High Time for Change
“I think people need to be educated to the fact that marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is an herb and a flower. God put it here. If He put it here and He wants it to grow, what gives the government the right to say that God is wrong?” -Willie Nelson ("101 Marijuana Quotes: Funny, Inspirational, And Face Palms - Mary Jane 's Diary."). Once legal, marijuana was used for medicinal purposes and the hemp from the stem of the plant was even used in products such as paper, fuel, and clothing (“5 ways Hemp Will Change Our World”). As manufactured pharmaceuticals began to grow in the 1920s and 30s, the use of herbal medicine diminished because physicians did not believe it was as effective. Now illegal, it is classified as a
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The controversy surrounding marijuana has been based on negative effects that have long been disproven such as a high rate of addiction and an increased risk of cancer. Despite this, some still believe that marijuana is dangerous and should remain illegal. Although, many others believe otherwise. The use of marijuana should be legalized due to the adverse effects of prohibition as well the inarguable economical and medical benefits.
Research shows that the prohibition of marijuana produces more unsatisfactory results than intended. Prohibition actually creates a black market rather than eliminating it, because due to marijuana being illegal people turn to these black markets in order to sell and purchase the drug. This also leads to an increase in drug and gang violence because instead of legally being able to solve conflicts that comes along with this business, some use violence to resolve
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The production and sale of marijuana could be taxed if legalized, which would cause tremendous economic growth in the United States. The cost of government expenditures could be reduced a significant amount annually. The government would no longer have to spend money used for the incarceration and prosecution of cannabis users and sellers. This would lead to 1.8 billion dollars being saved a year, which is the amount of money the police spend arresting marijuana consumers and dealers. Taxpayers would also save a hefty sum of money if marijuana were legalized. American taxpayers contribute 41.8 billion dollars a year in the enforcement of laws concerning marijuana. If marijuana was taxed like all other goods about $2.4 billion dollars in revenue could be produced annually. If it was taxed the same way alcohol and tobacco were, nearly 6.2 billion dollars in revenue could be seen every year (Miron). In addition to helping the economy, the legalization of marijuana could also help those who deal with agonizing pain due to illness or
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 .
Of course, there are many people opposed to legalizing marijuana, despite the benefits. Some doctors are against legalizing marijuana because they think that it will cause “emotionally crippled adults”, and they think that people can become addicted to it. Doctor Howard Samuels believes that marijuana is a psychoactive drug which will create problems for adults in the future. I disagree with this. It doesn’t do anything harmful to your brain, so I don’t see how it would cause problems for adults in the future that use marijuana. You can’t become addicted to it, like you can with cigarettes and alcohol. Marijuana doesn’t have nicotine in it, which causes the addiction to cigarettes. Doctors prescribe morphine to patients, and that is very addictive...
Today’s economy is struggling and it is in dire need of relief. As of 2013, the United State’s debt was $17 trillion, and if marijuana were to be legalized than it would help raise more money. It could be taxed and distributed for consumption sold like alcohol and tobacco. Taxes on cigarettes amounted to more than $43.3 Billion in 2012 (RJReynolds). The legalization of marijuana could possibly one day make that money helping to reduce this nation's debt. But, as the United States continues to prohibit the use of marijuana, it will make the taxpayers pay more money each year on the illegal usage of the drug. The marijuana prohibition costs both state and federal governments more than $20 billion a year (CATO Institute). One drug policy could change how much it wastes on the prohibition but the government has done so. A study by the CATO institute showed that...
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
Marijuana has a greater beneficial impact on society then many people realize. Marijuana should be legalized for medical as well as recreational purposes. This is a highly controversial issue that is being debated throughout the country. In essence marijuana is evaluated by the effectiveness of the drug. It is defined as the dried flowered clusters and leaves of a hemp plant smoked for the intoxicating effect. Whether it should be legalized or not is the real question.
Criminalization of cannabis causes a weakened economy due to taxpayers paying to financially support America’s inmates and all of the tax money available if marijuana was regularly taxed. Also, with lawful cannabis not available, crime rate and violence within city our streets continues to be an issue. Prohibition of cannabis in the United States sponsors extreme violence and corruption and fails to curb the availability to children ("Marijuana Legalization and Regulation”). With cannabis being criminalized, the United States is also losing the largest potential cash crop because of marijuana’s many uses and benefits.
