Marijuana in The United States
Marijuana is a plant and drug that has been in America ever since the colonists came over in the 1700’s, and like anything that has been around for that long the perceptions of it change over time as a society’s social values and beliefs change. Today in America marijuana is mostly illegal except for medicinal purposes in some states and for a few states who have legalized marijuana completely. In this paper I will be discussing three major topics about marijuana in the United States. The first topic that I will be talking about is the legality of marijuana and how the laws and out look of it have changed over time. The second topic I will be talking about is the impact that marijuana has and the risks and benefits that can come from it. The last topic I will be talking about is the use of marijuana and how many people are using it and what social groups are using it. There are many varying opinions on Marijuana from people of all cultures and backgrounds, and since America is a cultural melting pot the discussion about Marijuana has never been larger.
Legality
Marijuana has been a controversial issue lately when it comes to whether or not it should be legal or illegal. Historically in America marijuana was was not always very well received going all the way back to when it was made illegal in the early 1900’s because Mexican immigrants were bringing it in to America and some people believed that it made whoever used it to become and act
The truths about marijuana are slowly starting to resurface, the government keeps ignoring that cannabis could one day be as powerful for the U.S. Unfortunately, these truths about marijuana are under a lot of criticism because of the stereotype of what people see as a "marijuana or cannabis smoker." There is a great difficulty in this law because marijuana is still recognized as a harmful and dangerous substance in some states. This can cause problems because each state has their different views and opinions on the matter, and have their own rules and how the rules apply towards it. The twenty-six states and the District of Columbia currently have laws legalizing marijuana in some form, but California, Massachusetts, and Nevada just passed the law for recreational use. The states that have medical marijuana and recreational legalization are Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Nevada, and Alaska. The states that only have medical marijuana legal are Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Arkansas, New Mexico, Arizona, Hawaii (Ingraham). However, legalizing marijuana could have some benefits instead of being a drug with some bad reputations. Marijuana should be legalized because of medical reasons, safety reasons, and have some benefits to society.
Willie Nelson once said, “I think people need to be educated to the fact that marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is an herb and a flower. God put it here. If He put it here and He wants it to grow, what gives the government the right to say that God is wrong?”
Ever since marijuana’s introduction to the United States of America in 1611, controversy of the use and legalization of the claimed-to-be Schedule I drug spread around the nation. While few selective states currently allow marijuana’s production and distribution, the remaining states still skepticize the harmlessness and usefulness of this particular drug; therefore, it remains illegal in the majority of the nation. The government officials and citizens of the opposing states believe the drug creates a threat to citizens due to its “overly-harmful” effects mentally and physically and offers no alternate purposes but creating troublesome addicts hazardous to society; however, they are rather misinformed about marijuana’s abilities. While
Marijuana is not a recent discovery, but the mysteries surrounding the controversial topic in question remains to be disputed since its prohibition. Classified as an illegal substance, cannabis has been restricted in Canada and around the world. Marijuana is a complex drug and its contradictory claims of medical purposes, and harmful destruction, fuel the debate on whether or not the legal constraints of consuming marijuana should be reconsidered. In consideration of academic journals and news article, citizen welfare, economy benefit, social progression and legal system implications, will be focused on. Despite opposing beliefs, prohibiting the recreational usage of marijuana does not counteract the dangers of the practise thus legalizing marijuana in Canada will allow greater benefit than harm.
Marijuana is a substance that has become very much a part of American culture. Nearly 65 million Americans have either used it occasionally or regularly. The use of marijuana hit mainstream America about thirty years ago and it has been accepted by a large segment of society ever since (Rosenthal 16). The debate on whether this substance should be legalized or not remains a very hot topic today. Despite government efforts
Marijuana, the most abused drug in America, has had a lot of publicity recently. Marijuana has caused multiple economic problems within the U.S. A controversial question has arisen from the increased popularity and troubles of this drug. The question is whether or not the U.S. government should legalize marijuana possession and sale in the country. Many Americans believe that the drug should be legalized for various reasons; others, however, are against the legalization of the dangerous drug. While legalization has both pros and cons, the positives of legalizing marijuana for those people over the age of twenty-one far outweigh the negative aspects of legalization.
