Persuasive Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

In New York City, one of our largest cities in the United States, if you are caught with marijuana it is punishable by law. An arrest for possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana in a public place is classified as criminal possession of marijuana in the 5th degree a Class B misdemeanor punishable by 3

According to Jessica Atkins many crimes in several states are increasing due to the “selling and possession” of the substance. Atkins also pointed out that marijuana is a “natural herb” and it is extremely less dangerous than any other illegal substance. With that being said many also worry about parents who also consume this drug and the effects it would have on their children. Dr. Melanie Dreher conducted many experiments and has inferred that children who are born to marijuana consuming parents show no factors of birth defects, also the child tends to be more intelligent than children not born to marijuana consuming parents. There is also a lot of benefits towards consuming medical marijuana also, it can benefit anyone who has a mental illness and could also help a woman's pregnancy with decreasing the sense of nausea and vomiting. Marijuana is a very controversial topic especially legalizing it but people need to realize that there are substances that are killing many people today that are completely legal under the federal law and it is injustice to keep a drug that has many benefits and could help people

Marijuana is a schedule I substance, meaning that it has the potential for abuse and no accepted medical treatment options in the United States. Already, twenty-four states have legalized some form of cannabis. The majority of those states have just legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes; however recreational marijuana is fully legal in Alaska, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and the District of Columbia. In Texas, it is illegal to possess, sell, transport, and grow marijuana. According to the Texas Controlled Substance Act, possession of 2oz or less of marijuana is a misdemeanor with a jail sentence of up to 180 days. However, Texas officials are now working to create a framework for the

Prior to, and after, Texas’s initial legal decision, the United States government was enacting a flurry of policies directed at eliminating the drug from within the country. These measures included, but were not limited to, the Marijuana Tax Act, Narcotics Control Act, and Controlled Substances Act. Naturally, the substantial pressure of the federal level continued to trickle down to the states, and paved the way for Texas’s current Marijuana policy. According to the Texas Health and Safety Code, Marijuana is defined as “...any Cannabis Sativa plant...the seeds of the plant, and any preparation of the plant such as a joint or a package containing dried and shredded buds.” The consequences of being discovered with the drug vary, and are dependent upon the quantity is that is found. The lowest penalty level is a Class B Misdemeanor, and requires that the individual have had less than two ounces upon them at

A small percentage marijuana in the United States was grown domestically. A lot of it smuggled into the United States from Mexico. 40 to 67 percent of Marijuana in the United States is from Mexico (Joffe-Block). Marijuana is smuggled into the United States by a series of gangs and usually sold to U.S citizens by associates and relatives of those gangs.

The consequences of being arrested for marijuana possession can vary. In the early 1970s, possession of small amounts of marijuana was legal in 11 states. A person found in possession of marijuana, might face a fine; but he or she would not be arrested or prosecuted. On the other hand, a third offense for possession of one ounce of marijuana may result in up to 20 years in prison in Louisiana. The maximum sentence for a first-time offense of distributing one pound of marijuana is life in prison in Montana and Oklahoma. Whereas in New Mexico, the penalty for a first-time offense of distributing thousands of pounds of weed is about three years.

Side effects of Marijuana does not hold any real danger compared to pharmaceutical drugs. There has never been a record of marijuana over-dosed. One known side effect is the short-term interference with attention, judgment and balance. Another side effect includes change in mood, altered sense of time, and altered sense such as seeing brighter colors. Mental illnesses in some users includes temporary hallucinations and temporary paranoia.

To begin with, marijuana isn’t as harmful as once thought. According to Welch and Loria, in the article “23 Health Benefits of Marijuana,” there are many more benefits to consuming marijuana that science has tested and proven. One benefit of marijuana is for individuals that have the eye disease Glaucoma. This disease increases pressure inside the eye that causes fluid buildup in the trabecular meshwork. The pressure causes damage to the ocular nerve that can lead to blindness. THC, the active chemical in marijuana, lowers intraocular pressure in the eye that slows the progression of Glaucoma and prevents blindness in the individual. Marijuana also stops the spread of cancer. Cannabidiol, CBD for short, is a chemical in marijuana that binds to a gene called Id-1 and shuts it off. The Id-1 cells are breast cancer cells that replicate and spread cancer throughout the body. Within an effective amount of time, these cells spread throughout the body and replicates, causing other cells to mutated as cancer cells. So by effectively stopping the replication of Id-1, marijuana stops the spread of cancer.

Marijuana, often called weed, pot, cannabis and many others originates all the way back to 2727 b.c. according to deamuseum.org. The first record on this was with the Chinese emperor Shen Nung. However Greeks and Romans were also very familiar with marijuana around 1545. Some of them probably got addicted.

For instance, marijuana has many negative effects on the body. Some long-term effects of marijuana are damage to the brain, heart, lungs and immune system. For example, marijuana use only allows the brain to focus on single tasks or thoughts, and it affects the heart by increasing the risk of major cardiovascular

The cannabis plant has been around for thousands of years since the 3rd millennium BCE in countries such as China and India. The plant grows in tropical and humid parts of the world and it was used as a medicine, and in some cases was turned into a holy oil. In the year 1545, the cannabis plant spread west and the Spaniards imported to Chile to use it as a fiber. In North America, cannabis was in the form of hemp and farmers grew it on plantations so that they could use it to make rope, clothing, paper, and it was also turned into oil to be used in paint. Just after the year 1900, cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, became illegal shortly after the Mexican Revolution. During the hearings, the claims stated that marijuana had the ability

So, to start off let’s delve into some of the history surrounding marijuana. Marijuana has been known of, and used for centuries, even going as far back as to 2737 B.C china. The Chinese would often use it for medical purposes, primarily towards malaria, gout, and even absent-mindedness. It wasn’t just the Chinese though, during the twelfth century weed started to grow in popularity in many other countries

Side effects include reduced IQ, poor school performance (and more likely to drop out), greater change of being unemployed, and antisocial behavior. People are more likely to commit crime while under the influence of marijuana. Along with social problems, weed also is not good for your body. It is a common misconception that marijuana smoke is less harmful than tobacco, however they both cause lung taring. Marijuana inhale more deeply that tobacco users, leading to greater lung tarring exposure. These damages to the lungs can cause chronic bronchitis, coughing, and wheezing. Not only the lungs are affected, the brain also obtains long term deterioration therefore decreasing the nervous system’s efficiency, along with the immune system being impaired, leaving you to a greater risk of

Because the United States government has put marijuana on the top of it’s list of the most dangerous drugs, the consequences of marijuana use and distribution can be momentous. In states that heavily enforce marijuana laws such as Louisiana, one can find himself facing serious jail time for possessing or selling marijuana. In fact, if you are caught growing or selling any amount of marijuana in Louisiana a

Marijuana has been present in this country as far back as 1545, when the Spanish first brought it here. 66 years later, the English arrived with pot in Jamestown in 1611, where it became a major commercial crop, and it eventually replaced in the American south by cotton. Marijuana was a principal crop at Mount Vernon and a secondary crop at Monticello. Today in America, marijuana is used in medicine, as well as an recreational activity. Studies have proven that smoking marijuana has no negative long term effects on the body, nor was it proven to be addictive, and it is slowly becoming legal across America. Interestingly, in 1900 there were way more Americans addicted to drugs than there were in the 1960s or today. Studies showed that two to five percent of the population were drug addicts in 1900.