...topic in politics for the better part of the last decade has been the debate over the legalization of marijuana. Now of course, each side of the debate has its merits. Yet, the fact is that marijuana has been used by normal, everyday people since 6,000 BC and possesses many upsides. Marijuana, before being deemed illegal by governments around the world, was once used as a major trading currency. Marijuana does more good than harm and I am up to the task of proving that to anyone reading this essay. Marijuana should be legal nationwide and worldwide and I believe one day it will be just that, legal. Hopefully this day comes soon. Now marijuana isn’t some new occurrence in the lives of people all around the world. As I stated...
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...1. Relief of Spasticity 1 2.2. Treatment of movement disorders 1 2.3. Medical Marijuana as Pain Killer 1 3. Economic Benefits 1 3.1. Increased Tax Revenues 2 3.2. Fiscal Equalization with Alcohol and Tobacco 2 3.3. Reduction of Public Expenditures 2 4. Conclusion 2 5. Reference List 3 Affidavit 1.Introduction Prohibition of Marijuana is an ongoing debate and is one that will need to be dealt with in a serious manner in the coming years, in Europe as well as in the United States of America where Colorado and Washington legalized Marijuana this year. But other states merely legalized it for medical purpose only. In Europe however the possession and consumption of Marijuana is still illegal despite of one exception, the Netherlands where the possession of small quantities is allowed. In our society, most people regard Marijuana as a starter drug or even a drug on the same level with hard drugs. Unfortunately, what people do not see are the medical, economical and social benefits related to the legalization of Marijuana. This paper examines these three mentioned areas and shows what potential an abolishment of the marijuana prohibition has. 2. Medical benefits The benefits of a legalization of Marijuana regarding the use for medical purposes • There are several anecdotal reports suggested that marijuana can relieve the spasticity related with multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injury and also animal...
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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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...Marijuana Legalization: The War on Drugs and Criminal Law Howard R. Burke Strayer University Abstract This research will point out that the United States’ current policy on drug prohibition, the so called “War on Drugs,” is ineffective. The current draconian prohibition policies against drug consumption may actually increase their use. As well, contrary to claims made by current drug policy supporters, increased drug enforcement can reduce public safety and compound the individual and social costs of drug use. The U.S. drug policy, born over a hundred years ago, has gone through several transformations becoming more voracious with each new invocation. The War on Drugs is an expensive and failed concept which has incorporated racism in its administration, increased crime rates, imposed harsh sentences for nonviolent offenses, facilitated police corruption and aggressively eroded civil liberties. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION Introduction to the Problem Background of the Study Statement of the Problem Purpose of the Research Research Questions Significance of the Research Assumptions and Limitations Organization of the Remainder of the Study LITERATURE REVIEW CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Marijuana Legalization: The War on Drugs and Criminal Law INTRODUCTION The United States has conducted a long experiment of drug prohibition. The prohibition of marijuana and other illicit drugs has only...
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...Note to Professor: A lot of my citations say “Prohibition, 2002” and appear to come from the same source over and over again. This is incorrect; this source uses over 50 other sources, the majority of which I was not able to visit. So, I simply put down that they came from the NORML website. The endnotes are on that website if you would like to look. Meghan Wyandt Marijuana: Decriminalization for Medical Use Outline 1. Introduction a. "Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marijuana in private for personal use." -President Jimmy Carter: Message to Congress, August 2, 1977 i. Marijuana has been illegal in the United States since 1937. 2. Paragraph one: Present the Problem b. What is the problem? ii. Legal prescription drugs do not always offer relief to patients dealing with serious illnesses. Natural Cannabis has been proven in many clinical studies to offer relief from nausea, tremors, and chronic pain in sufferers. However, the Federal government completely prohibits the use of marijuana in the United States, for sale or for personal use, including medicinal relief. c. What caused it? iii. The criminalization of marijuana came about after its recognition as an intoxicant in the 1920s and 1930s. During this time, exaggerated accounts of violent crimes allegedly committed...
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...How Marijuana Legalization Would Effect the Economy Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................... Page 3 Economic Growth …..................................................................................... Page 3 Policing Efforts …......................................................................................... Page 4 Illegal Immigrants …..................................................................................... Page 6 Tax Revenue …............................................................................................. Page 6 Conclusion …................................................................................................ Page 7 Bibliography …............................................................................................. Page 9 Introduction Marijuana is known to be the most used illegal drug in the world, with 17.4 million past-month users in 2010 (National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2010). The topic of legalizing marijuana is one for the masses, because almost everyone has an opinion on it, or at least something to say about it. The debate about whether to legalize marijuana has been going on for quite some time, but in the last could years, people have been beginning to understand the effects it could have on our economy in a positive way. The debate that many people bring to the table is one more related to the criminal...
