Legalization of Marijuana: The Blunt Truth On December 5, 1933, after thirteen years of a costly, ineffective, and harsh law, the inevitable happened: the 18th Amendment was finally repealed and alcohol was legal once again. The 18th Amendment was responsible for the rise of organized crime in America, it was responsible for nationwide corruption in all levels of the government, and because the law was a sinkhole of unnecessary government and tax funds, it exacerbated the pace of the Great Depression. Al Capone and Bugsy Siegel are prime examples of ambitious gangsters that took advantage of prohibition. They monopolized the lucrative illegal business of selling alcohol, and with their tremendous profits they managed to bribe and control …show more content…
Marijuana has caused upheaval across the world, but the turbulence is not because of the drug itself, but rather how governments have reacted and created an unnecessary war, a war against marijuana. Although marijuana is classified as an illegal drug by the government of the United States, the drug war against marijuana has led to more grave ramifications than the actual consumption of the drug itself has imposed on society as a whole and the solution is simple: legalize marijuana. History repeats itself, and just like alcohol, marijuana is bound to be regulated. The only question is: How much more time needs to …show more content…
It has. In 2012, Colorado became the first state to legalize marijuana for recreational use for people 21 years of age and over. Since then, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and just recently in February, Washington D.C. have followed the visionary state of Colorado and legalized the recreational use of marijuana (Ferner, 2015). The results are astonishing. As Morton (2014) states that in Colorado alone, the legalization of marijuana will generate $1.9 billion in the first five years due to purchase tax of the substance, and it will end between 9,000 to 10,000 arrests in the state for simple marijuana possession a year. But wait, theres more. According to the Colorado Center of Law and Fiscal Policy, the state could potentially save up to $40 million from no longer prosecuting minor marijuana possession cases, and the legalization of marijuana has facilitated the employment of 10,000 people in the state as well (Rucke, 2014). Even with all of the apparent benefits of the legalization of marijuana, there will still be critics. One prevalent argument critics fabricate is: “legalization will only conjure crime and marijuana can now be sold to underage citizens.” False. Rucker (2014) proves this argument as being a fallacy by utilizing the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting data, that concludes that the
The topic of marijuana has been a big topic for the past few years. The United States considers marijuana as a drug, in some other countries they say it is a natural herb that is grown from the ground. The issue at hand is “should marijuana be legalized?” the congress of the US stay in a constant debate on this subject. Why is the subject of marijuana such in high demand, if the US already considers it a drug? There are many facts that need to be looked at before a final decision can ever be made. In contrast since the past two weeks the state of Colorado became the second state in the US to legalize marijuana. Obviously it is possible for marijuana to be accepted into society, obviously there are as much pros as
Legalizing Marijuana Abraham Lincoln once stated that, "Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man 's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." In today 's society, this statement still applies in reference to the illegal use of marijuana. Marijuana prohibition causes far more harm than marijuana itself. Keeping marijuana illegal is expensive and causes crime. Out of four possible connections between drugs and crime, at least three would not exist if drug prohibition laws were repealed. First, crimes which occur billions of times a year are producing, selling, buying, and
On January 1st the states of Colorado and Washington officially began the regulation of legal marijuana sales. Thousands of people from all over the country including tourists from Wisconsin, Ohio, Chicago, and even Georgia lined up out front of dispensaries to make a purchase. Recreational marijuana is being regulated and monitored like alcohol; you must be at least 21 years old to make a purchase. The drug, which is controversial in many states’ legislations, is currently legal for medical use in 20 states, but Colorado and Washington were the first to approve of recreational use (Healy). The geographical concepts involved in the legalization of marijuana include migration, movement and flow, and private/public space.
The issue of legalizing marijuana, also known as Cannabis Sativa, has been controversial for a long time, and has become even more so in recent years. Cannabis Sativa is a plant that has been used for a variety of purposes by many cultures for thousands of years. Not only does the Cannabis Sativa plant produce Marijuana, it also produces Hemp. Hemp was used to make food, clothes, shoes, ropes and paper, making it a very useful cash crop. Legal up until 1937, Marijuana was used in America for recreational use, medicinal, and industrial products as well. In the 1960’s the government’s war on all drugs was created putting Marijuana in the same category as Cocaine, Heroin, and Morphine. Today Marijuana remains a
Marijuana is the most common drug in America and all over the world. It is legalized in some countries, but most countries prohibit its use. It has proven medical abilities and was used for this purpose for a while before being federally criminalized. The United States has been debating on the legalization of marijuana with some states supporting the move and others against it. ("10 Facts About Marijuana") Despite all these debates, the legalization of marijuana is the better option of the two. Legalizing marijuana will result in medical, economic and social benefits all over America.
