socially deviant behaviors. Coincidentally these crimes were primarily committed by "racially inferior" or underclass communities. Today, the public is still being exposed to new and more advanced studies that report on the pros and cons of marijuana use. According to an article published in American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse entitled ???? researchers are finding that marijuana is not the culprit for criminal behavior and contrary to popular belief it is not a gateway drug. On the surface, the gateway theory seems reasonable enough. After all, there are almost no heroin users