...Rafael Edward Cruz was born December 22, 1970. Cruz was elected to the U.S senate in 2012 and was the first Hispanic American to serve as a U.S senator representing Texas. Ted Cruz is a Republican candidate who strongly supports keeping god in public schools, stricter punishment that reduces crime, and never legalizing marijuana. As well Cruz opposes abortion being a woman’s right, same sex marriage and LGBT rights, pathway to citizenship for illegal aliens, and staying out of Iran. Ted Cruz has worked to strengthen border security and help ensure that America remains a nation of laws. Among other efforts, he has worked on efforts to increase penalties for felons who enter the country illegally. Ted Cruz’s views on abortion include that...
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...Should gun laws in Texas be stricter or more flexible? I believe gun laws should be stricter in order to prevent accidents and/or murders. For example, cops should face harder training when using weapons to avoid cases in which cops kill innocent people. Another benefit from stricter gun rights is it will decrease the violence and hopefully school shooting incidents by individuals. A psychological test and gun safety test should be required that make individuals have to take classes in order to obtain a firearm. Negatives of strict Gun control is that it goes against the constitution according to the second amendment and gun massacres regularly occur with the use of legal weapons, so easily obtaining firearms makes it easier for people to commit crimes. Positives...
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...Mark Holder 3/04/2015 Texas History 2306 Legalizing The Use of Marijuana in Texas To Be or Not To Be There is always a big debate over the legalization of recreational use of the commonly known all natural drug marijuana. In my opinion the debate stems from the stigma that has always been associated with marijuana use. That stigma, unto which was onset in the early 1960’s from the “ Hippy” generation has carried over into modern day, thus making the use of weed, marijuana, gongja. Reefer, or chronic as a substance that is destined to lead you to destruction. It would be easy for me to reference a lot of different resources when addressing this subject, but since I have so much hands on experience in the use of cannabis, I will start with myself and my history of the use of marijuana and why I feel like it should be legalized. My use of marijuana started at the age of 12. It was at a point in my life as to choose which side of peer pressure that I would submit to. I initially tried cigarettes, as a matter of fact a variety of brands, none to which I can actually say suited my taste. My first experience with marijuana took me to a place of calmness. My biggest fear of my first smoke was “What are the side effects?”. Needless to say my side effects were tolerable very to me, and damaging to any ones kitchen that I was in, because I was extremely hungry and very inquisitive, during mediocre conversations. This is a brief summary of my personal...
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...Running Head:Legalizing Marijuana Bradford 1 Legalizing Marijuana Ira Bradford Soc120: Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility Marnie Carroll July 11, 2012 RunningHead: Legalizing Marijuana Bradford 2 Legalizing Marijuana I really don’t see nothing wrong with marijuana. They are some pros and cons on legalizing marijuana in this world. I will get to that later on this paper. I feel like for you to talk about this type of situation you have to go through it. I first smoke marijuana when I was twenty-six or twenty-seven. But I started drinking when I was fifteen or sixteen. I tried smoking cigarettes but my body didn’t agree with that. I even tried cocaine two or three times in my life time. I definitely didn’t like that. I even tried ectasy for a while until I find out what it do to the brain cells. Out of all these drugs ectasy is the most deadliest drug that kill the most brain cell. They put all kinds of stuff in that pill, which is very scary. Out of all those that I tried, the only thing that I agree with is marijuana. Yes, I did started drinking before I did any of these things. But who didn’t, alcohol is the gateway drug. I don’t even like taking pills for headaches or colds, when my body aches. The only pills I take is for my high blood pressure. When I smoke I feel so relax and for some reason I can feel everybody vibe. It sounds weird but I do. It lets me know on what I need to do and things...
