Legalizing Marijuana

There are many controversial topics being discussed in the United States today. Some will have more of an impact than others. Some you may have never even heard of. One of the major and most controversial topics in my opinion is whether or not marijuana should be legalized in the US. There are many factors that play a role in deciding if marijuana would be beneficial to our country. In this essay we will dig into the positives and negatives of legalizing marijuana and you can decide for yourself if legalizing marijuana is a good idea or not.

Debates over the legalization of marijuana have been around for a long time now. The process to pass a law is long. Marijuana has been legalized in some parts around the country, and in different states in the United States. Several articles have been written, some approving of marijuana and some opposing it. The questions of the approval of marijuana come from a long run of opinions. Written articles have been made to express an individual’s own hypothesis over it. The articles “Why It’s Always Been Time To Legalize Marijuana” by Katrina Vanden Heuvel and “The Real Reason Why Pot Is Still illegal” by Lee Fang go further into detail on the pros and cons for the legalization and also differ into shaping up this argument. The authors of the articles

The cannabis plant (marijuana) has been used medicinally by a variety of cultures around the world. It was used as medicine in the United States until when a new tax fee led to its discontinued use. Congress has voted on several bills to legalize the medical use of marijuana; however none of those bills were passed. In June 2005 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that federal laws against marijuana, including its medical use, are valid. The government has authorized few research studies into the health effects of medical marijuana.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved

The well known debate over the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in The United States has been ongoing since 1935. Recently Colorado and Washington have legalized the use of marijuana for recreational use. By doing so, the legalization of the recreational use of marijuana has become more of an issue than it already was and now brings other states to question whether or not they should legalize marijuana (Breecher). Which brings about the question is the legalization of marijuana for recreational use in Texas a good idea? I believe that legalizing marijuana would be a good idea. Just like the use of alcohol people should be able to choose if they want to use marijuana. Advocates of legalizing the recreational use of marijuana would agree, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana could yield substantial tax revenue, save the government money by decreasing the number of arrests and incarcerations, and quite possibly create a safer driving environment.

SUMMARY: In his article, "Understanding the Impact of Legalized Recreational Marijuana On State Tax Revenue," author Tony Nitti implies that the tax revenue from marijuana sales may not be as hefty as they were expected to be. Nitti develops this implication by calculating the amount of tax dollars necessary to pay for the changes that must be made to support legalized marijuana. The author's purpose is to cause the reader to question what they are being told in order to have a more informed vote.

The United States of America stands as one of the leading territories in the consumption of forbidden

As many of us know, marijuana has been legalized in Washington and Colorado for recreational use. According to polls and predictions, Oregon may be one of the up and coming states to legalize it next. But here comes to question, Should marijuana be legalized? Why or why not? There are many pros and cons to this situation, and they all affect not just our state but our country as a whole. That is exactly why I chose this topic. Since middle school, there has been talk about whether marijuana should be legalized or not. What good or harm will that do? There are two very different sides to this, but both of which make much sense. Now that some states have legalized marijuana, I am interested in seeing what people think about it now. Have things changed or do they remain the same? How has this change affected us both positively and negatively? It’s situations like these that will affect my generation and those to come. That is why it is important to soak in all of the knowledge you can, instead of staying ignorant to these issues.

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

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

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.

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

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

"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

On Tuesday, June 27, the City of Blythe held a commercial cannabis forum to give direction to the city manager on how they wish to proceed with cannabis developers opening up dispensaries in Blythe, while also providing extensive feedback for staff to make the final re-adjustments to the permit application procedures and forms.

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.