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Proposal for legalizing marijuana
Benefits to legalizing marijuana
Benefits to legalizing marijuana
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There have been 20 million arrests since 1965 for the possession of marijuana, also known as cannabis. The amount of crime and arrests for possessions of the illicit drug has increased due to the prohibition. Cannabis was a major cash crop for the industrial production prior to its illegalization. It has been estimated that the United States spends approximately $7.7 billion each year to prohibit the use of marijuana alone. Currently the number of people incarcerated is six to ten times higher than European countries (NORML). Today the United States wastes billions of dollars to fight against the war on drugs, for the imprisonment of hundreds of thousands of people, and etc. It’s also brought a raise of violence and crime relating to the dealing and production of the drug. Marijuana should be legalized because its ban has been futile in preventing illicit production, regulating it would allow new development in medical treatments, and would give a boost to the economy. The illegalization of the drug has a much more negative impact then it does well, in fact it’s pushed drug cartels to produce more of the drug because of the high demand and the millions of dollars they’ll make from profits.
Prohibition has been futile in preventing illegal production and has increased the number of violent crimes regarding the production of marijuana in the black market. Illegality has increased illicit production:
“Despite continuing increases in the amount of cannabis produced domestically, much of the marijuana available within the United States is foreign-produced…Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) have relocated many of their outdoor cannabis cultivation operations in Mexico from tradi...
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...their lead, “There's so much interest in what Uruguay is doing, because there's so much awareness that our current approach isn't working. If Uruguay does this well, which I'm confident it will, there will be other countries that follow suit soon” (Hetzer). With the legalization of marijuana and cannabis United States would be able to receive several benefits. But in order for that to happen there needs to be a large organization in which people “take action for marijuana law reform”. “NORML is the world’s oldest, largest and most respected cannabis law reform organization that is principally known for championing the legalization of cannabis in America from nine percent public support in 1970 to fifty percent today” (NORML). We need the time and help from thousands of assiduous individuals to legalize cannabis and make a positive change for the United States.
In the 2015 article “What will Federal Marijuana Reform Look Like?”, Alex Kreit states how the current stance towards marijuana has changed. For this reason, a need for a new policy is necessary, as the present strategy of implementing laws on federal marijuana prohibition is no longer sustainable. This shift of mindset towards legalization of marijuana leads Kreit to say that legalization is inevitable. As an illustration, in 1996, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Congress opposed California’s approval of medical marijuana. In contrast, the year 2013 was when the Department of Justice announced new guidance to deprioritize enforcement of marijuana laws. Because of this shift, Kreit propose that efforts should go to crafting marijuana
People are always quick to judge the idea of marijuana legalization. Most of the reasons stem from various media sources that promote negative views of the plant. Commercials always try and show that marijuana makes people become lazy and unproductive, but these commercials are completely biased. Marijuana can play a key role in our society and it is a safe natural alternative to modern pharmaceuticals. Marijuana is also related to hemp which is a very versatile material that can be produced cheaply but is outlawed due to its relation with marijuana.
The history of marijuana in North America is integral in understanding the reasons it is now illegal and how to...
“Prohibition does not work. Education and treatment are better ways to address the drug problem” (Marijuana, 1999). Prohibition has failed to ...
Marijuana is a drug that can be consumed by either smoking or eating; this drug is typically used for medicinal or recreational use, however, in the United States it is the most popular illegal drug used on a daily basis by many users. Under federal law marijuana is classified as a schedule one controlled substance, also in this category includes heroin, LSD, and PCP. Marijuana has many street names such as Pot, herb, weed, Mary Jane, grass, and reefer just to name a few. Marijuana is considered a gateway drug and may lead to potential use of other hardcore illicit drugs. American’s spend roughly 100 billion dollars worth of marijuana a year, which is about thirty-two million pounds of weed, annually. Regardless if marijuana is legal or illegal people are going to continue using it. Legalizing marijuana brings much controversy; there isn’t much research available on marijuana to prove whether it would be beneficial to legalize. However, the government makes it very difficult for researchers to investigate the affects marijuana would have on our society, because it is prohibited. If American’s were educated on the use of weed, they would understand it isn’t any more dangerous than consuming alcohol. Marijuana prohibition creates an illegal economy, allows easy access to youth, and is costly to tax payers.
There are so many benefits of legalizing marijuana, far outweighing the negative aspects. Physical, psychological, spiritual, economical, and medical benefits are all being denied because marijuana, as it stands, is an illegal narcotic. George Washington once said, “Make the most of the hemp seed. Sow it everywhere.”(Rosenthal, 1996,p.95) Would you consider the first president of the United States a criminal? In this country there are people who drink responsibly, people, I think, should be able to use marijuana responsibly as well. Though marijuana has been illegal for over thirty years, there is are roughly 65 million Americans, one third of the population, who use or have used the drug. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was quoted in 1963, “One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.”
