Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

2551 Words6 Pages

The Country's Chance to Flower

The Cannabis plant grows extensively on most continents on Earth, this plant does exist in the wild and just like many other crops it has become domesticated, cultivated and selectively bred over time. The first documented introduction of the plant in the United States of America took place the southern most parts of Texas in the late 1800s. Many immigrants from Mexico brought it with them claiming it had healing and medicinal purposes. Eventually some Texan pharmacies would sell what then became know as “Marihuana”. Then cannabis began to take off with many different products such as tinctures, in the early 1900s which many Americans used extensively. Soon after came the first prohibition of the plant in the …show more content…

The only way that marijuana is dangerous through the gateway theory is that of association to the black market. Many people look to marijuana for medical or therapeutic reasons in states that it is illegal, thus forcing those to deal with undesirables. These criminals may try to push other drugs on marijuana users or lace the product with something much more dangerous with out their prior knowledge. Not to mention that when dealing with criminals the risk of incarceration or death escalates much more quickly. Legalizing marijuana will make less risk happen to those who seek its benefits by keeping them from criminals. Also, it will lower crime rates because a legitimate market will snuff out the black market lowering funds of many criminal operations. Also, it is usually accompanied by another long list of hard drugs due to criminal activity. Although it may seem true, the truth is that due to association to the Black Market, other deviant substances that run rampant unintentionally ruining peoples lives. The usual propaganda that marijuana leads to abuse of heroin, cocaine, crack etc. One thing to keep in mind is that correlation is not causation and legalizing recreational cannabis would start to make a dent in the Black