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...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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...Persuasion speech Marijuana is a mixture of dried and shredded leaves, stems and seeds and flowers of the cannabis sativa plant. This drug can either be brown, gray, green or purple. It has multiple names; cannabis, grass, marijuana and weed are only a few of them. Marijuana can be used in multiple ways. It can be smoked through a water pipe, “joint”, smoking paper used to roll it into, or as a “blunt,” which is a hollowed out cigar filled with the drug. It can also be made into edible items such as brownies or cookies. It was originally brought to the “New World” in 1545, but was introduced and used as a cash crop in Jamestown in 1611. The drug never really caught on and had been used until the 1920’s. Many people believe that the prohibition was the cause of the cannabis use. It was mostly used by people in show business and was not considered a social threat, but yet a treat (Narconon). Marijuana was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia until 1942. The United States Federal Bureau of Narcotics conducted a campaign in the 1930’s to show that weed is dangerous to society and is very addictive. In 1937 the Marihuana Tax Act made Cannabis federally illegal in the United States. The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified marijuana along with heroin and LSD as a Schedule I drug (Narconon). Should this product really be illegal? People look at it as being such a negative drug, but have they ever really looked at the positive views of marijuana, its effects, how it compares...
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...Legalize Marijuana The issue of marijuana is a very conservative and taboo subject in American Politics today. According to the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, the act that effectively made marijuana illegal, was based on the notion that "marijuana caused violent crime and sexual excess." These theories have since been discredited. If marijuana was legal, crime would decrease because street dealers would be replaced by the government which can provide lower prices, and the government would benefit from the added tax revenue. The government could also control the purity and potency of drugs. The reason that it is such a taboo subject is because many people are uneducated or misled under government education, and feel that marijuana users are a danger to society. However, marijuana use is a victimless crime only affecting the user and their body. It is evident that these laws eliminate personal responsibility and free choice, leading to government infringement on individual rights. This was on drugs is not only affecting our civil liberty, it is also wasting our tax money at a rate of 18 billion dollars a year, and there are more than 300,000 people each year arrested on marijuana charges filling up our prisons and over-crowding our courts. The legalization of marijuana would also bring utility to people because it would generate much needed revenue, and it would only affect the people who choose to use it. Marijuana should be legalized because it would promote human rights...
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...hope to show that drug prohibition policies in the United States, for the most part, have failed. Additionally, I will highlight and evaluate the influences acting on individual legislators' decisions to continue support for these ineffective policies as a more general demonstration of Congress' role in the formation of our nation's drug policy strategy. Finally, I will conclude this analysis by outlining the changes I feel necessary for future progress to be made. Primary among these changes are a general promotion of drug education and the elimination of our current system's many de-legitimating hypocrisies. However, before the specific outcomes of Congressional influence and policy impact can be evaluated it becomes important to first review the general history and current situation of drugs today. Our present drug laws were first enacted at the beginning of the century. At the time, recreational use of narcotics was not a major social issue. The first regulatory legislation was for the purpose of standardizing the manufacturing and purity of pharmaceutical products. Shortly after, the first criminal laws were enacted which addressed opium products and cocaine. Although some states had prohibited the recreational use of marijuana, there was no federal criminal legislation until 1937. By contrast, the use of alcohol and its legality was a major social issue in United States in the early 20th century. This temperance movement culminated in the prohibition of alcohol from 1920...
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...trafficking should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. But when we look at recreational users and addicts, we should deal with them differently and not treat them the same as drug traffickers. The reason for this is because drugs addicts will still be able to find drugs in prison and when they are out, they are going to be a lot worse off than they were when they first got in. Chemical drugs to me and to many others is a completely different story when compared to marijuana, and because of the extensive number of laws and different illegal drugs out there, for the sake of time in my report we will be focusing on the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana in Canada. We will see the many political, legal, economic and social issues revolving around legalizing marijuana in Canada along with the beneficial and harmful impacts of legalizing illegal narcotics in other countries. Furthermore I will be breaking down the supply and demand sides of the issue and their impact on the drug trade and politics along with comparing and contrasting the meaning of decriminalization vs legalization of...