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...Legalizing marijuana means Billions of Tax Dollars and Federal Savings On average, Americans spends about US$5 billions on marijuana every year or equivalent to 1% of the GDP, it is almost the same amount that alcohol contributes to the country’s GDP (Daryal). The only problem is that the marijuana revenue mostly goes into the pocket of drug syndicates and mafias because they comprise the largest portion of distribution in marijuana market. On the other hand, the federal government admits that the war on drugs is very expensive and the cost is untimely due to the current budget-crunch and federal deficits. In average each U.S. state spends about US$1 billion just to enforce marijuana laws. The top spenders in marijuana law enforcement are New York with US$3 billion, Texas with US$2 billion and the rest of the states spends between US$45 million to US$1 billion annually. Asa Hutchinson, the former DEA director mentioned in a CNBC interview that the cost to fight marijuana is worth it and the people should not mind the cost, but instead look into the benefits it would bring to the country. However, it is quite difficult to see what the benefits really are, law enforcement says that criminalizing marijuana will reduce the number of accidents involving people under the influence of marijuana, reduce incidents of violence caused by intoxication of the drug, reduce the number of drug dependents and prevent the health risk that accompanies the use of marijuana. But these arguments...
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...Hunter Scott JD Simpson ENG 1201-928 04 May 2018 Should Marijuana Be Legalized in All States for All Uses? When people hear the words “weed” or “marijuana,” they often think and say that it is bad or no good because of the events that occur when people use it. They also are aware that the drug is illegal across most of the United States of America. What most people do not understand is the positives that making marijuana legal across the nation entails. An abundance of controversial topics exist throughout today’s society, and the debate of whether or not marijuana should be legalized for all uses in all states is just one of many of them. Today, nine states and Washington D.C. have the drug legalized for all uses. However, other states only...
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...Jill Porter April 26, 2014 Marijuana: Should it be legalized? There is an epidemic debate of deciding if legalizing marijuana in states will benefit not only the users but the community also. Marijuana has been illegal in the United States and now slowly the states are permitting medical marijuana for purposes. There still are many that oppose this legalization and hate the thought of making this drug legal. Some feel that if marijuana is made legal it can also lead to other gate-way drugs also being legalized. While others feel that it can help others medicate themselves and also bring up the economy. Despite which side one might choose marijuana is still considered a drug that is mind altering and many want to avoid this legalization and want nothing to do with while others are all for it. Marijuana is a seed based hemp that is usually smoked but can be used in the form of oil or hash. THC is what causes the brain to alter in what is usually called a high. The National Institute of Drug Abuse states that, “Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, which contains the psychoactive (mind-altering) chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as well as other related compounds” (Marijuana, 2014). It seems that marijuana is used a lot by individuals in the United States for medical and recreational purposes. With today’s youth being interested in marijuana it is very important to study its long-term effects...
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...Medical Marijuana Laws and their Effects Keith Reese COM/156 7/23/2014 Jennifer Preus Medical Marijuana Laws and their Effects In 1936, George Herliman produced the propaganda film “Tell Your Children”, later titled “Reefer Madness”(“IMBD”, 1990-2014). This film, financed by a church group to display the exaggerated consequences of marijuana usage, was intended to inspire fear in parents and children alike. Though marijuana legalization has become a front burner topic, one would assume that our technological advances would invoke more rational responses from the general public seeking facts to support claims. However, the same type of fear induced media messages are employed today by anti-marijuana groups and politicians to sway public opinion. Contrary to the seemingly credible publications throughout the media, the legalization of marijuana, medical or recreational, does not increase crime. As the debate regarding the legalization of marijuana, both medicinal and recreational, has heated up, several groups have been formed to speak out about the perceived consequences. Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy has co-founded the anti-marijuana group, Project SAM, with Kevin Sabet who also is the director of the organization. After the Justice Department allowed Colorado and Washington to move forward with their respective marijuana legislation, Kennedy claimed, “we can look forward to more drugged driving accidents,...
