All Drugs Should be Legalized in the US Over the past twenty years we have made a tremendous amount of changes in terms of what should be considered legal and illegal substances. For example, we can focus in on one specific drug that has become popular in controversial debates recently, marijuana. Until this point, marijuana was considered illegal. Recently, a handful of states have made the decision to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. To date there has been 23 states that have legalized the use of marijuana in some form. In November of 2012 Colorado and Washington states legalized the use of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes. In a survey conducted in 2013, a Gallup pole showed that …show more content…
They all also contribute to death in their own way. While these drugs contribute to death, whether it be directly such as overdose, or from an accident resulting from the side effect of the drug, many other aspects of our lives can result in death, but we don’t argue to make them illegal. As of 2014 there was an estimated 1,195 deaths due to automobile accidents. Although people have died in automobile accidents, the thought of making driving illegal sounds absurd to most people. Aside from driving, there are annual fatality rates for skydiving, roller-coaster/carnival rides, and snowboarding; If all of these things cause death but are still legal, drug use can also be legal with minor restrictions.
The war on drugs For forty-five years the United States has been battling the prohibition of drugs, but despite intense law enforcement attempts and millions of dollars spent, the “War on Drugs” continues to be fought today. On June 17, 1971 Nixon named drug abuse as “public enemy number one” and declared this long lasting war. On October 27, 1986, Reagan provided $241 million for drug treatment. Despite the large amount of money toward treatment, Reagan contradicted his efforts when he allowed for $97 million to be used toward building new prisons, and when he created mandatory minimum penalties for drug offenses that included at least 10 years
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.
Ferrets are a part of the weasel family. They are closely related to animals like otters, minks, wolverines, and badgers.
Support for marijuana legalization is rapidly increasing throughout the United States. “A slim majority, 53% of Americans, say the drug should be made legal, compared with 44% who want it to be illegal” (Motel). What would change if marijuana was legalized federally in the United States? Would everyone be sane? A lot of things in the United States could happen by legalizing marijuana. There would be less marijuana related crimes. With all the laws that are being passed, would it be harder to tax? Would it benefit the economy? marijuana should be legalized, federally.
Colorado schools have earned $13.6 million of funding in the first five months of 2015 from the recently legalized sale of recreational marijuana. This is a major increase from 2014 with a total of $13.3 million being paid for the entire year. All of this rapidly growing revenue is being generated through the taxes paid by the marijuana sales industry. This substantial sum is a part of an approved excise tax of 15% on wholesale marijuana sales which orders that 15% of the taxes be used strictly for the construction of new schools. This, of course, comes from the total marijuana tax revenue which has already reached over $60 million in 2015 alone as of August. This unprecedented increase in state revenue and school funding is one of the most obvious benefits to the legalization of recreational marijuana.
Legalizing marijuana is the most argumentative issue in United States. It has been discussed for many years. There are many debatable questions that need the final answers such as: Should Marijuana be legalize and taxed? Should medicinal marijuana in all states? Should the issue be addressed at the national or at the state level? Everything has its own pros and cons, so does legalizing marijuana. It can reduce the pain in medical purposes, prevent consumers from consuming marijuana illegally, and develop the United States economic. Marijuana should be legalized in just limited departments, and it should be taxed with high rate because marijuana can seriously bad effect to human’s health when using without controlling, and moreover, the
The legalization of Marijuana in the United States has been a hot controversial topic in the past few years. Marijuana is classified by the Controlled Substance Act as a schedule 1 drug, meaning there are no medicinal benefits and has a high risk of being abused. Marijuana has been illegal since the 1930s, after newspapers falsely exaggerating violence committed by immigrants intoxicated by marijuana. Along with the newly formed Federal Bureau of Narcotics caused marijuana to become illegal based on propaganda.( http://norml.org/component/zoo/category/norml-report-on-sixty-years-of-marijuana-prohibition-in-the-us) Many people still are still unsure if legalizing marijuana is a good idea. Despite this, many states are seeing positive effects since the legalization of marijuana on a state level.
The debate over whether marijuana should be legalized has long troubled many American citizens. There are many political aspects that have to be taken into account when making a big federal decision such as this. However, long before America was even an idea, many cultures had harnessed the plant, and used it for many primitive medical procedures. Within certain states it is legal to use marijuana for medical treatments, but this is a relatively new idea in the United States. However, marijuana was not always deemed an illegal substance and because of its inherent medical value should be legalized at the federal level.
Today, more than 20 states are currently approving the use of Medical Marijuana. Gathering statistical data from Gallup Politics in 2013, 58% of Americans say the drug Marijuana should be legalized, for the first time ever recorded. Gallup had first asked the question of legalization in 1969, when only 12% favored legalization. Had I been included in the study, I likely would have been for the legalization. Medical Marijuana had been used for centuries prior to it becoming illegal, and it is important to know what decided the illegalization of medical marijuana, whether there is currently a benefit of treatment with medical marijuana, and the regulation of Marijuana.
