...Legalization of Marijuana Tina Washington Everest University March 3, 2015 Abstract The prohibition of marijuana has brought forth multiple passionate debates for many years in reference to its effects on the human body, its medicinal properties, and its effect on society. Even though there are many people who are opposed to the legalization of marijuana, this paper will dispute that the legalization of marijuana is justified. This paper will provide proof by measuring marijuana’s effects on the human body when ingested by inhalation against the effects on the body when consuming alcoholic beverages and smoking tobacco, by submitting research facts on its medicinal qualities, and providing you with information on how the use of marijuana can benefit a lot of people as well as our nation as a whole. Legalization of Marijuana Legalization of marijuana is wide spread. There are so many benefits to it such as helping those with medicinal issues like anxiety, AIDS, Cancer, glaucoma, etc. Being able to assist someone without throwing pills down their throat is certainly a better approach. Most people don’t know this, but there are 18 states that have already gotten on the band wagon of legalizing marijuana. Colorado and Washington are the two most recent states that adopted this law. Not only is it a great way to aid in certain medical issues, but it is also a way for the states and our government to generate revenue...
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...Economics of Decriminalization or Legalization of Cannabis Introduction Capitalism: an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a few markets. This unique system allows for a merchant to market just about any product to the masses dependent on a public opinion of the commodity, legality, availability, and profitability. Some commodities, although carrying high demand are regulated heavily and sometimes even ban from the market place for reasons pertaining to public safety. Others, however, showing to be a health hazard are still allowed to remain on the market. This definition is according to Merriam-Webster.com. This paper will focus on the economics of cannabis and how by its decriminalization, or legalization, it can be a profitable commodity in the marketplace by the following. Providing an overview of cannabis and how political games have caused an unearned negative public opinion on the commodity. Listing arguments that support the claim that by legalizing this commodity not only crime rates in general, but violent crime rates, will drop noticeably if not substantially providing a savings in the cost of enforcing and prosecuting such crimes. And, that by decriminalization, the federal government can regulate this commodity much like alcohol and tobacco providing new sources...
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...Legalizing Marijuana Cynthia Jones SOC120: Intro to Ethics & Social Responsibility Instructor Dr. Marnie Carroll Aug 27, 2012 Marijuana has been placed on the control substances list as a schedule 1 class drug along with heroin, mescaline, and LSD; the government is claiming that marijuana is harmful and addictive. I will disprove these claims. The United States government has made the possession and use of marijuana illegal, but nicotine a known addictive drug and alcohol are legal for personal use. I believe as a personal choice medicinal marijuana should be legalized and this paper will be a utilitarian’s view on legalizing marijuana. I will begin with some information about marijuana or a more common name of Cannabis comes from the plant, Cannabaceae. Along with Cannaboids, there is another main cannabinoid the most prominent and psychoactive called THC, or delta 9 tetrahydocannabinol, this is what causes the effects of marijuana. This is the most popular illicit drug that has been around for thousands of years. These particular extracts from the plant have several medicinal purposes and legalizing marijuana for medicinal uses would benefit several people with serious illnesses. As of now it is still illegal in most states and federally. Relativism is “the idea that one’s beliefs and values are understood in terms of one’s society, culture, or even one’s own individual values” (Mosser, K., 2010) Society has made marijuana illegal so for the relativist...
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...medical purposes. This generated rapidly growing industries based around the variety of uses for the easily grown plant species. Hemp has been used for a variety of everyday purposes in Americas past including paper, clothing, food, and fuel; the economic potential for this plant type surpasses many plants which are considered staple crops today. Marijuana is America’s number one cash crop surpassing corn and other items. Its decriminalization would open new tax revenues and slash old tax budgets as funds are re appropriated to satisfy a hungry criminal justice system. There have been many non-violent convictions in the justice system that costs the country potentially hundreds of billions of dollars every year and have since the start of the war on drugs during the Reagan era. These convictions could be avoided if the government let each American decide if the production and consumption of marijuana violated their moral and ethical values as individual liberties. As Americans, we are given, at birth, unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the freedom to pursue happiness through whatever means beyond any clear and eminent harm. The combined benefits that would be experienced from legalization are obvious, evident, and too important to remain illegal; the decriminalization of marijuana is more a matter of time due to the variety and abundance of positive effects that would be caused by it. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are...