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...have now legalized medical marijuana, and 3 States have legalized not only medical marijuana but also recreational marijuana. According to USA Today as of September 2013 7.3% of Americans 12 years or older have tried marijuana. In 2012, a survey done by the New York Times reported that 18.9 million people were regular users of marijuana regardless if it was legal in their state or not. The battle across America has begun on marijuana legalization. Should it be legal for more than medical use or should it not? Everyone has a different opinion on the matter. Based on information and statistics from the 3 U.S. states that have legalized marijuana for recreational and medical use the answer is yes it should, based on the benefits each state can receive by legalizing the drug. According to the government information sites of these three states, the medical benefits are reaching unknown highs; crime rates are down, and the tax revenue alone can help rebuild the economy. One of the number one concerns of a human being is the health of their family and themselves. With over 20 states now legalizing medical marijuana, researchers have begun researching in earnest the medical possibilities contained within marijuana. It has been widely known for many years now that cancer patients can receive an enormous decline in the side effects of chemo and radiation from smoking marijuana. Now, as researchers have begun to find out there are many new things that marijuana may be able to help possibly...
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...4: Annotated Bibliography Allix Betsinger Kaplan University THESIS STATEMENT: Problems within the economy in the United States could be restored with the help of legalizing marijuana. Taking in marijuana for industrial, medical, and personal use would reassure the growth and stability of the economy as a whole. Rojas, A. (2011). Marijuana uses, effects and the law. Hauppauge, N.Y.: Nova Science. This would be a great book to use for my final project in unit nine because it talks about the effects of marijuana mentally and physically. As it talks about how marijuana affects us mentally and physically I could discuss how it could help many people. It also discusses the laws that are in place now with in our nation. Knowing what laws are in place now would be great to know what needs to me changed to make our great nation even better. Lastly it talks about marijuana being used for medical and recreational use which would be great for my final project. WYATT, K. (2015, February 4). Colorado May Have To Refund As Much As $30 Million In Pot Taxes. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/04/colorado-pot-taxes-back-to-residents_n_6612292.html This is a great news article I found. It discusses how Colorado has made a lot of tax revenue just off of marijuana. With that being said because it is not legal federally they can’t use it for schools and other great things. Instead they have to give it back to the people. It discusses how every adult...
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...Should Marijuana Be Legalized? “Herb is the healing of the nation, alcohol is the destruction.” –Bob Marley. Bob Marley believed that marijuana should be legalized for anyone and everyone to use how they want to. The legalization of marijuana would be beneficial to the government, and to the many people that suffer from several medical conditions such as nausea and chronic pain. Many others also agree that the legalization of marijuana would significantly benefit America. The legalization of marijuana for medical use would help out thousands of people with their physical and mental disabilities. First of all, “marijuana helps prevent nausea and vomiting. Two FDA-approved cannabis-based drugs helped to reduce chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. When taken orally, the drugs “worked as well as or better than some of the weaker FDA-approved drugs to relieve nausea and vomiting.” (5 Common Uses of Medical Cannabis) Also, medical marijuana helped patients with their loss of appetite. Cannabis stimulated appetite in cancer and AIDS patients in many studies. Animal studies have proven that inhaling cannabinoids increased food consumption. Furthermore, cannabis relieves muscle tension and spasms. Liquid extract used by MS experienced a decrease in muscle spasms and shacking. Studies on MS patients had a decrease in tremors and muscle stiffness when they had an intake of THC. Additionally, marijuana helped relieve pain. A Canadian team has found...
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...The arguments for and against the legalization of marijuana in the United States has been going on for many years. The valid points for both arguments are plentiful and each party feels strongly about their position on the matter. Marijuana should be legalized because the money the state and federal governments would make, and save, would ease or possibly eliminate any deficit they have. The average state and federal tax on cigarettes add up to $2.47(Boonn, 2011). The average tax is almost as much as a single pack of cigarettes before taxes. Conversely, smoking a single marijuana cigarette is the equivalent of smoking 7 – 10 cigarettes at one time (Miller, 1999). If marijuana is legalized a high price tag should be placed on the product as well as steep taxes. This would deter many people from actually trying if the price is so high. Some say if cannabis is legalized they will just grow their own. For cases like this permits as well as taxes will have to be in place for them as well. Overall the taxation of legal marijuana could potentially be a saving grace. A study at International Center for Prison Studies at King's College London found that “The United States has less than 5 percent of the world's population, but it has almost a quarter of the world's prisoners” (Liptak, 2008). The legalization of marijuana would reduce the number of drug related arrests, court and prison costs. In 2005, 19.1 percent of state sentenced prisoners were drug offenders and in 2007, a staggering...
