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Essay on Marijuana

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Marijuana

Marijuana is a drug that has been used for thousands of years. Marijuana was used in ancient China, as far back as 5000 B.C. The Incan's and Mayan's used marijuana in religious ceremonies. Marijuana also has roots in this country. The Indians of the plains used marijuana in their peace pipes as a sign of friendship and peace. After prohibition there was a sharp rise in the use of this drug in America, but after prohibition was repealed the use went down. In the 1920's and 30's the use of marijuana was primarily by the minorities. In the 1930's it was common belief that minorities where inhumane and violent, and people believed that marijuana was part of the cause. Then in 1937 marijuana was declared illegal. This …show more content…

Marijuana has a positive effect on patients with certain diseases. AIDS victims are sometimes prescribed marijuana to help increase their appetite. Victims of AIDS do not want to eat and thus they do not get the nutrients they need. Marijuana helps them to eat, and thus enabling them to get the nutrients they need. Marijuana also helps to increase the appetite in cancer patients. People who get glaucoma's also use marijuana. It helps to ease the pain for many glaucoma patients. Marijuana is very helpful to these people. This is just one example of why marijuana prohibition should be reconsidered. When comparing tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana, there is evidence that marijuana has the least addictive power. During the Nixon administration, the government concluded that marijuana did not posses any physically addictive traits. The University of California did a study on the power of heroin, cocaine, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and marijuana in terms of power to induce psychological dependence. Nicotine was first, marijuana last. Marijuana was deemed least likely to produce signs of withdrawal upon quitting, and last in terms of producing a physical tolerance to the drug. Marijuana is less addictive than two legal drugs in this country. This does not make sense, and so prohibition should be reconsidered. The United States government spends too much money each year on prohibition of marijuana. The

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