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Legalization of Marijuana the New Drug War

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Betty Waltermire
Critical Issue in Criminal Justice JUS-250
April 17, 2014

Legalization of Marijuana the New Drug War
Looking back on reading articles and doing major research it was determined that the marijuana/hemp plant has been around since the world began. To track its roots was difficult at best, yet finding evidence as early as 7000 to 8000 years before Christ, when it was accepted that the first woven fabric was obtained from the hemp plant. The marijuana/hemp plant has many uses such as cloth, clothing, rope, incense and food (Guither).
Jamestown Colony, Virginia had laws that would require farmers to grow hemp. At Mount Vernon George Washington grew hemp as a primary crop and at Monticello Thomas Jefferson grew hemp as a secondary crop (Guither). This may surprise some that two of our presidents grew marijuana and several presidents have admittedly smoked marijuana.
The first laws forbidding marijuana may have been swayed, by Mormons using it. Mormon’s who traveled to Mexico for missionary work in 1910, came back to Salt Lake City with marijuana. The church’s negative response to the marijuana may have contributed somewhat to the state’s marijuana laws (Guither).

Marijuana has been peddled as one of the safest recreational and medicinal drugs available. Scientific studies support the conclusion that cocaine, heroin, alcohol and cigarettes are more dangerous to the user’s health than marijuana. Marijuana has proven itself to be a true medicine for a large number of diseases, effects of the disease and treatment effects.
Medical marijuana can be consumed by persons suffering from certain medical conditions or severe, persistent symptoms. The treatment of these conditions can be as devastating as the disease. At times the side effects such as chronic, debilitating, severe,

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