...industrial purposes, but due to greed, misinformation, scare propaganda and moral objections, society turned its back on this wonderful plant. Through advocacy and the spread of factual information, prohibition is slowly failing and the populous is beginning to realize the dangers and harms of marijuana are not as severe as one though. With this information we can change society for the better, gain revenue from taxation, release non-violent offenders, and alleviate the constant fear instilled by authoritative figures. Personally, based on the researched information, I feel legalization would be beneficial for society and alleviate law enforcement to focus on other crimes, such as, murders, rapes, robberies, and other violent offences. The times are changing, and as time goes on more and more citizens of the United States favor the legalization of marijuana.
The cannabis plant has been the topic of much debate throughout the history of this country. Many people don't know that it was not the effect of cannabis that originally spurred its banning. It was actually originally the work of the cotton industry who put big money behind illegalization for the plant's mind altering effects. The cotton industry was afraid that hemp, a product of the cannabis plant, would soon overpower the strong hold of cotton since it was a more durable textile that required less work, less ground depletion, and could be grown almost anywhere. Since the time when cannabis first became illegal it has been grouped with other narcotics as a counterpart. The truth is cannabis has many benefits to society and other than the effects of smoke inhalation has very few negatives. Those against legalization try to put cannabis in the same light as other more potent drugs like cocaine and heroin. There are many misconceptions about the substance and it is clear it should be looked at separately.
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.
Marijuana has been a frequently abused drug for quite some time, but is just now receiving national attention on the controversial issue of the question if it should become legalized, and what effects this will have on Americans and their communities. Recently there have been many arguments made about how marijuana should be legalized for medical reasons since, for example, it is a great option for people attempting to manage their chronic pain. By legalizing the drug, many people will begin to accept the fact that it is okay and will result in an extreme increase in drug use throughout the United States. Marijuana is known to be a gateway drug in the sense that it leads to a person using narcotics that have even worse physical and mental effects
In the last fiscal year alone, marijuana brought 70 million dollars in tax revenue in the state of Colorado. Colorado was the first state to legalize marijuana recreationally in the fall of 2012, and since then three other states and the District of Columbia have legalized the plant. Based off of sales in states that have legalized marijuana recreationally, if all fifty states legalized marijuana, they would bring in a combined 3 billion dollars in tax revenue yearly. That much money from sales of the plant alone could help to stabilize the suffering economy. Moreover, the American Government would be able to control the plant and distribute it how ever they see fit. The economic growth marijuana legalization could bring to the United States outweighs any argument against
The legalization of marijuana has the potential to bring our economy back to life if it were to be legalized. There are a number of ways in which legalization could improve the economy. We could use the revenue from taxes on marijuana to provide for a better quality of life for Americans in need. Legalizing marijuana would also save us money by cutting the cost of putting someone in jail for harmless marijuana related charges that waste tax money. Also it would put more money into circulation by keeping the profits off the black market and into the legal and taxed market. With an estimated twenty-five million active marijuana smokers in America that consume nearly thirty-one million pounds of marijuana each year, we are missing out on extreme revenue that this country cannot afford to go without for much longer (Krulick).
Many people say that marijuana should not be legalized in the United States, however, another percentage of the society says that marijuana should be legalized. Those who agree and disagree need to inform themselves about the pros and cons of marijuana. It is very important to see different point of views from each side because there are several consequences and benefits that the use of marijuana can cause. Legalizing marijuana can be dangerous because many people are not informed of the diseases they can get from using drugs. In most cases people try marijuana to see how it feels and how their bodies react, but there are many who try it once and they keep on doing it very often. Marijuana should not be legalized in the United States because
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.
Should Marijuana Be Legalized? In society today, many people look for a feeling of freedom. Many people go on vacation and spend money. The most common escape for people is drugs. Our American society is facing a tremendous drug problem. In order to eradicate the drug problem, a public debate is going on to find some solutions to this drug dilemma. It has become a highly controversial issue whether drugs such as marijuana should be legalized or not. Some people advocate this issue and believe that legalization is the only solution left for the nation while others oppose because it will increase the number of drug users and drug related crimes. Marijuana is a drug that is illegal in the United States. This drug as you know is bad and causes severe side effects to your brain and body. Scientist have found that smoking marijuana can cause you to loose your memory. Marijuana has many psychological and physical effects.