...| 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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...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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...The Basics of Legalization: Marijuana a friend or foe? Marijuana, a subject known to often raise many eyebrows and has been severely frowned upon due to mislead misunderstandings. Over the years, a misconception has been built around the subject that marijuana is an evil addicting gateway drug that has ruined the lives of many people, and that it can cause several negative effects on the human body; however, many of these individuals have failed to educate themselves on the medicinal aspect of marijuana and can potentially be making assumptions based purely on fictions opinions and rumors. The many benefits that incorporate within this plant should be considered as an amazing finding that can benefit humans all around the world. Marijuana has proven to be beneficial not only to a person’s health, but also beneficial to the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of an individual’s healthy and overall state of living. With more information being processed daily, scientists are in hopes of one day accomplishing the legalization of marijuana for those individuals that truly are in need of the comfort while battling a disease. First, let’s approach this topic with some basic information and background on what exactly is marijuana and how it can be used in a medicinal aspect. Marijuana is commonly known as cannabis, pot, ganja, weed, hemp, and often grass. According to many researchers, legend has it that a Chinese Emperor by the name of Shen Nung was the one responsible...
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...BENEFITS OF MEDICINAL MARIJUANA POST UNIVERSITY GABRIEL JAIME The current United States of America rules and regulations governing the policies on marijuana use stands as perhaps one of the most unwarranted. In a nation where more severely damaging drugs are legal, alcohol abuses being the biggest, marijuana has been illegal for the better part of 70 years. The prohibition on marijuana use is absolutely unnecessary considering that it is safer than either alcohol or cigarettes and does not have the crippling addictive properties of many pharmaceutical prescription pain medication (NORML, 2003). Marijuana has been found to have many, many medicinal purposes. Medically, some of the best uses of marijuana include but not limited to pain relief especially neuropathic pain suffered mostly by those with nerve damage, marijuana has been used as nausea control medication. Medicinal marijuana also has appetite stimulating characteristics, which are extremely beneficial to AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) patients as well as cancer patients. It has also helped many patients with psychiatric symptoms and conditions, withdrawals from other medications, anorexia and controlling inflammation (Cannabis Medicine). Compared to pharmaceutical grade opiates, which have an extremely high dependency level, marijuana is slightly addictive but with similar benefits as opiates. The classification of drug type that marijuana is classified under is held for drugs with the highest possibility...
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...Criminal Justice System Should the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes be legalized? Wouldn’t it be simple to provide a simple black or white answer to this question? Across the nation there is much debate on this very topic, one that I don’t believe can be solved so easily with a yes or no. There are so many activists that have strong opinions on this subject and go to the fullest extent to ensure they are heard. As simple and straightforward as this question is it was hard for me to determine which side of the line I stood on. After reading all of the articles and much research on the issue I find myself leaning toward allowing medicinal marijuana use. By allowing medicinal marijuana use there are going to have to be many precautions taken to ensure that such a non-traditional controversial medicine is not abuse as many people will try to take advantage of the situation. Racism played a key role in the illegalization of marijuana in the early 1900’s. Harry Anslinger, Commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, said, “Marijuana is the most violence causing drug in the history of mankind. Most marijuana smokers 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.” (4) He used this sort of propaganda to get a racist America behind his push for the criminalization of marijuana in the mid-twentieth century. Anslinger submitted...
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...Medicinal Cannabis….what’s all the hype? Medicinal Cannabis Jennifer L. Mello COM/156 Abstract I am writing this research paper not just to inform you, but to help educate you. There are many proven scientific trials and methods of medicinal cannabis. The research that I have found has truly enlightened my way of thinking. Segal, Ph.D. (2012), "The Jamestown settlers brought the marijuana plant, commonly known as hemp, to North America in 1611, and throughout the colonial period, hemp fiber was an important export. Indeed, in 1762, 'Virginia awarded bounties for hemp culture and manufacture, and imposed penalties on those who did not produce it.” (Jamestown Settlers Bring Marijuana to North America). Booth (2005). Medicinal Cannabis….what's all the hype? The therapeutic qualities are marvelous. Cannabinoids offer the following for patient’s antipastic, analgesic, antiemetic, neuroprotective, and anti-inflammatory actions. People who suffer from psychiatric diseases have found relief with their conditions ranging from depression, anxiety, bipolar, and similar mood disorders. The National Institute of Health, also known to many people as NIH. This organization states that medical marijuana helps a great deal with chemotherapy, and nausea. Letting the cancer patient consume food. They have also found that people who suffer from epileptic seizures that use medicinal cannabis helps to prevent them altogether. (Potter, 1998). Cancer patients who are going...
