Chill About Marijuana Essay

1561 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Positive and negative impacts of marijuana legalization

Tyler Rost
Sally Smits-Masten
ENG 100-008
April 15, 2014
Why America Has to Chill About Marijuana
On any given day, somewhere in America, a group of teenagers gather in the woods, their friends apartment, a parked car, all in hopes of escaping whatever is going on in their life with a little assistance. This assistance comes from a plant that can throw them in jail just for possessing it, giving this unsuspecting teenager a life long criminal record. It is known by many names: weed, pot, cannabis, hashish, ganja, and can be found in all fifty of our United States. Over forty-eight percent of the US population admits to have using it at least once in their lives. Over seventy-five percent of the population agrees that this plant should be legal. But cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, is still illegal on a federal level in the United States. While states like Colorado and Washington start the public experimentation of legal recreational marijuana, other states clamp down on marijuana laws, hoping that the prohibition of this drug isn’t nearing it’s end like many people are predicting. This essay is going to focus on three main questions. Question one: Why are we continuing marijuana’s current prohibition based off of a one-hundred year old stigma, founded off of racist beliefs and false evidence? Question two: Is the key to breaking the stigma getting rid of marijuana schedule one status? The third question is possibly the most important: Should a plant, that over three quarters of the population think should be legal, still send a teenager to jail? Marijuana is not harmful nor dangerous enough for a persons life to be ruined with criminal records and jail time. To understand this, America must open their eyes and r...

... middle of paper ...

...al anecdote
• Friend Kevin got marijuana possession ticket. Had less than one gram, year later applying for apartment, the mention charge after doing background check. Almost couldn’t get apartment
Conclusion
Marijuana has gained a reputation as a intense, mind altering, life ruining drug. Whether it is from reefer madness, the rising THC levels scaring older generations of non-pot smokers, or just a hope of clinging on to a failing prohibition, the views on marijuana are changing around America and the world.

Sources:

Cannabis: A History: By Martin Booth

‪The marijuana conviction‬: ‪a history of marijuana prohibition in the United States‬: ‪Richard J. Bonnie‬ ‬‬
"Marijuana." The Concise Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science. Hoboken: Wiley, 2004. Credo Reference. Web. 15 April 2014.
Let the Sun Shine In: The Genius of HAIR by Scott Miller.

Show More
Related

  • Politics of Prohibition: Helpful Or Harmful To American Society?

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the duration of this paper, I will discuss an issue that has been controversial for over a century; prohibition and how it has effected, currently effects, and will, most likey, continue to effect American society. The aspects that I choose to address from this issue are political, historical, they make you wonder, and they should effect anyone who reads this paper. For decades, the American government has had a restriction or ban on drugs and alcohol. Also for decades, these restrictions have been met with resistance from our society. In the early twentieth century, from 1920 through 1933, it was the prohibition of alcohol. A corrupt time, in which, so called, "criminals" and law makers both manufactured and sold bootlegged alcohol. There was high demand then and everyone was in it for the money, everyone. A time which proved to be a failed attempt by the government to take away what is now one of the United States' top commodities. During the 1970's President Richard Nixon started an ongoing "war on drugs" and every president since Nixon has continued this fight to, somehow, rid the entire country of illicit drugs. Today, a few states have taken a new approach to one of these drugs and eyebrows are being raised to the war on drugs all together. States, such as, California, Washington, and Calorado have loosened their tight grip on prohibiting marijuana and even have medical marijuana dispenseries. This idea has been proven to have boosted those economies, and it has allowed people with cancer to use a medication that actually gives them comfort. However, marijuana is still illegal. Why would we restrict the nation from something that beneficial...

    Read More

  • What Will Federal Marijuana Reform Look Like By Alex Kreit Summary

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Medicinal Marijuana in Texas

    1717 Words  | 4 Pages

    Marijuana in America became a popular ingredient in many medicinal products and was openly sold in pharmacies in the late nineteenth century (“Busted-America’s War on Marijuana Timeline”). The National Institute of Drug Abuse defines marijuana as, “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” (“DrugFacts: Marijuana”). It was not until the Food and Drug act of 19...