Cannabis Sativa, more commonly known as Marijuana, is made up of dried parts of the Cannabis hemp plant and is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States. For centuries, people all over the world have been using marijuana to achieve “euphoria”, but the drug has remained illegal in the United States despite countless efforts to reverse the law. In the last few years, the legalization of Marijuana became both a prominent and controversial issue in our country and remains an extremely touchy subject. Despite its short term effect of distorted perceptions and memory impairment, Marijuana has several pro’s that can not only help individuals but could benefit our country as a whole. These “pros” include medical use, a boost in our
Cannabis sativa or marijuana, is most known for its euphoric psychological effects when consumed. Many Canadians take part in the use of marijuana which has been illegal in Canada since the early 1900s. The topic of marijuana legalization in Canada has been a highly controversial topic over the last century. It has been discussed recently in the news due to Washington and Colorado both voting to legalize marijuana in November of 2012. The Liberal and Conservative parties both have highly conflicting views on this topic, and many Canadians’ have the misconception that marijuana is a bad ‘gateway’ drug. Marijuana should be legalized in Canada because tax revenue profits will boost Canada’s economy, save millions of
In the United States institutionalized prohibition-based cannabis policies defy widely accepted societal values, delegitimizing the state's authority of law, neglecting its responsibility to respect individual free will and ultimately, the right of self-determination. These unjustified policies take a heavy financial and social toll on society, forcing law enforcement to spend time and money to arrest a majority of non-violent, low level-offenders. In addition, marijuana policies and enforcement have been seen as inherently biased and discriminatory. Not only that, but the medical applications of cannabis are increasingly becoming recognized and accepted as a standard in terms of treating diseases and relieving physical or mental ailments. Furthermore, statistics have shown that legalization leads to a decreased use of marijuana among teens and minors. Dollar wise, cannabis
The topic I chose is the legalization of marijuana. My research was enjoyable because I love reading on a topic that I fully support and agree with. The four sources I found are very persuading and contain strong points. I used the web for research but as I found sources, I made sure they were credible sources since this is such a debatable issue.
Marijuana prohibition stands as one of the most unwarranted policies of the United States. Every year we are spending billions of dollars on the War on Drugs with little benefit. Data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show there were an estimated 1,552,432 arrests for drug-related crimes in 2014 – a slight uptick from the 1,531,251 drug arrests in 2013. Marijuana offenses accounted for 48.3 percent of all drug arrests. Most marijuana-related arrests were for possession of the drug. By mere possession, there was one marijuana arrest every 48 seconds in 2014. Including arrests for distribution, there was a pot-related arrest every 42 seconds. This prohibition makes no sense, especially in a country where alcohol use is
Therefore; giving the government more money to spend on different governmental agencies that are in need of the extra cash flow. Not only would it give us more money for other departments but it would also keep
I live in an age dominated by information and technology. One where it is considered easier to open up a search engine and look something up than it is to start a conversation with a stranger. I live in era where I have more information at my fingertips than my ancestors could have even imagined existed in their lifetimes. I live in a time where without a doubt people should be the most educated and well informed than anybody in human history, and yet, this couldn’t be father from the truth and it appalls me. The wealth of information available to every single individual has done exactly the opposite of what makes logical sense. People have become lazier and lazier to the point where more often than not it becomes too much of a hassle to formulate an opinion individually. People just accept what is told to them and believe the convenient truths. However sad this may be… it is the truth. This truth allows otherwise big ticket discussions to go un-talked about. One such issue is that of the legalization of recreational marijuana. Many just assume that the reason that this “harmless substance” isn’t legalized is due to stuffy old politicians stuck in their ways or some other trivial reason. The truth of the matter is, marijuana is dangerous. It’s just as much a harmful drug as cocaine and meth are, and thus should be treated as a harmful drug. It blows me away how in a period of unlimited access to knowledge how little people actually know about this substance they’re quick to
Legalize, control, and discourage is a way to fix the problem. Evident by Colorado and Washington, “the legalization of marijuana can stop most of these possession arrests” (Levine). After the first opening of the first retail marijuana stores on January 1, 2014, Colorado had decreased crime rates, decreased traffic fatalities and increase in economic output (DPA). Since 2010, the marijuana possession arrest have went down 84% since its legalization. The tactic of legalizing, controlling, and discouraging has been proposed by the Economist, a weekly news magazine, in the late 80’s.
"In any civilized society, it is every citizen 's responsibility to obey just laws. But at the same time, it is every citizen 's responsibility to disobey unjust laws." Martin Luther King Jr. Many people ask “why should marijuana be legalized”? when the real question that we should be asking is “why shouldn’t marijuana be legalized”?. Marijuana also known as hemp is a naturally grown plant that has been around for decades dating back to around 2697 B.C., when the Egyptians would use it to cure many common ailments, and the Chinese would use it for therapeutics. Using marijuana not only to cure common illnesses but for your pleasure as well should be up to you the free citizens of California and not to the government. The first major reason
In Canada, cannabis control has remained a highly debated topic. In 2014, the CAMH Monitor assessed public opinion on topics related to cannabis control from a sample of 2000 participants .