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There have been many discussions on the shocking subject of marijuana being legalized for recreational use here the United States. The president of the United States of America shared his opinion of marijuana, saying marijuana should be legalized for recreational use in the United States. President Obama admitted “I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol in terms of its individual consumer”(C). Not to mention, in The White House, people at official gatherings are being served French wines. This in comparison has been proven to be in the same mild intoxicant category as marijuana.
Marijuana, otherwise known as weed, Kush, ganja, and Chronic, is a plant that may allow some people to become more relaxed when stressed out. In 2737 BC Emperor Shen Neng of China used marijuana as a medicine. This was the first recorded use of this marijuana (I1). “In 1549, Angolan slaves brought cannabis with them to the sugar plantations of Northeastern Brazil. They were permitted to grow their cannabis between rows of cane, and smoke it between harvests” (I2). First off, there are many different strains of marijuana, some are Indica and Sativa. Indica is the strain that gives the body a high feeling and is a much more broad leafed strain of pot than Sativa. Sativa is a more popular strain for the feeling of a head high. This plant is much narrower in leaf size, and is a lot taller than the plant of the Indica strain. Sativa plant growers have found new ways for growing the cannabis which has increased the marijuana’s potency and reduced the amount of use (B1).
When smoked or vaporized marijuana leaves a silky layer that surrounds and protects the inside of the human lungs. Ammonia, is an ingredient in cigarettes, and is in most cleaners an...
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...amsi, Roxanne. “Going To Pot.” Scientific American 308.6 (2013): 34-36. Consumer Health Complete. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
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http://www.advancedholistichealth.org/history.html
http://www.thcdigest.com/indica-sativa-high/
Marijuana also known as weed, is a green mixture of dry, shredded leaves and flowers of a hemp plant known as Cannabis sativa. Research has shown that marijuana has been around since the 1920s. People use marijuana because of the after affects. Studies have shown marijuana makes you feel delightful, it increases satisfaction while smoking, if you’re stressed, after smoking the marijuana you’ll be on cloud nine and the stress will no longer be present. Society has influenced people to smoke marijuana more each day. After interviewing a series of marijuana users, they’ve told me that marijuana is a safe, harmless drug, that is used for meditation. In order to smoke the marijuana, you’ll use some form of paper to roll it up with.
To begin, there is a 24% tax on all cannabis sales. In just a few days of sales, Breckenridge Cannabis Club has given $120,000 of tax money to the same people in the council who voted to move the location of the shop. This relates to the universal American value of consent of the governed. The locals have elected the government officials who ultimately decide what they can and cannot do, the amount they are taxed on what they can do, and how and where one is allowed to run a business. This proves that even when a business is making money for the government, they still are essentially under the control of those who rule their town, state, and country. The idea of federalism is a major factor in the general legalization of marijuana. Each states has a right to legalize recreational marijuana even though it is still federally illegal. That being said, there are several federal restrictions that come with these freedoms due to the supremacy clause that gives the federal government supreme law of the land. For example, the states who choose to legalize marijuana are required to sell only to those over the age of 21 and have a proper ID, as well as only allowing people to smoke in private. Another issue Brian and Caitlin discovered was the inability to join a local bank since their business is considered a federally illegal profit. While the value of individual freedom is technically fulfilled
Works Cited "The California Marijuana Vote." New Yorker 23 Dec 1996: 62+. Brookhiser, Richard. "Pot Luck." National Review 11 Nov 1996: 27+ Simmons, Michael. "Give Pot a Chance." Rolling Stone 26 Dec 1996: 111+. Rist, Curtis and Harrison, Laird. "Weed the People." People 21 Oct. 1996: 75+. Funk and Wagnall's Volume 23 "Marijuana" 1996 Baum, Dan. "California's Separate Peace." Rolling Stone 30 Oct. 1997: 43+ Brookhiser, Richard. "Lost in the Weed." U.S. News & World Report 3 Jan. 1997: 9 Buckley, William "Legalization of Marijuana Long Overdue" The Albuquerque Journal. Online. 8 June 1993.
"State Medical Marijuana Laws." Legislative News, Studies and Analysis. National Conference of State Legislatures, 2014. Web. Apr. 2014. .
Just as alcohol prohibition during the 20’s and 30’s was not successful, marijuana prohibition has not been successful either, as evidenced by its current and increasing popularity in the United States. According the deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, Mr. Paul Armentano, marijuana was made illegal in the United States with the passing of the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 (2014). Later, Congress classified marijuana as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 (Armentano, 2014). Since then, hundreds of thousands of Americans have been arrested for the possession, distribution and use of marijuana. According to Professor Katherine Beckett, “there were 829,625 marijuana arrests” (Beckett, et.al., N.D.) in 2006 and that number is increasing. The debate on whether or not to legalize marijuana for recreational use has raged for decades but is beginning to see the light of day with the recent state-level victories. With Washington and Colorado guiding the way, the country as a whole is considering the issue of whether or not marijuana should be legalized. If legalized, tax revenues could potentially generate millions, if not billions, of dollars annually for state and federal coffers. Marijuana should be legalized. Legalization will not increase usage nor will the current prohibition decrease usage; however tax revenue from the distribution and sale of marijuana could benefit many state programs and even possibly eliminate governmental deficits in the future.
Marijuana is a public name for an illegal substance (drug) produced from the Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) plant. It is also called weed, ganja, grass, kaya and pot. The drug has many chemical compounds and in particular, it has THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) which is responsible for changing mind functions leading to alternations of cognition, mood, behavior, perception and consciousness. “It is the most widely used illicit substance in the world” (World, 2010, p. 198). Its usage includes religious, medicinal, recreational and spiritual purposes. In the beginning of the 20th century, in most countries marijuana was illegalized.
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.
Simoni-Wastila, Linda, and Francis B. Palumbo. "Medical Marijuana Legislation: What We Know-- And Don't." Journal Of Health Care Law & Policy 16.1 (2013): 59-75. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
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.
Farrell, Michael B. "A marijuana tax as the next new revenue stream?" Christian Science Monitor 8 May 2009: 2. Student Edition. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
The legal status of marijuana is one of the most disputed topics of today. Once completely frowned upon, marijuana’s legality was never questioned; however, fast forward to the present and one will notice that this negative stigma is beginning to fade away. The negative claims regarding marijuana are gradually becoming discredited by science. Without this negative propaganda, the positive aspects of marijuana are beginning to surface. Marijuana should be legalized because it is relatively harmless when compared to other legal substances, entails economic benefits, and would allow the authorities to focus resources on illegal activity that affects the people they took an oath to serve.
Raabe, Steve. "Legal Pot Stirs Debate about Impact on Colorado." The Denver Post, 31 Mar 2013. Web. 30 Mar 2014. < http://www.denverpost.com/ci_22903892/legal-pot-stirs-debate-about-impact-colo-economic.>
Walsh, John. "Q&A: Legal Marijuana in Colorado and Washington." The Brookings Institution. Washington Office on Latin America, 21 May 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2014.
Colorado is the latest state to approve the sale of marijuana for recreational use. This topic has been tossed around by the officials for years now. Legislators in Colorado have “considered excise and sales taxes on marijuana of up to 30 percent combined” (Frosch, 2013). With the rapidly growing market and marijuana industry, rules and regulations had to be put into place. Even this tax charge needs to be implemented and enforced.
Drake, Matthew G., and Christopher G. Slatore. “Smoking Marijuana and the Lungs.” American Thoracic Society: Patient Information Series. 187. (2013) n. page.Print.