In 2000, the citizens of Colorado voted in an amendment to the Colorado constitution allowing for the legalization of medical marijuana. However, the amount of licensed medical marijuana card holders was small until 2009, when the U.S Attorney General gave the prosecution and legalization of marijuana over to the states. After this, the number of medical marijuana licenses increased greatly in Colorado. Then, in 2012, the sale of recreational marijuana was legalized in Colorado, to all those over the age of 21, and retail stores began selling marijuana in 2014 (Monte). Public opinion on Marijuana is generally divided fifty-fifty across the United States. Some are strictly against its legalization, even for medical use, and want to see it harshly punished, while others would like to see it as readily available to the public as alcohol and cigarettes. However, in Colorado, one is able to see how the public opinion changes after marijuana’s legalization, as well as the changes in public health and usage of marijuana. Due to intergovernmental relations between the state and federal governments, governmental competition, and the cannabis laws passed by Colorado, the actions of the government have a great impact on the public’s approval of marijuana use, and the amount the public uses it.
The word "marijuana" has been a concerned topic in almost every American home today. Marijuana, whose botanical name is cannabis, has been used by humans for thousands of years. It was classified as an illegal drug by many countries in the 20th century. Over the past two decades, there has been a growing movement to legalize marijuana, primarily for medical purposes. Opposing views on the subject of decriminalizing the plant has caused much controversy over the past twenty years and still remains an important issue. The legalization of marijuana in the United States would drastically reduce crime in our cities and help reduce some of the national debt through its
The plant is believed to haveoriginated from the mountainous region of India. It is also believed that 80% of cannabis entering the UK comes from Morocco, and the herbal form comes from Jamaica. Cannabis contains more than 400 chemicals. The main psycholoactive ingerdient id delta-9-tetahydrocannabinol, or ‘THC’.
Marijuana, the most abused drug in America, has had a lot of publicity recently. Marijuana has caused multiple economic problems within the U.S. A controversial question has arisen from the increased popularity and troubles of this drug. The question is whether or not the U.S. government should legalize marijuana possession and sale in the country. Many Americans believe that the drug should be legalized for various reasons; others, however, are against the legalization of the dangerous drug. While legalization has both pros and cons, the positives of legalizing marijuana for those people over the age of twenty-one far outweigh the negative aspects of legalization.
The use of marijuana for medical purposes and personal use can be recorded as far as 12,000 years ago. Marijuana is classified as a schedule 1 drug. Schedule 1 drugs are drugs are drugs that have the potential for abuse (Drug Scheduling,2016). The government contains the high-level drugs, this is the reason we have pharmacies. Pharmacies are regulated so that people can not get medicine that can be easily abused. Pharmacies require a medical prescription from a certified doctor for any drug that could be used improperly. Marijuana should be in the same category as prescription drugs because, like any medicine/drug it can be easily abused. Decriminalizing marijuana is not helping millions of people that could benefit from its medical benefits from legalizing it. Even though legalized marijuana may result in an increase in black-market drug trade, marijuana should be legalized because its sale could benefit the economy and can also be used for medical purposes.
Weed, bud, ganja, chronic, dro, herbs, grass, trees, pot, reefer; these are all names of the one drug that causes so much dispute, marijuana. Loved by so many, and hated by the law. It’s a two sided argument which everyone has their own opinion on. Is there any specific reason why weed should be illegal, or is the government just making money from catching people with it? Is there any real medical purpose for marijuana, or is it just a gateway drug for kids? These are the questions everyone should know the answers to. Whose side are you on?
Should marijuana be legalized for recreational or medical use? This is a debate that has been happening for quite some time and this is not just a debate that is happening among people. There are many that have taken sides including medical personal and government officials. Currently in the United States there are two states in which recreational use of marijuana is legal; Colorado and Washington. There are three states currently that have pending legislation to legalize recreational use; California, Maine, and Oregon. On the other hand there are 21 states in which medical use of marijuana is legal; Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New
It is heavily debated as to whether or not marijuana should be legalized. There are numerous reasons for and against legalizing marijuana, some say that the government can tax it, some say that it helps with certain medical conditions. People also say that it is not a gateway drug and does not lead to drug abuse. Then there is the question of should we legalize it now even though there is no way to test the levels in your blood at a routine police stop. There are some really good points as to why marijuana should be legalized and some good reasons as to why it should not be legalized, the truth is that people are going to smoke marijuana whether it is legal or not.
Marijuana is a cannabaceae plant, which has always been associated with negative connotations until recently, when it has been discovered that this plant may be used to cure diseases and improve a country economy. Thus, the American opinion is split on the question of “Marijuana Legalization”. In fact, a survey undertaken by CNN/ORC International Poll states that 55 % of Americans believe that the use of marijuana should be legal, while only 44 % think it should be illegal (CNN). I also share the American majority opinion since there is some evidence that marijuana yields positive results.