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...Medicalization of Marijuana The Stigma of a Miracle Drug March 25, 2014 Synopsis The following media review is based on a two part documentary which focuses on the healing qualities of medical marijuana in the treatment of Dravet’s syndrome along with a number of other illnesses. I researched the benefits of medical marijuana, specifically the medicalization of the plant and its derivatives. This includes the extraction and ingestion of cannabis oil in its pure form for the treatment of Dravet’s syndrome, a form of chronic epilepsy often found in children. This paper focuses on the history of the use of cannabis for its healing properties and provides a brief overview of the documentary which is the basis of the paper, detailing the importance of the medicalization of the cannabis plant for use in treating a number of ailments, including but not limited to the treatment of Dravet’s Syndrome and Autism in children. It was not until I watched the documentary which was recently aired on CNN entitled “Weed, Cannabis Madness” and its sequel “Weed 2” that I became interested in the healing qualities that this plant possesses and more specifically, its ability to treat children who are suffering from a condition called Dravet’s Syndrome. Dravet’s Syndrome is a form of chronic epilepsy which causes children to seize violently for upwards of 50 seizures per day. There is no cure for this disease, and for many children the drugs prescribed by their physicians such as...
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...Should Marijuana Be a Medical Option? Isaac S Gray Colorado State University Global Campus Hum101-3 Critical Reasoning Michelle Vondley Ph.D Should marijuana be a medical option? Marijuana and its medicinal benefis has been a topic of discussion for centuries, in fact Patrick and Claire (as stated in Time magazine, 2009) states “as early as 2737 B.C., the mystical Emperor Shen Neng of China was prescribing marijuana tea for the treatment of gout, rheumatism, malaria and, oddly enough, poor memory. The drug's popularity as a medicine spread throughout Asia, the Middle East and down the eastern coast of Africa, and certain Hindu sects in India used marijuana for religious purposes and stress relief. Ancient physicians prescribed marijuana for everything from pain relief to earache to childbirth. Doctors also warned against overuse of marijuana, believing that too much consumption caused impotence, blindness and "seeing devils."” (para 1). As you can see the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has been around for a very long time. Just as with any other medicines, drugs etc., just because it was used in “ancient times” or long ago doesn’t mean it is safe now, but to know the history in which it has been documented to be effective for medicinal purposes goes a long way in the debate of whether marijuana should be accepted as medicine. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration hasn't approved marijuana for any health condition, some states allow its use for certain...
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...Arguments Against: Prohibition of Marijuana 1. Medicinal Use a. STUDY- According to Congressional Research Service, “By the 1840s, marijuana’s therapeutic potential began to be recognized by some U.S. physicians. From 1850 to 1941 cannabis was included in the United States Pharmacopoeia as a recognized medicinal. By the end of 1936, however, all 48 states had enacted laws to regulate marijuana.” b. Certified physicians prescribing marijuana (specifically for the THC in it) as a form of medicine i. Many people can find benefits from its medicinal purposes 1. Improves nausea and vomiting 2. Stimulation of hunger a. Cancer and AIDS patients b. STUDY- University of California, San Francisco concluded that 30% more AIDS patients who smoke cannabis compared to those who did not felt “significantly less pain and better appetite” 3. Lower eye pressure c. Specifically Glaucoma patients 4. Generic pain reliever ii. Many countries have begun the process of legalization for medicinal use 5. 9 Countries around the world, including Spain, Germany, Italy, and Canada 6. As well as 14 states within the United States, making you wonder what exactly will happen if over half the states legalize medicinal marijuana c. VIDEO----------------------------------------------UNION MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS ------------- 2. Industrial Use ...
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...history of marijuana and medical benefits Dona Rudd COM/172 March 20, 2012 Russell Murphy The history of marijuana and medical benefits Although possessing marijuana is a federal offense pending, some states allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, generating revenue for the states. There are 16 states’ and Washington DC, in which marijuana is being, used for medicinal purposes and not break any laws. Eighteen states’ are pending Legislation to legalize medical marijuana. There are documents stating that the Chinese used marijuana for paper, the process consisted of hemp around 2000 BC. According to Guither, P. Drug Warrant (2006), “America’s first marijuana law was enacted at Jamestown Colony, Virginia in 1619. It was a law “ordering” all of the farmers to grow Indian hempseed. There were several other “must grow” laws over the next 200 years. A person could be jailed for not growing hemp during times of shortage in Virginia between 1763 and 1767, and during most of that time, hemp was legal tender a person could even pay their taxes with hemp and try that today. Hemp was such a critical crop for a number of purposes including essential war requirements and rope, excreta. That the government went out of its way to encourage growth” Guither, P. ( 2006) (para 6). The history of marijuana Marijuana has many different names, Hemp, Ma, and Marihuana are just a few of the names in which marijuana is called. Marijuana and hemp are...
