Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

This paper will look at the benefits and drawbacks to legalizing marijuana by looking in at Colorado.The state made forty million dollars by taxed marijuana in 2014 alone, also Colorado saved countless millions because of the extremely lower amounts of marijuana arrest and court cases. It is not clear how having new recreational marijuana stores opening will affect the cannabis market, or businesses expanding around them. Gov. John Hickenlooper says that the economy is thriving with record setting numbers of tourists (73.1 million). 49 percent of those tourist said that legal marijuana influenced their decisions to vacation in Colorado. The ER’s in Colorado have also seen a rise in numbers of marijuana related cases and those cases in non-residents have almost doubled. An unexpected situation that arose from legal cannabis was the amount of electricity that is being use to grow the drug. Some cannabusinesses have to go green with solar or wind power. There are many varying views on the effects of legal marijuana have developed in Colorado since marijuana became legal in 2014.

Cannabis has been used as an agent for achieving enlightenment throughout all of time. It is described in an Oriental medical compendium traditionally considered to date form 2737 B.C. It has a long history of being used as a medicinal herb. Its origins spread from China to India and then over into North Africa and could be found in Europe as early as 500 A.D. It was a major crop in the colonial North America. It was extensively grown during WWII.

Marijuana legalization has been a controversial topic requiring a public policy solution in the political realm. There have been various arguments made for and against the legalization of marijuana. There are several states that have legalized marijuana use for medicinal purposes while others have let their guards down completely allowing citizens to use it not only medicinally, but recreationally as well. While the use of marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, there is much discussion by other states regarding policies to support marijuana legalization and many policy makers proactively planning for the possibility

The earliest use of medical marijuana came from ancient China. In 2737 BC, the Chinese emperor, Shennog, wrote a book that included cannabis (marijuana) as a treatment for many conditions. He thought cannabis was helpful for constipation, gout and rheumatism. In the same way, researchers found a second century ancient Egyptian text called the Fayyum Medical Papyrus that is believed to contain the earliest record of using cannabis as a treatment for tumors. Lastly, the ancient Greeks used cannabis to dress wounds and sores on their horses after battle. They also gave it to humans for ear pain and inflammation. The use of cannabis as medicine dispersed throughout Asia, the eastern coast of Africa, Middle east and finally to America.

The legalization of marijuana became a heated political subject in the last few years. Twenty-one states in America have legalized medical marijuana. Colorado and Washington are the only states where marijuana can be purchased recreationally. Marijuana is the high THC level part of the cannabis plant, which gives users the “high” feeling. There is ample evidence that supports the argument that marijuana is beneficial. The government should legalize marijuana recreationally for three main reasons. First, I will present two common arguments against the legalization of marijuana and then refute them. Second, I will explain how there is no proof of harmful effects from marijuana and that there are many health benefits prominent. Third, I will describe how legalization would bring in tax revenue for the government. Finally, I will go into detail on how legalization would decrease crime rates.

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Physicians in the ancient world would prescribe marijuana for childbirth, earaches, headaches and many other pains. Some medical journals from early America even noted suggestions of marijuana seeds and roots for treatment of inflamed skin incontinence and venereal disease.

Marijuana boasts a long and pertinent history of medicinal use, based in the earliest known civilizations. The first recorded use of medical cannabis dates back to 2800 B.C., when the Chinese Emperor Shen-nung used it as a muscle relaxant and painkiller.1 The ancient Egyptians also found medical benefits in cannabis, as evidenced by their usage of it to quell the pangs of childbirth. Numerous other civilizations, including the Assyrians, Persians, Zulu, Spaniards, and countless others, have since established traditional medical applications of cannabis.2 Underlying this historical trend is the simple fact that the medical benefits of marijuana have and continue to serve numerous cultures.

Many scientists, doctors, and patients recognize the medicinal utility of marijuana. However, the federal government opposes passing legislation that would legalize medical marijuana because of its potential to be abused or unregulated. The states are continuously challenging the federal government causing complications in legislation in regards to medical marijuana. Because of its history of medicinal properties and accumulating amounts of state and local legislation, the federal government should decriminalize medical marijuana and legalize its use.

