The Marijuana Of The United States

In America there are a lot of problems, ranging from violence to obesity. A growing concern of many Americans is the drug “epidemic” with the growth of the war on drugs. Marijuana, throughout history, has been demonized and illegalized, however now a newfound acceptance of the drug is growing rapidly with some states fully legalizing the drug recreationally, and others medically.

Since 1937, when the Marijuana Tax Act was passed, federal law has prohibited the medical and recreational use of Marijuana. This act banned its production and use in all states. In 2012, however, Colorado and Washington legalized recreational use of marijuana, becoming the first states to do so. This was a very controversial decision on the states’ part, and it created a debate between the two levels of government. The main cause was the issues of federalism and supremacy. While under the supremacy clause the federal government's law takes precedence to the state law, there is also a debate on which level of government, federal or state, should handle the issue of marijuana legalization. The complexity of federalism is shown very well here

Cannabis began being outlawed all across the U.S. during the 1900’s and has remained illegal ever since, until recent years when states began legalizing it (huffpost.com). Although many people believe that the reason behind the prohibition of cannabis was based on genuine concern for the possible consequences it may have on the well-being of people if it remained accessible to all, the truth is that the drive behind the U.S.’s prohibition of cannabis was founded on racism. During the early 1900’s cannabis was considered an “ethnic drug” due to the fact that many Mexican immigrants smoked the plant (huffpost.com). With the tension in Western states regarding the migration of Mexicans into the states, laws concerning the use regulation of

The beginning of Texas anti-marijuana laws can be traced back to the city of El-Paso (Drug Policy ORG). Prior to 1914 Texas had no laws concerning the usage or sale of the plant, but then the stories of people using marijuana in Mexico and terrorizing people made their way to El-Paso and the Deputy Sheriff Stanley Good. Deputy Good made it a personal mission of his to get El-Paso to make the substance illegal. The whole basis of his argument is that immigrants from Mexico will come to the Untied States and use the drug and terrorize El Paso. At the time marijuana use was prevalent in the border towns by both Americans and Mexicans but nobody gave it any

"These new Americans brought with them their native language, culture and customs. One of these customs was the use of cannabis as a medicine and relaxant" (Burnett and Reiman). Americans always knew the plant as "cannabis" but Mexicans referred to it as "marijuana." The term "marijuana" was foreign on United States' soil therefore, it raised suspicion and fear amongst not only Texans but Americans as well. Surprisingly, the herb was never illegal during the time period of the massive immigration. However, it was originally used in Texas for medical reasons, such as arthritis but evolved into substance abuse over the next decade or so. As more immigrants came into American territory, so did marijuana. "In an effort to control and keep tabs on these new citizens, El Paso, TX borrowed a play from San Francisco’s playbook, which had outlawed opium... the idea was to have an excuse to search, detain and deport Mexican immigrants" (Burnett and Reiman). Of course, the drug got into the hands of rich white men and since America is known for their free market economy, money started to be made. This turned into the entrepreneurship we know today as drug dealing. Laws were made to help regulate and control the exchange of marijuana. It became illegal during the 1930's."Twenty-nine states carried restrictions on cannabis by 1931" (Rathge). Eventually that's how the old "Say no to drugs" campaign was

Back in the 1900’s when there was a large immigration influx of Mexicans into the U.S., citizens not only saw there was an influx of their customs. This included the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes (Burnett and Reiman, 2014). What most Americans didn’t realize is that it is the same as what they knew as cannabis, which had been used in many medicines for years and was found in may American households. The U.S. had been known to control immigrants by having an excuse to search and deport certain races by outlawing the use of their traditional medicinal drugs, like had been done with Chinese immigrants and the use of opium in San Francisco (Burnett and Reiman, 2014). Texas adopted this way of thought by using marijuana to control Mexican immigrants. Claims were made that marijuana was able to “cause men of color to become violent and solicit sex from white women” (Burnett and Reiman, 2014). From accusation like this, the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 came into being and