For years the cry out for the legalization of marijuana has been a hot issue for many Americans particularly in the last several years with activist petitioning for the legalization in the many ballots throughout the United States. Now, even more so with Colorado and Washington decriminalizing marijuana for medical and recreational use even though in doing so it violates federal law which regulates drugs through the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 (Americans For Safe Access). These activists claim that with the legalization marijuana the United States can place a tax on marijuana, use marijuana for medical purposes, use marijuana as a resource, and that the crime rates can possibly go down. On the other hand, many Americans, oppose the legalization of marijuana for a number of reasons because it is morally wrong and it goes against core family values, that marijuana is a gateway drug, the crime rate will not decrease but in fact rise, and that the legalization of marijuana goes against federal drug law therefore should not be legalize.
Marijuana legalization is a topic that is much talked about in recent debates. As the states of Colarado and Washington have fully legalized it, the fight for marijuna legalization has grown in popularity across the country. Supporters of Marijuana legalization basically support the use of marijuana for recreational purposes without facing any legal consequences. In the states of Colorado and Washington dispenseries have opened up selling marijuana to anyone above the age of 21 in a free and peaceful manner. Legalizing marijuana has its advantages and disadvangages. Legalzing Marijuana can turn the substance into a great source of income for states, but it can also cause many people to become addicted to it. These pros and cons are few of the
For a couple of years now Americans' have questioned the authorization of cannabis, otherwise called pot. Recreational cannabis is legitimate in four states: Oregon, Colorado, Alaska, and Washington state. Last November, five states voted to authorize recreational cannabis: California, Massachusetts, Maine, Arizona, and Nevada. We've heard all the exploration and the greater part of grown-ups will confess to having attempted cannabis in any event once in their life. In reality as we know it where substances like liquor and tobacco stay lawful, it's quite recently irrational that cannabis remains illicit. Both the Republican and Democrat parties have perceived the estimation of cannabis, at any rate therapeutically, however there is greater picture. Sanctioning cannabis could be the answer for America's social, financial, and even some remote issues.
Though there are many pros and cons that come with marijuana, I feel there could be more pros than cons. Marijuana can help in many ways such as medical use, recreational purposes, and help the American Economy. There are very perceived cons to smoking marijuana; however, states such as Washington and Colorado have legalized marijuana, and have had much success. There more pros than cons when talking about this argument. Many may say there are more cons than anything. Cons such as gateway to other drugs, health problems, and harshness to the brain. Nevertheless with proper evidence these cons can be easily put to rest.
The legalization of marijuana has been a topic often debated in the United States especially in more recent times. There are pros and cons with the use of marijuana, however the disadvantages are much less significant than the benefits of legalizing the so called drug. Marijuana is useful medicinally and has other positive attributes and therefore should be legalized.
he drug marijuana is a drug used worldwide. People have been debating for years to see if marijuana should be legal. There are disadvantages and advantages of the drug marijuana.
Marijuana was placed into a category known as a schedule one narcotic meaning it had little if any medical benefits and would very likely be abused. This is also the point when marijuana became known by many as a gateway drug opening pandora's box exposing the user to a higher risk of using far harder illicit drugs in the future. WHat would follow is in my opinion the single largest domestic expenditure with no real “fruit” produced in 40+ years, the war on drugs. I am a law enforcement officer and even I believe the war on drugs to be a phenomenal failure that has wasted over one trillion of dollars fighting a battle that cannot be won simply because it is a battle against human nature, the desire to feel good, even if only temporary and no matter how artificial (Branson, 2012). Marijuana has continued to be a major factor in the amount of people in the US incarcerated, at the time of this essay totaling 154,456 so far this year or one person arrested for a marijuana related offense every 30 seconds in the US. (Drug War Clock,
There are excessive numbers of people who remain incarcerated for nonviolent crimes related to illegal marijuana use. Legalizing marijuana would allow these people to be released, opening jail space for the true criminals. Legalizing marijuana would free up law enforcement officers from focusing on illegal marijuana use and allow focus to be put on more serious crimes.
“Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marijuana be private for personal use. Therefore, I support legislation amending federal law to eliminate all federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana” (Carter, 1977) Before analyzing and either agreeing or disagreeing with the quote of Jimmy Carter and the legalization of Marijuana, people must first be aware off what Marijuana even is or what it does. The term Marijuana originated from the Mexican and Spanish words, mariguana and marihuana. Marijuana was first used in 1894 and weed itself comes from a widely cultivated Asian herb called hemp. The leaves of the hemp plant are smoked that cause intoxicating effects. Carter’s quote made a lot of sense