The Forbidden Herb
It is the real public enemy number one, according to a 1936 movie propaganda called “Reefer Madness” ( ). This exaggerated and implausible movie presented many fallacies such as the notion that smoking marijuana causes users to becoming ragingly violent and ultimately insane. The publicized effects were and still are absurd. Scientifically known as cannabis sativa, marijuana has many other names to match its long history, however public enemy number one should have never been one. Marijuana’s history dates back to at least 2737 BC, when Shen Nung, a Chinese emperor, discovered its medicinal properties (Earleywine 9). Even before then, hemp, which is part of the plant, was used to construct paper and clothing. Despite this, marijuana is illegal in the United States, even though prohibition laws have been ineffective in reducing its popularity. Marijuana should be legalized, not only due to its benefits, but because of its harmless nature in comparison to other legal substances available, whose effects are far more dangerous than marijuana could ever be.
Although many factors come into play when considering why marijuana gained such an awful reputation, one main aspect to consider is the fact that we have the evidence to prove otherwise. There has never been a single marijuana induced death (Hanrahan, Frey 11). This figure is astounding, considering its extensive history. Its effects are quite mild, meditational, and mood enhancing. It’s largely used amongst religious groups, and is believed to be a sacred holy plant placed on Earth by God to heal, and assist in reaching a deeper level of understanding of self (Earleywine 18).
Marijuana has also been long used for its medicinal properties. At the current momen...
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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
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In the first few centuries of medicinal cannabis use (between 1600 and 1900) the drug was increasingly being used in a vast array of areas. This era may be considered the time of greatest usage of the substance (Grinspoon, 2005). During these years, marijuana was prescribed for many conditions including depression, skin inflammation, relief for coughing, urinary incontinence (or the involuntary release of urine), rabies, rheumatism, epilepsy, tetanus, painful nerve issues, convulsions, asthma, postpartum psychosis, gonorrhea, chronic b...
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Marijuana was first introduced by the Chinese back in the B.C (before Christ) time period where it existed as a substance that carried ability to achieve a euphoria or a “high” as we refer to it today. In the early 4200s B.C. marijuana was better known for its medicinal value where it was being used to treat rheumatism, gout and malaria (Narcocon International ). Of course, society at the time was aware of the other effects marijuana had however at the time, they primarily focused on the medication capacity marijuana contained. Fast forwarding to 2015 where the medical use of marijuana is the biggest controversial topic, society views marijuana more of a harmful substance than a solution to nearly all of
Marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes for over the 3,000 years and has been met with much resistance in the recent decade (Bearman 12). In the early part of the century, marijuana, also known as cannabis, was a part of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) for about 90 years, but drug companies began to drop marijuana from medications when the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act was passed (4-6). Medical marijuana can be used in two ways; it can be smoked in a cigarette form or taken in a capsule. Marijuana’s most potent ingredient is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can be taken as a pill, but is “easily
The plant’s therapeutic potential became known in the Western countries during the nineteenth century.(Abel, 1996) From 1840 to 1900, more that one hundred articles on cannabis appeared in European and American medical journals, recommending it as an appetite stimulant, muscle relaxant, painkiller, sedative, and for eliminating convulsions. Since then, marijuana has undergone many tests and thorough analysis for its use as a medical value.
Marijuana is a fast-growing bushy plant with dense sticky flowers. It has been a part of our American culture for hundreds of years. It has been referred to as a poison, drug and narcotic. It is believed that marijuana was introduced by the Spanish in 1545 to Chile. In America the plant was first grown in Virginia and Massachusetts in the sixteen hundreds. It became a major commercial crop that was grown along with tobacco and was a source of fiber for fabric, rope and cloth. Later it was used to treat many health problems. During the 19th century many medical articles were written discussing marijuana’s value in treating conditions. The plant was considered legal from the 1600’s until the 19th century. Marijuana became popular in the mid-19th century and was in most drugstores through the beginning of the 20th century. It was around this time that recreational use of marijuana was becoming acknowledged. Marijuana has been illegal in the United States since the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. This is a federal law that made the possession or transfer of marijuana illegal throughout the United States. This law was the precursor to the crimina...
Cannabis has been known to man since as early as 7000 B.C. (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In 1619, the colony of Jamestown in Virginia passed the first cannabis-related law, stating that it is required for all farmers to grow cannabis sativa or hemp plant because of its strong fiber that they used to make rope, sails and clothing (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). During the 1800s, cannabis extract medicines were produced by American pharmaceutical companies such as Eli Lilly, Parke-Davis and Squibb (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In 1910, in the Southwestern United States, Mexican immigrants introduced recreational use of cannabis, in which the immigrants referred to as “marihuana” (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In 1915, Utah was the first state to pass an anti-marijuana law, then twenty-nine other states followed (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In 1922, the Narcotic Drug Import and Export Act was enforced to control any cannabis going in or out of the U.S. (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In 1930, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics was created (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In the 1960s, “hippies” smoke marijuana, which symbolized rebellion (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In 1968, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and the Bureau of Dangerous Drugs merged into the Bureau...
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Marijuana has been a problem since the early 1900s and continues to create problems. The Federal Bureau of Narcotics created a law which prohibited marijuana use in 1937 (Reinarman 128). Twenty years later, THC was discovered to be the main psychoactive component in marijuana causing its negative side effects (Reinarman 129). Almost seventy-five years later, the United States is still battling the problem with illegal marijuana use. Although scientists discovered the negative effects fifty years ago, the information has gone practically unnoticed and the amount of users continues to increase. Approximately half of the United States population has used marijuana at one point (Reinarman 129). Instead of outlawing marijuan...