Throughout world history, ranging from 2700 BC China, the United Kingdom Victorian Era, to the cultivation of Western Medicine, the cannabis plant has been commonly used to relieve a wide range of symptoms including nausea, poisoning, nervous disorders, blood clots, ulcers, epilepsy, rheumatism, headaches, and insomnia, as well as to increase appetites ("10,000-Year History of Marijuana

The drug then was used for cases of weakness, constipation, malaria and some mental disorders. (The Truth about Drugs, New York, 2005 pg. 43). Marijuana seems to have spread from China, south and west to India. There it was used for religious ceremonies around 1000 B.C. (The Truth about Drugs, New York 2005, pg. 43). Marijuana became the normal to the people of India. In fact, it was accepted then just as beer and other alcohol beverages are accepted here now in America. It was perfectly normal then for people to come home after a long day of work and relax by smoking or drinking a liquid form of marijuana. (The Truth about Drugs, New York 2005, pg. 43). Marijuana was then traced to be found in Iran, Assyria, Greece, Rome, Egypt and Africa. Marijuana made is debut in Europe around the 1800s. (The Truth about Drugs, New York 2005, pg. 44) In 1839, the British physician W. B. O’Shaughnessy recommended the medical use of marijuana for a variety of illnesses and as a mild intoxicant.( The Truth about Drugs, New York 2005, pg. 44) Many times marijuana could be obtained without a medical prescription. Several common writers of the time wrote documents regarding the effects of marijuana. It is still unconfirmed when exactly did marijuana enter the United States. Many believe the drug was bought by the Spanish during the exploration of the Americas. Some people believe that it was brought over on

Marijuana has a long standing history of being one of the most controversial substances in America. While the history or the Cannabis plant indicates not only acceptance as a useful plant, but even advocated as a source of revenue and medicinal usage, much of the United States government propaganda over the last 100+ years has led Americans to accept very slighted and often false information about the plant and its uses. Based on the origin of the illegalization of marijuana and the inconsistent findings of its effects in comparison to other substances, both legal and illegal, marijuana should be decriminalized and treated as a recreational substance just as alcohol and tobacco are.

As early as 2737 B.C. marijuana was used in China to treat diseases such as gout,malaria, even bad memory. The many uses of marijuana quickly spread, Asians, Africans, Indians were using marijuana for a number of things from earaches to stress relief. Dr. William O'Shaughnessy was he first to popularize medical marijuana in England and America toward the late 18th century, however at the end of the 19th century Americas attitude towards pot came to an end due to most of americans were addicted to morphine and didnt even realize it. In 1914 drug use was made a crime, and a tax was put on them that costed way more than the drug itself. By 1937 marijuana was outlawed by 23 states.In 1996 California was the first state to legalize medical marijuana, many states followed, such as

About 100 years later in the 1930s, Americans were becoming concerned about the use of marijuana. It was mainly used by minorities including Mexican immigrants and blacks and the Anglo-Americans feared it would ‘corrupt’ white society” (Bayer, 2001). This led the passage of many laws to curtail its use. The first of these was pushed by Harry J. Anslinger, commissioner of the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Narcotics. He pressured Washington for federal legislation against the drug and on 2 August 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act was signed (Bayer, 2001). This law did not ban marijuana out-right but it did required growers and buyers to pay a tax on it (Levinthal, 2016). This was only the beginning of a long list of legislations that were passed to

Marijuana has been around the world for thousands of years. The mystical Chinese emperor Shen Neng, introduced the uses of pharmaceutical marijuana ( Earlywine ). Medical marijuana started in China then it moved to Rome for elderly use ( Earlywine ). After Rome start using marijuana for medical reason, the news got out about a new medication and it spread throughout the world (Earlywine ). The ancient Chinese founder of surgery, Hua T’o combined marijuana with alcohol to make an anesthetic, that was used for women giving birth (Earlywine). In 1942 medical marijuana was removed from U.S. pharmacopeia, because it was believed to be harmful ( Joy ). In 1970s, marijuana was illegal and was a controlled substances act ( Joy ).