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...Cannabis, is the world’s most famous illicit drug. Many of young adults today use cannabis for recreational purposes. Culturally, cannabis has influenced a majority of the youth to become a part of a taboo. Socially, cannabis has its impact; individuals suffer from peer pressure from their friends. The use of marijuana is less harmful than other, legal drugs, such as alcohol and tobacco. However, marijuana is the most widely used in the world; it remains illegal almost everywhere in the world. Since the past decade, there has been a large number of movements for the decriminalization, or the legalization of marijuana. Politicians, on the other hand, often refuse to take a stand on the issue. Also, in the rare instances when a politician does attempt to address the problems with prohibitionist attitudes towards marijuana, they face harsh opinion from their peers, which is a result of their fear of losing the support from their board. Cannabis is not just a drug cannabis also brings technological, health and economic benefits to the world. When people hear the word hemp or marijuana they believe in the medical aspects but it also has a vast amount of usefulness for example; hemp is able to produce plastic and medicine it is said that one acre of hemp is to produce more oxygen than twenty-five acres of forest. One important use of cannabis is the use as bio fuel with the plant’s ability to grow in infertile soils also reduces the need to grow it on primary croplands, which can then...
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...Marijuana in California. The debate regarding the legalization of soft drugs such as marijuana is capable of being characterized as one which pits the concept of freedom of the individual against the concept of a paternalistic State. Advocates of legalization argue that amongst other things, marijuana is not only less harmful than alcohol and tobacco, which are legal substances, but also as a matter of fact has been proven to possess certain medicinal property. The people who support the legalization are member of law enforcement and medical professionals, who really know how ineffective and unnecessary in stance prohibitionist. In contrast, those opposed to legalization argue that the legalization of marijuana will act as a precursor to increased addiction to harder drugs. This will necessarily lead to an increase in the crime rate and accident rate as well. In this article, I would like to explicate both sides of the debate and provide the evidences that support the idea of legalizing marijuana. Why marijuana should not be legalized? Critics claim that all drugs are addictive; they would rob the drug users of free will. Marijuana is considered a drug that associated with unfashionable lifestyles. It is often thought of as a drug for hippies and losers. Drug users can not have rational and informed decisions to continue using drugs because the use of the drug would eliminate their ability to think logically. The use of marijuana leads to the use of harder drugs like morphine...
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...A little lizard was walking through the forest to see his pal the monkey. The monkey called out “Hey little buddy come on up here, I have some really good weed”. So the little lizard climbed up the tree, where he and the monkey smoked a great big joint. The little lizard said “Hey this stuff is great, but I have a wicked case of cottonmouth”. “Well”, said the monkey, “there’s a river just down the road”. So the little lizard climbed down the tree, walked through the brush and started to drink the water. All of a sudden a crocodile came out of the water. “Hey little buddy, what’s up?” said the crocodile. “I just got stoned with my pal the monkey and came down here for a drink of water”. “Really?” said the crocodile, “Where is he? I want to smoke some, too”. “He’s through the brush and up the tree”, said the lizard. So the crocodile walked through the brush and came to the tree. The monkey looks down from the tree and says, “Holy geez, little buddy how much did you drink??” We laugh when we hear jokes like this, but the fact of the matter is, current marijuana laws in the United States make possessing and being under the influence of pot no laughing matter. It is my resolution that the United State of America should legalize both the medical and recreational use of marijuana. This will benefit our country and its people by ending prohibition and the extremely high cost of pursuing it; it will open up a revenue stream with the potential to move or country toward financial solvency;...