“Police officers in Texas claimed that marijuana incited violent crimes, aroused a ‘lust for blood,’ and gave its users ‘superhuman strength.’ Rumors spread that Mexicans were distributing this ‘killer weed’ to unsuspecting American schoolchildren.” With this information 29 states outlawed marijuana between 1916 and 1931. Then the Marijuana Tax of 1937 pretty much banned it nation wide. “During the mid-1970s, virtually all states softened penalties for marijuana possession,” reports The New York Times. However, the federal government continued to cling, as it does today, “to a policy that has its origins in racism and xenophobia and whose principal effect has been to ruin the lives of generations of people.”

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) is an interest group created on January 1995. It’s the biggest organization in the United States with the objective to eliminate the prohibition of marijuana. Their main goal is to gain public support for these non threatening policies as well as gaining influence in Congress. For states to decide on their own marijuana policies without federal interference, so marijuana would be regulated as if it was beer. Thus properly informing the people about its medical and taxation benefits. But in order to overtake their task the MPP is separated into three branches: the MPP, MPP Foundation, and MPP PAC. The MPP and MPP Foundation are the influential branches. While the MPP deals with lobbying and election initiatives;

The history of marijuana in the United States government date back to the origins of the United States government itself. During the 16th century, the mass production of hemp was encouraged by the British government for its fibrous content, which was used for making fabric, ropes, cords, and other items (“Marijuana Timeline” 2014). By 1619, the Virginia assembly passed legislation requiring each household in the colony to cultivate hemp, praising its variety of beneficial uses. Even after the American Revolution, hemp continued to be a large part of the American economy. By mid-19th century, hemp was the third-largest crop in the United States, only exceeded by cotton and tobacco. As technology was developed, however, the need for

Throughout America many people believe marijuana should be legal because it's not bad for you. There are many different theories about this conflict. There are also those people who believe that marijuana is the gateway drug, the drug that takes you to more drugs. This drug can take your life in a heartbeat.

In the article, “The Rise of Legal Marijuana in America”, by the Week.com, studies have shown that marijuana and other legal drugs are having a great impact on society. In most cases, marijuana is causing people to be jailed and to be driving under the influence. Children are accidentally ingesting marijuana, and they have to be hospitalized because of this terrible drug. Many people may argue the legalization of marijuana has given people jobs, and the government has received more money which could go towards school and public places. Yes, this is true, but people can find many more safe and healthy ways to benefit their community.

Furthermore, there are other articles that gave reliable information about the legal status of marijuana. This is important to know because legal ramifications is a very important aspect of the topic. These sources give information pertaining where it is legal and why it is not legal in other states. The article from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov divulged into the legal status. This thoroughly explained how the FDA currently does not approve the drug due to lack of scientific research. It also explained how and why the drug became Schedule 1.

Legalization of marijuana is one of the most controversial topics in American society today. Surveys done by the US Government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive showed that 95 million Americans have used marijuana. There are two opposing sides that have strong stances on whether it should become legal or should remain illegal. We have one side that is anti-marijuana and the other is pro-marijuana. Each side provides valid and strong arguments supporting their views. The purpose of this paper is to carefully examine each opposing side and try to find some way to come to a compromise.

Marijuana, also known as Cannabis is the third most well-liked recreational drug, which only falls behind alcohol and tobacco, in the United States (The Whitehouse, n.d.). Marijuana is made up of dried leaves, plants, stalks, and pits from the hemp plant Cannabis Sativa, which comprises of the mind-altering compound delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in addition to other associated compounds. This plant substance can correspondingly be converged in a resin called hashish or an adhesive black fluid called hash oil. Efforts to legalize marijuana for medication treatment and recreational use in the United States have grown in current years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that marijuana may perhaps

Money is a problem in the marijuana industry. There is too much of it and nowhere for business owners to put it. Oregon set record first-week sales for recreational marijuana, higher than Washington and Colorado markets previously.