    Read More

  • Sociological Imagination On Marijuana

    1209 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout history people have used marijuana for its dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds to relieve pain, stress, and other medical issues from one’s life. Within the recent years it has become one of the most debated issues in the United States. In the 1930s, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics (now the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) claimed that marijuana was a “gateway” drug and was a powerful, addicting substance. During the sixties marijuana became a symbol for rebellion against authority so it became very popular by college students and “hippies”. So in 1982, Drug Enforcement Administration increased pressure on drug farms and houses which decreased the use of marijuana. In the past twenty years marijuana has become a

    Read More

  • The Federal Government Must Decriminalize Marijuana

    2430 Words  | 5 Pages

    Lately it seems that drug policy and the war on drugs has been in the headlines quite a lot. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the policies that the United States government takes against illegal drugs are coming into question. The mainstream media is catching on to the message of organizations and individuals who have long been considered liberal "Counter Culture" supporters. The marijuana question seems to be the most prevalent and pressed of the drugs and issues that are currently being addressed. The messages of these organizations and individuals include everything from legalization of marijuana for medical purposes, to full-unrestricted legalization of the drug. Of course, the status quo of vote seeking politicians and conservative policy makers has put up a strong resistance to this "new" reform lobby. The reasons for the resistance to the changes in drug policies are multiple and complex. The issues of marijuana’s possible negative effects, its use as a medical remedy, the criminality of distribution and usage, and the disparity in the enforcement of current drug laws have all been brought to a head and must be addressed in the near future. It is apparent that it would be irresponsible and wrong for the government to not evaluate it’s current general drug policies and perhaps most important, their marijuana policy. With the facts of racial disparity in punishment, detrimental effects, fiscal strain and most importantly, the history of the drug, the government most certainly must come to the conclusion that they must, at the very least, decriminalize marijuana use and quite probably fully legalize it.

    Read More

  • Informative Speech Outline On Medical Marijuana

    536 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mekdlawit Demissie IGED 130-06 Informative Speech Outline Topic: Marijuana Speech Goal: To inform the audience about the long and short term effects of marijuana usage. Central Idea: Marijuana is the most commonly used drug amongst young people in the United States. Introduction: I. Attention getter:

    Read More

  • Legalization of Marijuana

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ever since marijuana’s introduction to the United States of America in 1611, controversy of the use and legalization of the claimed-to-be Schedule I drug spread around the nation. While few selective states currently allow marijuana’s production and distribution, the remaining states still skepticize the harmlessness and usefulness of this particular drug; therefore, it remains illegal in the majority of the nation. The government officials and citizens of the opposing states believe the drug creates a threat to citizens due to its “overly-harmful” effects mentally and physically and offers no alternate purposes but creating troublesome addicts hazardous to society; however, they are rather misinformed about marijuana’s abilities. While marijuana has a small amount of negligible effects to its users, the herbal drug more importantly has remarkable health benefits, and legalizing one of the oldest and most commonly known drugs would redirect America’s future with the advantages outweighing the disadvantages.

    Read More

  • Physical and Psychological Effects of Marijuana

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marijuana while illegal on a federal level has been legalized in 18 states and the District of Columbia for medical use and also for personal use for anyone over 21 in Washington and Colorado. 48% of Americans admit to using marijuana according to a 2013 survey conducted by Scientific America. With the change in public opinion concerning marijuana the need to understand the effect and consequences associated with its use are vitally important. What are the effects on the brain and the rest of the body? Does it matter when you start using marijuana? Also what is the effect marijuana use has on a person’s life, to include school, work, family and friends.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Cannabis

