Legalizing Marijuana Decriminalization

Marijuana is “ the dried leaves and female flowers of the hemp plant, used in cigarette form as [a] narcotic or hallucinogen.”(“Marijuana”) In the 17th century, marijuana production was encouraged and supported by U.S. legislation. Later, “during the 19th century,[marijuana] use became a fad in France and also, to some extent, in the U.S.”(“ Marijuana Timeline”). During the 1920’s and 1930’s, the drug raised fears linked with illegal immigrants and criminal activity. (“Marijuana Timeline”). Then, during World War II, cannabis regained its popularity and support as “Hemp for Victory” (“Marijuana Timeline”). In the following years, the federal government created laws restricting the growth and use of marijuana. Specifically, drug

Alberto Wilmore was a beloved art teacher in the Ella Baker School located in Manhattan, New York. To his students he was more than their fourth hour teacher, he was the man they trusted and the man that inspired them. Mr. Wilmore who had never been in trouble in his life was arrested on May 30th, 2011 after walking out of his apartment and flicking a cigarette on to the curb of the street. A New York city police officer stopped and arrested him claiming that it was a marijuana cigarette. Mr. Wilmore was immediately terminated from his job. Under New York state law marijuana possession is classified as a serious offense for a teacher; it is in the same category as physical assault

From a fiscal standpoint, the legalization of marijuana is nothing but beneficial. California, Washington, and Colorado have all legalized to some extent, and are already raking in taxes on the purchase of this, now legal,

life of five days. This means an occasional user can fail a drug test three

To understand the controversy about marijuana, it is helpful to first look at its history. Marijuana (or Cannabis as it was originally known) has been found as far back as the 3rd millennium BC in burial sites in Romania. Over the centuries it has been found to have been used for medicinal purposes in China and other countries, as well as for religious and spiritual ceremonies in many different countries. Cannabis was brought to America in the early years, grown as a crop, and used medicinally. In the early 1900s, along with prohibition of alcohol, the attitude about the use of cannabis started to change for many people. On the other hand, the U.S. pharmaceutical farms were expanding production and by 1918 were growing 60,000 pounds

People have been smoking marijuana for thousands of years while also using hemp for everything from fabric to make clothes and other items. Unfortunately, Harry J. Anslinger with a bit of power and enough determination decided pot was evil and addictive. The struggle continues to this day to overcome the lies about marijuana (“Marijuana (Weed) History and Facts”). There are many benefits to legalizing marijuana and the government should take advantage of it.

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

After 30 years of marijuana use being subject to such harsh penalties and unreasonable consequences, the world has not yet to agree on the truth about marijuana. I feel that it is a very controversial issue in this day and age with very strong and supportive arguments on both sides of this issue. The issue has caused a lot of political feuds, and it also has increased conflicts between many state governments and the federal governments. I feel marijuana is here to stay, and it is about time the government learns that also. It is one of America’s largest imports, it is extremely valuable (for example, an ounce of marijuana is worth more than an ounce of gold), but of course, it is highly illegal. In this paper, I will try to teach you why

Have you ever wondered why marijuana was illegal? Keeping marijuana illegal costs tax payers a bunch of money, and is not even an effective way to solve the problem of marijuana use. People have the right to choose for themselves if they want to use marijuana or not. The use of marijuana does not affect anyone but the person using it, so why not let them use marijuana if they choose to. According to the Marijuana Legalization Organization, the criminalization of marijuana does not keep young kids from using it and it also does not stop the abuse of marijuana, if anything it makes it worse. If the government would legalize marijuana and let those of a reasonable

Since 1920, the dangers and harms of marijuana have been exaggerated. Many of the stories of films like "reefer madness (reefer madness)" were used to support anti-marijuana laws, these stories still remain in use today by the government in its anti-drug campaigns and reports.

Recreational use or medical use? Either way, should marijuana be legal? At this time, marijuana is banned under the federal law, but efforts to remove the ban have been mixed. Some states have already legalized marijuana for both uses and some have legalized it for medical use. Although, a lot of states have no legalization at all. Supporters of marijuana legalization argue that possessing marijuana should not be a crime punishable with jail time or heavy fines. Opponents argue it is simply not true that marijuana is a harmless and non-addictive drug (Infobase Learning).

The legalization of marijuana has been a heated topic of debate for many years. In 1937, the United Sates of America passed the Marijuana Tax Act, which made transfer or possession of cannabis (marijuana plant) illegal throughout the US under federal law. Studies conducted throughout the years have proven that cannabis can be utilized as a medical supplement. In fact 20, states and the District of Columbia have passed laws to legalize marijuana under certain medical conditions. According to the White House, it is the most commonly used recreational drug in the United States. It has been proven to be less harmful than alcohol, which is currently

Marijuana legalization is an issue many people have different opinions. Some people believe marijuana should be legalized, but some people are against legalization of marijuana . Supporters of marijuana try to convince the government different ways to legalize marijuana. I was watching the news the other day on TV about marijuana legalization. In San Francisco, some people were smoking marijuana in front of the camera and uploading videos on the internet . The reason for putting videos on internet because they think California should legalize marijuana. They believe that legalizing marijuana will create more jobs, help the economy and increase money for our nation. They also believe that it will be safe to use

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