Many people oppose marijuana because it is a schedule I drug and they do not know much about it therefore it is scary to them. Schedule I drugs are drugs that have a high potential for abuse or have no current acceptable medical use. On that list of schedule I drugs are heroin, LSD, marijuana, MDMA or ecstasy, peyote, GHB, psilocybin, quaaludes, khat, and bath salts. There is one drug on that list that does not belong and it is marijuana. Marijuana is still on that list even though some states have already legalized the recreational and medical use of marijuana. I think marijuana should be legalized nationwide for both recreational and medical use. The benefits outweigh any possible risks for the use of marijuana. If marijuana were to be
Although other physician recommended drugs can relieve various illnesses, for some patients these drugs do not relieve their symptoms, as they should (Joy 117). For this type of patient, medical marijuana is an obvious alternative, if only it were legal. The legalization of marijuana is becoming a more polemic debate as several states are, at the very least, decriminalizing it. The decision for legalization is conflicted between whether the drug can provide benefits towards certain medical conditions and also be safe to consume. Marijuana should be legalized for medical uses because it has a broad set of therapeutic effects that are beneficial to certain patients. Two FDA-approved drugs contain a chemical that resides in marijuana, which shows that the side effects of prescription drugs are similar to marijuana. The legalization does not have a negative influence on society, especially teenagers, according to research done with eight states.
Historically, marijuana has been an illegal substance in Canada since 1923, mainly because of the perspective that the harmful consequences of its abuse and its addictive nature outweigh the significant benefits of making it a legal drug. Although laws have evolved as culture and society has evolved, Canada continues to struggle with the decriminalization of marijuana, despite its numerous benefits, it continues to form an archaic boundary line. This essay will discuss: 1) how laws regarding the possession of marijuana have evolved; 2) how public attitudes have changed; and 3) the reasons why current laws should be changed to legalize marijuana.
Marijuana has been illegal since the early 1900s, but not for the reasons most people think. The real reason has nothing to do with its effects on the mind and body. The hemp plant is a danger to oil companies, alcohol, tobacco industries, and many chemical corporations. Their manipulation in the 1900s is the reason people see it as a harmful drug today, when in reality it is a medicine. Given a bad reputation over the years, no one finds the time to do their own research and find out the facts; they simply believe what they’ve been told. Marijuana is illegal because billionaires owning large companies want to remain billionaires, legalizing marijuana could severely cut their profits.
In the United States, there has been a long history of arguing over states’ rights and federal rights due to the vagueness in the language of the Constitution. This has led to different interpretations of laws by those in government positions and continues to be an issue especially when state and federal governments have conflicting laws. Currently, almost every state has legalized the medical use of marijuana to some degree, and 8 states and the District of Columbia have legalized its recreational use. The federal government, however, still states that marijuana is a Schedule 1 Drug. Its status means that the DEA still believes it has no medical use and has high potential for abuse, holding the same status as heroin and LSD. This
Drug use has always remained an issue of controversy as it centers on the health and wellbeing of all human life in our nation. The dynamic of whether we should legalize marijuana for recreational use is evident and typically harmful. The American Academy of Pediatricians has summarized in a statement some of the negative effects stemming from marijuana use for youths. As well as a report from the national Fatality Analysis Reporting System, which has confirmed that consuming marijuana can remain at times more fatal than drinking while under the influence of alcohol. There is also the issue of foodborne illnesses in the edible products involving marijuana sold in Colorado, which has led to either overconsumption, increase in overdoses or both resulting from the use of marijuana. Although, cannabis may be considered a beneficial drug in the medical profession to a point, marijuana used as a recreational drug has serious side effects to individuals and the results can be harmful if misused. Recreational marijuana use has an overabundance of different major side effects that can be potentially dangerous if left to people with a lack of responsibility, and in the hands of human beings with the possibility of self-destruction. Hence, with this powerful ability comes consequences that people fail to think about when mistreatment over a lengthy period by individuals of marijuana use is exceeded, that this drug could result in impairment of judgement, in body parts shutting
Cannabis, formally known as marijuana is a drug obtained from the tops, stems and leaves of the hemp plant cannabis. The drug is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. Only substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are used more (“Marijuana” 1). In the U. S. where some use it to feel “high” or get an escape from reality. The drug is referred to in many ways; weed, grass, pot, and or reefer are some common names used to describe the drug (“Marijuana” 1). Like most drugs, marijuana has a very long history. People have been using the plant around the world for thousands of years. The oldest record of the marijuana plant dates back to 2727 B. C. in China where the plant was used as a medical herb for treating conditions like rheumatism, gout, malaria and even absent-mindedness (“Cannabis, Coca, & Poopy: Nature’s Addictive Plants” 1). Slowly, the plant started spreading around the world. By 1545, cannabis was starting to appear throughout the western worlds. Being introduced to South America by the Spanish to be used as fiber. The crop also had many other common uses around the world. In North America, cannabis was often used to make paper, ropes, clothing and other materials (“The Origins of Cannabis” 1).