    860 Words  | 2 Pages

    A controversial topic that has spread throughout the nation of the United States of America, and that is also widely popular, is the issue on cannabis. Cannabis is infamous for its natural state as a plant, and also for its ability for allowing people of all kinds to become “high”. A bad name has been given since there has been much negativity and false claims towards the subject. Cannabis is used medicinally to help those in need to aid to medical disabilities, disorders, as well as chronic pains. This plant is an issue through the laws of congress and year after year, lobbyist to this day are still fighting for its legality. In this paper, I will present an argument in support of legalizing the use of cannabis, and then argue that this argument has certain flaws that

    Read More

  • hgfds

    685 Words  | 2 Pages

    Aside from the violence and costly attempts of control that accompany drug trade, there are severe social implications of the U.S war on drugs. One of the major social topics today is that of Marijuana use and punishment in America. Since 1937, over 26 million Americans have been arrested for Marijuana use. [2] The effects and harms are still debated today, yet many people serve time in jails and prisons, waiting to be released with criminal record that will follow them for the rest of their life. Further, those incarcerated are represented by a disproportionate amount ...

    Read More

  • Pros and Cons of Marijuana

    850 Words  | 2 Pages

    The legalization of marijuana has been a highly debated topic for many of years. Since the first president to the most recent, our nation’s leaders have consumed the plant known as weed. With such influential figures openly using this drug why is it so frowned upon? Marijuana is considered a gateway drug, a menace to society, and mentally harmful to its consumers. For some people weed brings a sense of anxiety, dizziness, or unsettling feeling. Like alcohol, tobacco or any other drug, those chemicals may not respond well with their body. For other people marijuana brings joy, a sense of relief, and takes the edge off of every day stress. For those who are associated with cannabis, purposes usually range from a relaxant, or cash crop, to more permissible uses such as medicine, and ingredient to make so many other materials. We now need to look at what would change if marijuana were legal. Benefits to the economy and agriculture, health issues, and crime rates are three areas worth looking at. Deliberating on the pros and cons of this plant we can get a better understanding for marijuana. From there it will be easier to make a clear consensus on what is best for the nation.

    Read More

  • Marijuana as a Subculture

    1351 Words  | 3 Pages

    It was 1920 when smoking began to catch on in the United States. Its recreational use was restricted to jazz musicians and people in show business. “Reefer songs” became the rage of the jazz world. Marijuana clubs, called tea pads, appeared in every major city across the country. Authorities tolerated these establishments because it was not illegal or considered a social threat. In the early 1930’s marijuana became stereotyped as a violent drug, and by 1936 was illegal in all states. Marijuana research was at a stand still and the thought of it being a violent drug faded and the idea that it was a gateway drug emerged in the late 1940’s early 1950’s. In the 1960’s marijuana became very popular among the young college crowd. This was looked at as a challenge to authority and the government.

    Read More

  • Marijuana Should Not Be Legalized

    2079 Words  | 5 Pages

    Earlywine, Mitchell. Understanding Marijuana: A new look at the scientific evidence. New York Oxford University Press. 2002.

    Read More

  • Marijuana Utilitarianism Essay

    1530 Words  | 4 Pages

    Marijuana use and possession has been illegal across all states since the passing of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. However, its usage and abuse were relegated more to the minority populations and had little to do with most of mainstream America. Laws were in place to punish offenders and since most were minorities at the time, there was little to no sympathy for the sentences being handed out from the courts. The outcry from those in mainstream America didn’t come until the 1970’s during President Richard Nixon’s proclaimed “War on Drugs.” This followed a massive increase in drug use during the 1960’s. People blamed the music of the era, politics and mostly the war in Vietnam for the sudden spike in users and ultimately abusers. The difference was that this time it wasn’t just isolated to the minority communities. Educated Caucasian students and even professionals had begun to use drugs and were very open about it. Thi...

    Read More

  • Recreational Marijuana Should NOT Be Legal

    1696 Words  | 4 Pages

    187. The. (2013) n. page. print. “Marijuana Abuse.” National Institute on Drug Abuse: The Science of Drug Abuse and Addiction.

    Read More

More about Chill About Marijuana Essay

Open Document