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...Tutor Course: Date: Why Marijuana should be legalized Introduction Various governments have made numerous drugs illegal while others remain legal. Such drugs include cocaine, heroin, methane, marijuana, alcohol, bath salts or synthetic cathinone, hallucinogens, methamphetamine and many others. However, some are legal to use; the use of others are limited while others are illegal. For instance, alcohol is legal in most countries while its use is limited in others in terms of time one can use them and in terms of amounts that one can consume. Nonetheless, most of these drugs are illegal including cocaine, heroin, marijuana and many others. However, even though some drugs are termed as harmful, they should receive some considerations to legalize them due to numerous reasons. Particularly, marijuana should be legalized. Marijuana refers to the dried flowers, leaves, seeds and stems from the hemp plant. Scientifically referred to as Cannabis sativa, that contains the mind-altering (psychoactive) chemical, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), alongside other associated compounds. Commonly, it is utilized for its physiological and psychoactive effects that can elevate euphoria or mood, appetite, and relaxation. Discussion Over the past few decades, they have been serious discussion on whether to legalize marijuana or not. Many know the reasons as to why marijuana should not be legalized. Some of the reasons put forward for not legalizing marijuana are that it harmful to one's...
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...Anthony Peebles HIST 1302 Jared Ingram Never Ending War The United States has been involved in several wars and have declared itself the winner in most. There has been civil wars and world wars that have taken troops around the globe to defend democracy and freedom. America has stood up for those whose human and civil rights were threatened, we have supplied small armies with the funds, equipment, and intelligence needed to defeat the enemy. America has a great track record at defeating its enemy and making sure they don’t show their heads anymore, but since being declared an enemy publicly in 1971 this enemy continues to deliver major blows to America and its citizens. This enemy is not a nation of communist, an insane dictator, or a group of extremist, this enemy is drugs. The war on drugs has been the biggest and longest war in my lifetime. Although Richard Nixon is known for launching what we consider the modern day war on drugs, this war was started several years prior to Nixon becoming President of the United States. Some local laws against drugs where established as early as 1860. The first national law was the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914. This act was to provide registration to all that dealt in the services of opium and coca leaves. Coca leaves once extracted provides the bases for cocaine. In this time cocaine was not illegal and was often prescribed by doctors to patients for ailments such as common headaches or colds. Unknowingly those patients became addicted...
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...the plant. It is important that one knows the reasoning behind the illegalization of cannabis. According to Pete Guither, Cannabis was made illegal in the 1930's due to anti-Mexican feelings, personal greed, yellow journalism, and corrupt politics. Today, in the new millennium, the Anti-Cannabis movement is mostly caused by propaganda left over from the early to late 1930's. Our countries leaders simply don't know better. They have effectively been brainwashed by the very organization they are a part of. The history of the prohibition of cannabis undoubtedly shows this. To understand why Cannabis should be legalized, one must understand why it was made illegal In the first place. We call the beginning of the 20th century ‘the gilded age’ because of the sense of false economic security. Sure, the numbers looked good on paper, but morality was at an all time low at the time. In the inside, corporations were cheaper then a $2 carnival game. Henry J Anslinger was not an uncommon person for the 1930's. He was racist, hated Mexicans, and wanted to use the government for his own benefit. He was a pro-Nazi, and had skills in rhetoric, propaganda, and yellow journalism. Anslinger had ties with two large influences in Cannabis prohibition: William Randolph Hearst, and Lammont DuPont. These two men were the owners of the two largest super-companies in the 30’s. William Randolph Hearst was the owner of Hearst Newspaper Company. He had privately invested large sums of money...
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...Legalization of Marijuana Jimmy Martin, II Saint Leo University Author Note This paper was prepared for Drugs, Society, and Human Behavior CRM 328, taught by Dr. Pappas. Abstract With exception to the debate surrounding the Affordable Health Care Act and the attacks on the United States Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, public policy regarding legalization of recreational and medical marijuana has reached a boiling point in most state legislatures. However, possession and use of marijuana is still viewed by many as comparable to consuming an alcoholic beverage. Regardless, it (marijuana) is still classified as a Schedule I Controlled Substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Introduction After prohibition of alcohol was rescinded by the Twenty First Amendment, years later the focus from the United States government shifted to prohibition of drugs. But there have always been varying ulterior motives. According to Baylor University Professor of Sociology, Dr. Diana Kendall, the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 was passed solely to criminalize marijuana by taxing it; this would dissuade migrant Mexican workers who smoked marijuana to seek employment elsewhere and not take jobs from U.S. citizens as the country struggled during the Great Depression (Kendall, 2010). Last year, voters in Colorado and Washington State approved legislation that supported the commercial growth, sale, possession and use of recreational marijuana. In response, United...
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