The Blunt Truth About Marijuana

The decriminalization of marijuana is an incredibly controversial topic in the United States. Conservative views deem the drug dangerous and debilitating, while reformers suggest that legalizing the plant would have an enormous positive impact on the economy. While others, the terminally ill, wish for the plant to be legal so it can be offered as a less toxic and sometimes more effective alternative to harsh prescription drugs. an overwhelming wealth of facts that state the benefits marijuana can have medically.

Marijuana, the plant of the cannabis, has been around since the early 1900’s. Throughout history, marijuana has been used illegally, for both recreational and medical uses. Recently, marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes, like aiding HIV/AIDs patients, healing migraines and controlling nausea caused by chemotherapy. Today, there are currently 21 American states that have legalized medicinal marijuana including two states that have legalized recreational marijuana. Since December of 2007, the economy has been declining, the unemployment rate has been increasing and the value of money has been inflating. The legalization of marijuana can help solve both medical and economical conflicts.

Cannabis Sativa, more commonly known as Marijuana, is made up of dried parts of the Cannabis hemp plant and is the most commonly used illegal drug in the United States. For centuries, people all over the world have been using marijuana to achieve “euphoria”, but the drug has remained illegal in the United States despite countless efforts to reverse the law. In the last few years, the legalization of Marijuana became both a prominent and controversial issue in our country and remains an extremely touchy subject. Despite its short term effect of distorted perceptions and memory impairment, Marijuana has several pro’s that can not only help individuals but could benefit our country as a whole. These “pros” include medical use, a boost in our

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

The decriminalization of marijuana has been a great issue and has contributed to the arrests of thousands. In Jon Gettman’s article, “Arrests, Usage, and Related Data,” he reports on the reasons for arrests in California. Gettman asserts that, “Marijuana arrests in California have increased from 61,375 in 2003, to 74,024 in 2007.” This suggests that law enforcement has focused on this issue immensely, and it has proven to affect many lives. It goes to show that the arrests for marijuana possession are only increasing as the years go by as well. Gettman also claims that, “Marijuana possession arrests accounted for 80% of all marijuana arrests in California during 2007”(Gettman).This suggests that so many people have a marijuana offense on their record for simply having it, and not being caught using it. If marijuana is legalized, as much as 80% of these users would no longer face arrests as possessing marijuana would no longer be a crime. In his article, “California Arrested Nearly Half a Million People for Pot over the past Decade,” Christopher Ingraham also stresses that although an effort to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana in 2011 was made, thousands are still getting arrested for it. Many are getting arrested for misdemeanors and felonies. The perfect records of many are being destroyed

Cannabis has been used for over 6000 years without its legality being questioned until the 1930's when the United States Government criminalized its possession. Now seventy years later, its prohibition is being reconsiderat both State and Federal levels of the government. The push for legality has never had as much support as it does now, with the legalization of medical marijuana in 20states, decimalization in 16 states, and 2 states that allow commercial cultivation, manufacture, and sale of cannabis. An overwhelming majority of the United States population,including me, see the legalization of cannabis as a profitable and harmless idea.

Throughout America, the legalization of Marijuana has sparked a mark of controversy. Major states such as California and Nevada legalized Marijuana for medical purposes. Although cannabis has been linked to harmful effects in recent history, it’s true effects are slowly resurfacing with new ideas. Unfortunately, heavy criticism arises as the stereotypical view of the “pot smoker” still associates. The pot smoker was seen as an unproductive and uneducated individual in society, exposed by propaganda and assumptions created by private interests who intent to make cannabis illegal for their own benefit. With personal background of cannabis, marijuana should be legalized for all uses.

Marijuana is a well known drug that a lot of people have used either by smoking, or remedial way. There are many names use for it, such as weed, mary-jane and grass. Marijuana is one of the most debate and controversial issue; it has been an extensive debate with a valid argument in the United State today. Arguments for legalizing marijuana are not just an easy pros and cons argument in both national and local media. There have been growth rates of marijuana use among adults and youth in the United States, and this have made the headlines. There are different approaches and opinion to each arguments. There are three main arguments, the medicinal use, recreational, and the government enforcement. However, there are many positive points to support

In recent years, marijuana has been at the center of a hot debate (Ferner 4). The prohibition of marijuana, first effective in 1937, was based on myths and bad scientific information (Nathan 2). Prohibition has caused millions of dollars to be thrown away on jailing people for using a substance safer than alcohol (Ferner 3). Even in its illegal state, marijuana has been proven to be an effective medicine and is already medically legal in a few states (Szalavitz 2). Legalizing marijuana could produce many positive benefits, both medically and monetarily.

Although drugs like cocaine, tobacco, alcohol, and methenfetime are all well known, none of these drugs have the political charge that marijuana has. During the past few years, frequent headlines of states such as Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Vermont, Massachusetts, and Nevada legalizing the drug for recreational and medicinal use (“State Medical Marijuana Laws.”), despite federal law banning the drug since May 1st, of 1971 (Gabay par. 1). However, despite where one may stand regarding whether or not marijuana should be legalized, there is no denying that marijuana is potentially harmful, just like any other drug, due to the addictive properties of the drug, and its ability to damage various bodily systems, especially the brains

The debate regarding the legalization of marijuana has been controversial for decades. Advocates for the legalization of the drug have argued of the supposed benefits of consuming marijuana, such as medicinal purposes. However, the dangers of marijuana are well known by the scientific community and society. Diseases, deterioration in psychological function, vehicle accidents, and paranoia are among negative consequences. All from a product that has revealed no benefit. For most conditions for which marijuana has claimed benefits, we already have existing safe medications. Marijuana should be illegal because it unhealthy for relationships, it’s opposes dangers for public safety, and lack of medical evidence.

Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America behind only alcohol and tobacco, and is estimated that nearly 80 million Americans use it at least one occasion.   According to government surveys, some 20 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 11 million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use. Being used for medicinal purposes or simply for recreational, there are not only laws to consider when the topic of legalization comes up but also ethical concerns as well. For this paper I will outline some of the uses for this drug and some of the benefits of its use. I will apply the

Due to the elevated desire of marijuana in the United States, “advocates think legalization reduces crime, raises tax revenue, lowers criminal justice expenditures, improves public health, bolsters traffic safety, and stimulates the economy” (Dills, et al.). Twenty-eight states have now been legalized for medicinal use of marijuana; of those twenty-eight states, six states have also legalized recreational marijuana. Marijuana is described as “The dried leaves and female flowers of the hemp plant, used in cigarette form as a narcotic or hallucinogen” (“Definition of Marijuana”). The overall effects of marijuana on the brain and body, the difference between recreational and medicinal marijuana and how marijuana has stimulated the economy and the role of government in the legalization of marijuana are all reasons why marijuana should be legalized in the United States.

Cannabis is becoming increasingly widespread and increasingly common in modern-day society for both recreational use and for medication. The article by Craig Reinarman, ‘Criminalisation, legalisation and the mixed blessing of medicalisation in the USA’ generates many controversial issues of cannabis.

Probably one of the oldest and most controversial debates of the 21st century has to legalizing marijuana. Marijuana is a popular recreational drug and illegal in most states of America. However, a vast majority of the American people believe it is not harmful in anyway, especially compared to alcohol or tobacco, yet the government still deems it illegal. Those who partake in the act of smoking marijuana have no negative comments towards the drug, while the people who oppose legalizing it have no accurate knowledge of the effects of the drug. Marijuana, in my opinion, should be legalized. In order to persuade my audience to favor in my opinion, I will provide valid evidence of how marijuana causes very little harm to people’s health and how