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...Marijuana: Should not be legalized As a member of a modern society I have seen that people want to legalize marijuana in order to make it a taxable product and therefore help the economy. Although it can be a good idea to boost up the economy the use of marijuana will be abused and more incidents will occur in our society. There is no sense in having more violent crimes occurring in society. The activists that are in favor of the legalization only see it in the way that will benefit them. They do not see the negative effects that can occur if the plant legalize and is be produced, distribute, and better yet consumed. Although the campaigners who want to legalize marijuana have reasonable arguments (the plant sales contributing to the economy), the legalization of the substance can cause various types of problems within society and therefore the legalization of the substance should never be an option. The first law dealing with the usage of marijuana dates back 1619 a law led the usage of such plant be gifted to the farmers by making good usage of it by making it into hemp in Virginia. During the 1840s that’s doctors first acquired knowledge regarding medical benefits that marijuana has and it was legal to be sold in accredited pharmacies. Then the prohibition was enacted because the United States was afraid that criminal events would happen due to the sneaking of Mexican immigrants. Mexicans were accused of addiction to the plant because it made them become insane and violent...
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...Position Paper: Legalizes Marijuana Paul Frenzel DeVry University Professor Spruell 27 Nov 2012 It has been said over many years of debates, that a person truth is their perception as they interpreted it. I would have trouble believing that a better statement could be found for the issue of legalizing Marijuana. With modern medical science not only dispelling some the myths but finding new positive uses for the natural occurring plant. However with the new positive information coming to light we should also focus on some of the possible dangers, such as abuse. A popular analogy is made to the legalization of gambling in the late 1970’s. There are many that argue that Marijuana should be legalized and that is not the monster drug is made out to be. Has modern science debunked the myths, what are the current costs for enforcement, and what are the possible cultural affects? First Myths of the age old plant are varied but some of the more popular ones are that the use of Marijuana is a gateway drug, or leads to other drug use. Most research that compares the number of cannabis users to hard core drug users such as heroin or cocaine, has numbers that extremely small, that would suggest that there is no link at all (JFreter, 2009) . Another popular argument was that the use of smoking marijuana would lead to crime. Most serious research has suggested otherwise, mostly due to the fact that one of the effects of smoking cannabis is reduce aggression. In fact, in most countries...
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...Marijuana, Good or Bad for the Economy. You decide. When some people think of marijuana, they think of the hippie guy and girl with the tight bellbottom jeans, the scarf tied around their forehead, the purple round sunglasses and holding up a piece sign while driving the VW van with the Grateful Dead stickers on the windows. Some think of marijuana as a relief to the pain and discomfort they are experiencing, others just like the effect of slowing down the animosity of life and relaxing. However, if we look at the big picture we can see that marijuana being legal could help the economy, be medically beneficial, is safer than alcohol, and it would help all walks of life in one way or another. The legalization of marijuana could be very economically beneficial according to a study done by an economics professor at Harvard University named Jeffery Miron. Professor Miron says the government would save about $7.7 billion a year by the policing and prosecution being cut if marijuana was legalized in the U.S. The study also states that if the taxing of tobacco and alcohol was similarly used on marijuana, another $6.2 billion would be attained. In 2008 another study was done. In Texas $46.1 million was spent by state prisons only supervising marijuana prosecuted inmates. In California marijuana enforcement was estimated to be over $146 million. Some prisons now are facing overcrowding. Think of the amount of money that would be saved and some of the space...
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