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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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...Abstract: The prohibition of marijuana has been a heated debate for years. This paper will examine the question of whether or not it will be beneficial to the population as a whole, smokers and non-smokers to legalize marijuana. This paper will begin by giving a historical overview of marijuana and how it became illegal. Then, it will attempt to examine and illustrate the many valuable, and beneficial qualities that marijuana has. Relying on the facts found to ultimately come to a conclusion on whether or not legalization would positively effect our country. Introduction Background Information The legalizing of marijuana for both recreational and medical purposes will have significant benefits for smokers and non-smokers, the economy, and the population. Currently any production, sale, distribution, or consumption of the drug marijuana is illegal in forty-eight states in the nation. Legalizing marijuana in this situation would mean executing the same or similar laws as are imposed on to alcohol. “On November 6, 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize the sale and possession of cannabis for recreational use since the Marijuana Tax act of 1937 when they passed Colorado Amendment 64 and Washington Initiative 502” (Szalavitz). The few states that have legalized marijuana are instituting practices to integrate the substance into society. To continue, consumption of marijuana would be illegal as well as the purchase of the substance by minors...
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...Introduction The question of whether or not to legalize drugs in America has been a strong debate for many decades. Each year there has been a growing number of deaths because of drugs in the United States. With these numbers, there are still wide spread efforts to legalize illicit drugs around the country. This paper will research drug legalization in the United States versus other countries, the positives and negatives, and a reasoned opinion on the topic. When debating the issue of drug legalization and crime, there are questions to ask: Do drugs cause crime and do they inevitably lead to crime? If drugs are made legal, would there be less crime? If the government subsidized addicts, would they still engage in criminal conduct? What would happen if drugs were legalized (Hartnett, 2005)? States like Washington and Colorado have made Marijuana legal, all other states and countries are watching the results. They are watching what legalizing marijuana does for the economy, tax revenue, and crime reduction. There is an international impact with marijuana legalization. History behind the drug war Throughout the history of the drug war, both state and federal law enforcement agencies have cracked down on both drug abusers and drug dealers. During the late 60s, the U.S. government founded the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD). The BNDD worked a study to find a correlation between crime and heroin addiction. They found that 44 percent of...
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...set aside personal emotion regarding “smoking weed”. While some support decriminalization, there are many reasons why other individuals, including the government, do not. From a utilitarian point view, legalizing marijuana will produce the greatest good for the greatest number of people affected by the choice (Mosser, 2010, sect. 1.7) Misleading perception and harmful effects influence the decision of marijuana remaining illegal. But, the best way to control its use is to legalize it for its positive effects on the environment, medical uses, and revenue it generates for the government; therefore, producing the best results for the greatest number of people. Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America following alcohol and tobacco. It is most commonly smoked out of a pipe, or rolled like a cigarette. The active ingredient in marijuana that causes the “high” followed by smoking it is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC for short. This is the most common perception of individuals who encounter the drug but what is failed to be considered are its environmental advantages. Like marijuana, hemp is another form of the Cannabis plant. It is often confused with marijuana because of its similar leaf shape but contains miniscule amounts of THC. Hemp could play an important role in solutions considering concerns for our eco-system. Hemp can be used in the industrial sense for food, fibers, paper, textiles, etc. Hemp fibers are longer, stronger, more...
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...the American life (CNBC, 2010). Marijuana comes from a dried plant that is created to induce euphoria. However, it is no more addictive than tobacco or alcohol and even can bring good to the body and mind. Marijuana legalization will help those with medical issues, lower crime rates, and help decrease debts in the United States. Legalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use will help people with medical issues such as cancer and glaucoma. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse: The Science of Drug Abuse & Addiction, marijuana is classified as a drug that is not an acceptable form of medicine for those with medical concerns, to include cancer (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2012). However, when considering the research done on the subject of marijuana as medicine for those with cancer, the results have shown time and time again a compound in marijuana actually helps stop and prevent the spreading of cancer cells (Wilkey, 2012). In more depth, breast cancer cells reflect the most decreased amount of cancerous cells. In...