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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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...sicknesses can be cured or helped by the use of Marijuana. Throughout this paper I will discuss the positive aspects of Marijuana and the negative aspects. This issue has been raising a lot of eyebrows ever since scientific evidence has been provided that links Marijuana to the cure and decrease of certain illnesses. The main reason that Marijuana has been looked down upon by so many people for so long is because many individuals abuse the drug. An obvious setback to legalizing marijuana for medicinal uses is that the number of people that abuse the drug will undoubtedly increase. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, and there is an estimated 67 million people affected by this disease in the world today (National Academy of Sciences.) Effective treatment for glaucoma involves pharmaceutical agents or surgical procedures that prevent progressive optic nerve damage. For surgery to be an effective way of therapy, a drug or surgical procedure that reduces intraocular pressure (IOP) must do so without causing more damage to the eye. Marijuana can reduce IOP when administrated orally, or by inhalation (Marijuana and Medicine.). Marijuana is a natural way to slow down the progression of glaucoma. Marijuana should be legalized in all states just for the main purpose of helping those who are infected with the serious disease of Glaucoma. Sixty percent of people who are affected by epilepsy can benefit from Marijuana. To this day it is still considered to be the...
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...Ending Prohibition of Marijuana Brian Egnor SOC 120 Introduction to Ethics and Social Responsibility Instructor. Linda Atkinson June 9, 2013 Ending Prohibition of Marijuana Marijuana should be legal for many reasons. Not only is marijuana been proven over and over through research and studies to help with many illnesses, but marijuana has never caused death by overdose like many legal drugs do year after year. I will also discuss how not only the marijuana plant can be used for medical, and recreational use, but the plant is also a relative of hemp which can be used to produce, rope, clothing, paper and many other resources . We can use nearly every part of the Cannabis Sativa, or marijuana plant. The plant grows rapidly and has been known to reach heights in excess of 20 feet. It is a plant that very few natural pests will attack or infest, and very few extremes in weather will hinder its growth. The leaves of the plant are narrow leaflets with usually in with at least 5 or more leaves. Each leaf connects to a slender stem that is attached to a thick, hollow stalk. The edge of the leaflets will resemble that of a serrated knife. The species does have male and female plants. The male plants tend to grow taller, and are topped with flowers covered in pollen. The female plant being shorter, has larger pollen catching flowers, and produces seeds and protects them with a sticky resin. The plant in turn has many uses. The stalk can be used to make fiber; the seeds can be...
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...Research Paper Legalization of Medical Marijuana Beneficial or Harmful? By Britanii Hoeche American Government POLS101: AMER GOV 3196 Mr. Shawn Moore March 1st, 2012 Introduction Medical Marijuana usage and the effects it would have on the United States if it were legalized has been talked about and been a topic for years. The main question I will be trying to uncover is whether or not medical marijuana has helped, and if it would help stimulate the economy by being legal in all states. To find these answers I will also try to find out if statistics show that this drug has produced revenue in states it is legal in already and if marijuana is beneficial for medicinal purposes only. I will also uncover the medical benefits that users receive from being prescribed this drug, and how much revenue would this drug produce if legalized. What effects does THC have on the brain and its functions? All of these are questions I wonder myself and will attempt to answer with my research provided below. As we all know a large percentage of Americans smoke the forbidden plant already so should that make it legal? Many agree that legalization of this drug would help regulate the economy with its revenue and taxation. If grown by the government the country could grow, sell and tax this plant and make billions of dollars each year in profit while allowing people with medical needs to smoke it legally. Where is it legal so far? States that have recently allowed marijuana use for medicinal...
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...in particular that is illegal but has not been proven to be harmful is marijuana. In 1970, marijuana was officially illegalized when the Substance Abuse Act was passed. It wasn’t until 1996 that California was first state to take action and to legalize marijuana for medical use (“Medical Marijuana States”). In 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first states to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Since then, Oregon, Alaska, and the District of Columbia have joined the group with numerous other states on the verge of recreational legalization. Currently, 23 states have marijuana legal in either recreational use, medical use, or both (“State Marijuana Laws Map”). So where should we stand on this marijuana dilemma? Are there benefits to legalization? Is the drug actually harmful or does it have medical benefits? Marijuana is a non-harmful substance, with numerous benefits available and should be legalized on a national level. Whether or not marijuana has any true medicinal value has been debated vigorously for decades now. In recent years the FDA has approved some medicinal use of marijuana in patients. However, the FDA hasn’t approved a full-blown go ahead for marijuana, due to lack of research on the potential risks. These risks include: altered senses, impaired memory, impaired body movement, all of which being temporary. Marijuana is generally accepted in the medical field to have medicinal...
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