Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

First, from 1900 to 1940, marijuana, including opium and cocaine were considered part of everyday drugs. As time went on, the U.S. cracked down on crack and opium, eventually outlawing them, but continued to be very “loose” with the use of marijuana. Hoxter a weed smuggler explains how he began in the 1960’s trying weed and years later saw himself unloading four hundred pounds of pot in Vancouver. The story of this man ends in his isolation and argument of why he couldn’t smoke weed even if he stopped selling? He asked a parole officer and she didn’t know what to respond. It is true what Hoxter states, fifty years ago alcohol was illegal and now it’s not, was it bad then? Will weed be legalized? And will the conflicts have been in vain? (Schou 8). Around the late 90’s and early 2000’s, scientific studies started to produce jaw-dropping results. Scientists started to discover that marijuana can significantly help people who have become ill. Medical Marijuana has been tested to help people with cataracts, cancer and severe depression (Zeese 1999). With this new worldwide discovery, the argument about medical marijuana ignited. States wanted to only make medical marijuana legal so it may help sick people, but the government did not want any form of marijuana legal. The law that was known throughout the United States was any form of marijuana was illegal. But now with this new discovery, doctors in states across the country want the

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.

About thirty years into the nearer future, Americans rediscovered marijuana as a result of the notorious alcohol prohibition of the 1920s when “people looking for oblivion from their own troubles turned to a new way of getting high.” Consequently and realistically, America can only blame itself for marijuana’s recreational popularity, seeing as “from 1850 to 1945, the … plant was listed in the United States Pharmacopoeia.” Almost a decade after the alcohol prohibition ended is when marijuana was first perceived “as a dangerous, addictive, ‘gateway drug’” by the United States Federal Bureau of Narcotics. Then, “in 1970, the Controlled Substances Act was passed … [which] classified marijuana, [alongside Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (LSD)] and heroin, as a Schedule I drug, meaning that [the drug] had a high risk of abuse [with] no acceptable medicinal use.” Within the following decade, “marijuana use in the United States declined,” then once again escalating among youth in the nineties. Meanwhile in modern-day India, people are still practicing marijuana medicinally, and exploring what advantages the “dangerous” drug has to offer (Chapter 2: The History of Marijuana 18-31).

At some point in the not-too-distant future, America will confront the question of whether or not to legalize the use and cultivation of marijuana. A recent poll shows that support for legalization has reached its highest level since the question was first asked thirty years ago, with 34 percent supporting a liberalization of policy. Among political elites there is a growing consensus that the harsh penalties imposed on those who grow, use, and sell marijuana are disproportionate to its harmful effects. Even among conservatives, opinion seems to be shifting. Whether the change should be welcomed is another matter.

Marijuana use is not uncommon in the United States of America. “In 1996, 68.6 million people— 32% of the U.S. population over 12 years old had tried marijuana or hashish at least once; 5% were current users” (Joy, Watson, and Benson 137). In the beginning of the twentieth century, marijuana was legal in all of the states until 1915 where California chose to criminalize use of the drug in twenty states by 1931. Moberly and Hartsig believed the regulation for marijuana came about for three reasons: “racial prejudice; an assumption that marijuana would be used as a substitute for narcotics and alcohol; and publicity surrounding the 1925 Geneva Convention’s attention to marijuana” (415). Then, in 1996, California

For the past fifty years, the public has been fed incorrect information about marijuana’s risks by law enforcement and anti-drug groups. Time has changed, because Colorado and Washington State became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, this has arose the possibility of a rippling effect across the nation. Now, many states such as Oregon and Alaska are voting on this issue. Although medical researchers have claimed that marijuana may help patients and the drug is not as dangerous as informers noted before, legalizing the drug will create a downfall to society by expanding its accessibility to our future generation. Not only will expose our youth to more harmful drugs, but it will also endanger the safety of our community.

Today, the idea of marijuana (cannabis) being legalized has created major controversy within the United States. In the article, “Legislation to Legalize Marijuana Discussed,” Paul J. Nyden discusses the legislation of the legalization of marijuana use, especially for medical purposes. Nyden presents several reason’s to support his thesis, but the main issue is, should supporters of marijuana legislation in West Virginia back various reform laws saying they could offer people medical help, create new state tax revenues, cut prison cost, and enhance an industry already booming underground (Nyden). Some ideas used in Nyden’s article stating most people even delegates like Mike Manypenny, and D-Taylor backing the

According to USA Today, on average, there is about 700,000 people arrested annually on marijuana-related charges (Smith). Because of this, the topic of marijuana, specifically legalizing marijuana, has been on the minds of many Americans. Some of the American population does not see marijuana as an issue because they think it is not as harmful as some other drugs. On the other hand, scientists, doctors, and the rest of Americans view marijuana as a dangerous drug that should stay illegal because of the harmful effects that it can have on a person. Negative views of marijuana present themselves in New York Times articles through the idea that it can have harmful effects on the body. These negative views about marijuana have stayed the same because of the constant concern over physical and mental repercussions for those who use it.

But what initiated marijuana to become prohibited? The journey of marijuana problems started in 1937 when the Marijuana Tax Act was successfully passed starting the regulations of possession, cultivation, importation and distribution of marijuana. This made the path of obtaining marijuana more complicated, which ultimately according to Musto “The regulations for its use by physicians were so complicated that possibly no general physician has legally prescribed it since 1937.” Despite that later on in 1970 the Controlled Substances Act was passed which made marijuana fully illegal and unobtainable in any pharmaceutical place. Which brings up the question of why is it becoming legal now?

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.

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

“There’s nothing new about cannabis, of course. It’s been around humankind pretty much forever. In Siberia charred seeds have been found inside burial mounds dating back to 3000 B.C. The Chinese were using cannabis as a medicine thousands of years ago. Marijuana is deeply American too—as American as George Washington, who grew hemp at Mount Vernon. For most of the country’s history, cannabis was legal, commonly found in tinctures and extracts” (Sides). This is how the national geographic article “Science Seeks To Unlock Marijuana’s Secrets” by Hampton Sides was opened. Very good opening sentences that provide a good idea of marijuana and a little history on it as well. There are many problems in todays society, but the argument of

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 ).

Many states have started the process of decriminalizing marijuana and taking away the criminal offense associated with marijuana usage. The idea of making marijuana a legal drug is a cause for concern for many people. Especially, those who believe that using marijuana will cause more reckless and criminal behavior. Looking at research, there are other sides to the argument that recognize methods in which marijuana could be decriminalized with lower repercussions. Regarding the argument of decriminalizing marijuana, this paper will focus on the reasons for decriminalization and setting adequate and safe restrictions.

Drugs are heavily used throughout the entire world. However, it is important to understand and not undermine the variability in which drugs are used. It is clear some are for distinct medical treatment and others are for recreational use. In the United States, marijuana has been and continues to be a very controversial drug. Some states have allowed marijuana consumption for medicinal purposes, while others have completely outlawed the drug. Those who are against the legalization and regulation of marijuana suggest the economical and health risk associated with consumption of the drug are too high. Although there is risk involved with the legalization of the marijuana, our country has already been risking too much banning the drug.