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...Legalization of Marijuana Research has been published in favor of legalizing marijuana. The legalization of marijuana is a political issue that has continued to surface for decades. There is countrywide support lobbying for reinstating the right to use this natural product. A large majority of this country's population refuses to accept the United States government’s decision to prohibit citizens from enjoying the benefits that this organically grown herb provides. In my paper I will research and have knowledge on the legalization and political issues about marijuana. Most Americans do not want to spend scarce public funds incarcerating nonviolent marijuana offenders, at a cost of $23,000 per year. Politicians must reconsider our country's priorities and attach more importance to combating violent crime than targeting marijuana smokers. Marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers at least $7.5 billion annually. This is an enormous waste of scarce federal dollars that should be used to target violent crime. Marijuana prohibition makes no exception for the medical use of marijuana. The tens of thousands of seriously ill Americans who presently use marijuana as a therapeutic agent to alleviate symptoms of cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, or multiple sclerosis risk arrest and jail to obtain and use their medication (Grinspoon and Bakalar). Americans, it turns out, aren't conflicted in their attitude toward marijuana. They want it illegal but not really enforced...
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...Psychoactive Drugs And Their Effects Abstract This paper discusses three different psychoactive drugs, one from each classification, and their general psychological and physical effects. Cocaine, a stimulant, Cannabis, a hallucinogen and Oxycodone, a depressant will be covered. Positive, neutral and adverse effects will be discussed as well as long-term use and withdrawal symptoms. Cannabis has a section regarding its medicinal use in society. Cocaine is a naturally derived central nervous system (CNS) stimulant and topical anesthetic that is extracted and refined from the Erythroxylum coca plant, which is grown primarily in the Andean region of South America. Coca leaf chewing has been around for thousands of years. The drug was first isolated in the 1850’s and had medicinal use through the late 19th century. Recreational use became a problem in the early 20th century and became illegal is the United States in 1914. The chemical name for cocaine is benzoylmethyl ecgonine; it is a bitter, white, odorless crystalline drug. Cocaine has multiple methods of ingestion; it can be insufflated, taken orally or intravenously. It can be smoked to some degree, but tends to burn rather than vaporize because of the high temperature required. Freebase cocaine vaporizes at smoking temperatures and creates a more intense high whilst using less product. Street terminology consists of coke, snow, nose candy, white, blow and soft, among others. Freebase is known as crack, rock and hard...
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...disadvantages of Cannabis Legalisation in Australia. Dennis, M.L. & W White (1999) ‘The Marijuana Legalization Debate: is There a Middle Ground’. In JA Inciardi (ed), The Drug Legalization Debate. Sage Publications. Ferguson, D.M.. & L.J. Horwood (2000) ‘Does Cannabis Use Encourage Other Forms of Illicit Drug Use?’, Addiction, 95(4): 505-520. Gerber, R.J. (2004) ‘History of Demonizing Drugs’. In Legalizing Marijuana: Drug Policy Reform and Prohibition Politics, Westport, CT: Praeger, pp. 1-16. Hall, W. (1997) ‘The Recent Australian Debate About the Prohibition on Cannabis Use’, Addiction, 92(9): 1109-1115. Hall, W. (1998) ‘Cannabis Use and Psychosis’, Drug and Alcohol Review, 17: 433-444. Hall, W. & R.L. Pacula (2003) ‘Policy Alternatives’. In Cannabis Use and Dependence: Public Health and Public Policy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 183-226. Himmelstein, J.L. (1983) ‘From Killer Weed to Drop Out Drug’, Contemporary Crises, 7(1): 13-38. Sarre, R. (1990) ‘A Review of the Cannabis Expiation Notice Scheme in South Australia: Research Note’, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 299-303. MacCoun R.J. and P. Reuter Drug War 'Heresies: Learning from Other Vices, Times, & Places', Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. McGeorge, J. & C.K. Aitken (1997) ‘Effects of Cannabis Decriminalization in the Australian Capital Territory on University Students’ Patterns of Use, Journal of Drug Issues, 27(4): 785-794. Cannabis has had a long...
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