Is Marijuana A Gateway Drug?
931 Words | 2 Pages
Cannabis Sativa, or marijuana, has been around for centuries. This flowering plant has been grown in many locations across the world. Marijuana comes from flowering top of the Cannabis Sativa plant which contains the chemical Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC causes mind-altering states which relaxes the user. After the Mexican Revolution the United States stated seeing an increase of Mexicans immigrating into the United States. These new immigrants brought along with their culture and native language. In the Mexican culture marijuana was used as a medicine and a relaxant. The media then began to play on the fears that the public had about the new immigrants by spreading false claims about the “disruptive Mexicans” with their crazy behavior due
Read More
Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Marijuana
1735 Words | 4 Pages
Why isn 't marijuana legal in the United States? Marijuana could serve many purposes to the human body and the community. In 1937, the government issued the Marijuana Tax Act. This act immediately criminalized marijuana. This means you can not have possession of the drug for medical purposes or not. This act is still in effect today, but it should be repealed .
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
Marijuana
822 Words | 2 Pages
The term "marijuana" is a word with indistinct origins. Some believe it is derived from the Mexican words for "Mary Jane"; others hold that the name comes from the Portuguese word marigu-ano, which means "intoxicant". The use of marijuana in the 1960's might lead one to surmise that marihuana use spread explosively. The chronicle of its 3,000 year history, however, shows that this "explosion" has been characteristic only of the contemporary scene. The plant has been grown for fiber and as a source of medicine for several thousand years, but until 500~ AD its use as a mind-altering drug was almost solely confined in India. The drug and its uses reached the Middle and Near East during the next several centuries, and then moved across North Africa, appeared in Latin America and the Caribbean, and finally entered the United States in the early decades of this century. Marijuana can even be used as "Biomass" fuel, where the pulp (hurd) of the hemp plant can be burned as is or processed into charcoal, methanol, methane, or gasoline. This process is call...
Read More
Marijuana Should be Legalized for Medical and Recreational Use
1731 Words | 4 Pages
Evidence based on research shows that marijuana has been used since the beginning of recorded history or longer. The first known record of its use was from Emperor Shen Nung in 2727 B.C. (Deamuseum.org, N.D.). There is also evidence that the ancient Greeks and Romans were familiar with and used marijuana as well (Deamuseum.org, N.D.). According to historical information on Narcon International’s website, marijuana was used to treat various medical issues as well as for recreational purposes (Narconon.org, 2010-2014). From there, marijuana spread throughout the Middle East, then into Africa and northward to Europe. The Spanish brought it to the New World in 1545 and the Engli...
Read More
Pros And Cons Of Medical Marijuana
961 Words | 2 Pages
Another argument you commonly hear from prohibitionists is that it is a “gateway drug”, meaning that using marijuana is the cause of and leads to harder and more harmful drugs. While this sounds like it makes sense in theory, it simply is not true. In fact, most cannabis users do not go on to use harder substances and while most hard drug users started with marijuana, it is more likely that those individuals are just more prone to drug use and started with easier more readily available substances such as tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis. The only sound arguments from prohibitionists is that “Prenatal or adolescent exposure can lead to altered brain development, including changes in the connections between the neurons, or circuits, in certain brain regions. Youthful exposure can lead to earlier onset and more severe psychoses, including schizophrenia, for that part of the population with a genetic predisposition to certain mental illnesses.” (Bruce Barcott and Michael Scherer, The Great Pot Experiment, 2015) and while those are good arguments, nothing is really certain about marijuana and it will continue to be uncertain until restrictions on research is loosened up and people can actually confirm these things and see if there is any way to avoid these
Read More
The Various Purposes of Marijuana
3050 Words | 7 Pages
Throughout history marijuana has been used to serve various purposes in many different cultures. The purposes have changed over time to fit in with the current lifestyles. This pattern is also true in American history. The use of marijuana has adapted to the social climate of the time. Marijuana, whose scientific name is cannibis sativa, was mentioned in historical manuscripts as early as 2700 B. C. in China. (Grolier Electronic Encyclopedia, 1995). The cultivation of the marijuana plant began as far back as the Jamestown settlers, around 1611, who used hemp produced from the marijuana plant's fibers to make rope and canvas. It was also used in making clothing because of it's durability. These uses fit in with the social climate of the time, because the main focus was on survival rather than for psychoactive purposes. During the prohibition, marijuana was widely used because of the scarcity of alcohol. Prohibition was repealed after just thirteen years while the prohibition against marijuana lasted for more than seventy five years.
Read More
Legalization of Marijuana
1053 Words | 3 Pages
Before Americans can make accusations that marijuana can only be used for the sole purpose of euphoric pleasure, they should first become knowledgeable of cannabis’s original and highly valuable uses that gave the plant its primary popularity. The herbal plant was actually a food source around 6000 BC, and it was used as a fiber two thousand years later. Another couple thousand years later was when cannabis obtained its first medical record in China and soon traveled to India and North Africa where cannabis began its use as a “recreational hallucinogen.” When Europe greeted marijuana at about 500 BC, users began classifying in what methods the plant can treat various medical conditions. The Americas were first introduced t...
Read More
Legalization of Marijuana: A Medical Perspective
710 Words | 2 Pages
Legalizing marijuana, in my opinion, would be a good thing for me. No, I do not smoke marijuana or cigars simply due to the fact that it is against my religion. I am for legalization because; there are many gains from the plant. I want it legalized because; there are many medical uses for it. I have read many scholarly journals and have been exposed to multiple individual that have used marijuana. An excellent example of this is a research done with the use of marijuana. This research does not show how marijuana effects the human body, but the fact that doctors due know that it has benefits and that the numbers shows records of patient using the drug. In the paper it says that “Fifty percent of the sample reported that they used marijuana as a substitute for prescription medicine”
Read More
Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Marijuana
2085 Words | 5 Pages
The issue of legalizing marijuana has been around for decades and there are many people on either side of the issue. Millions of people support the legalization of marijuana and those people have reasons as to why they think marijuana should be legalized throughout the United States. People for the legalization of the drug argue it will boost the already weak economy and bring in large sums of money for the national and state governments. Another claim they have made is that it will help prevent the war on drugs in Mexico and the public concern for the war has given momentum to the cause of legalizing marijuana. On the other side of this situation, millions of people oppose legalizing marijuana because of the ill-effects it has on its users.
Read More
Persuasive Essay On Legalization Of Marijuana
1083 Words | 3 Pages
Cannabis, more commonly known as marijuana, is a plant that people have been using recreationally for years. In fact, people have consumed marijuana since ancient times. Until 1906, the year the United States Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act. The debate on whether or not marijuana should be legalized in the United States has really blown up within the last decade. And finally, in 2012, Colorado became the first state to officially legalize marijuana for medicinal and recreational uses. The prohibition of marijuana has gone on for far too long, and it is time for America to change its views.
Read More
Pros & Cons of Legalization of Marijuana
1651 Words | 4 Pages
Marijuana has been illegal for less than 1% of the time that it’s been in use (Guither, 2014). Going back to 1619, the Virginia Assembly passed legislation requiring every farmer to grow hemp. Hemp was allowed to be exchanged as legal tender in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland (Block, 2014). It was actually a crime in some states to refuse to grow hemp in the 1700's. In the late 19th century, marijuana was a popular ingredient in many medicinal products and was sold openly in public pharmacies (PBS, 2014). However, in the early 1900’s things changed, a prejudice and fear began to develop around marijuana because it was being used and associated with Mexican immigrants. In the 1930’s, the massive unemployment rates increased public resentment and disgust of Mexican immigrants, which escalated public and governmental concern (PBS, 2014). In 1930 a new federal law enforcement agency, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) was created. Harry J. Anslinger was appointed the first commissioner of the FBN in 1930 (...
Read More
Persuasive Essay On Legalization Of Marijuana
1416 Words | 3 Pages
Cannabis is a natural plant that has been made illegal by the United States, and has been a controversial topic ever since the 1920’s. Marijuana is a substance that has been used hundreds of years ago as an herbal medicine and also can be used for textile products from hemp, which is from the Cannabis Sativa plant. Because of marijuana being categorized as a schedule one substance, it has no medical value and cannot be researched in the United States. Marijuana is said to be a gateway drug and is very unhealthy for adolescents with premature brains. The marijuana prohibition should finally come to a close because there are many benefits from cannabis and it is less harmful than both alcohol and tobacco.
Read More
Persuasive Essay On Marijuana
2271 Words | 5 Pages
In America, marijuana is the most used drug after alcohol and tobacco. Marijuana is used by millions of Americans, despite the harsh laws illegalizing the drug. Some states, such as Washington and Colorado have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Efforts to legalize the drug in other states have been unsuccessful such as Proposition 19 in California, which failed in 2010 despite uptight campaigns. Billions of dollars are spent at the state, local, and federal level to fight the use of marijuana. Millions are arrested for marijuana offenses and sentenced for extended periods. Marijuana has negative effects on the human health and high potential for addiction. Legalizing marijuana will eliminate the black market, which is responsible for the increase in violence, crime, and corruption. Resources used for mass incarceration in the war on drug can be redirected to rehabilitation to decrease drug abuse and addiction.
Read More
Recreational Marijuana Should NOT Be Legal
1696 Words | 4 Pages
The first law that regarded marijuana in America required farmers to grow hemp in the year 1619 for clothing, rope, and other materials, but “as early as 1840, doctors recognized the medical applications of marijuana, and the drug was freely sold in pharmacies for over a century.” (Rich and Stingl). In 1937, the use and possession of marijuana was made illegal, but “before 1937 marijuana was freely bought, sold, grown, and used. ”(Rich and Stingl). In 1970 the Congress decided to classify marijuana as a schedule one drug, which has made the legalization more difficult.
Read More

Open Document

Wait a second!

Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

Is Marijuana A Gateway Drug?