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Legalizing Marijuana
Marijuana was declared an illegal drug in the U.S.A. with the passing of the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937 under dubious circumstances.
Since that time numerous studies have shown that the drug is less harmful than tobacco and alcohol. Despite the available evidence and the enormous cost of enforcing the marijuana ban, it is hard to understand why this relatively harmless drug continues to remain illegal in the United States. This essay argues why marijuana should be decriminalized without further delay.
Opponents of legalizing marijuana contend that it is a dangerous drug; this is far from the truth. For example, there has not been a single recorded case of death due to marijuana overdose. On the other hand, a legal intoxicant like alcohol results in the death of about 5,000 persons every year due to overdose. The reason for this is that the ratio of cannabinoids necessary for intoxication is 40,000:1 while that for alcohol is generally between 4:1 and 10:1. ("Answers To ..., " 2005) As such marijuana is one of the least toxic substances and would have to be consumed in physically impossible quantities to prove fatal.
As for the health effects of marijuana, a World Health Organization (WHO) Study, which was scheduled to be published in December 1997 but was suppressed...
(Concar, 1998) In terms of addictiveness too, most studies show that marijuana was less addictive than alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. (Quoted in "Study Compares ..., " 1994)
A common myth about marijuana is that it acts as a 'gateway' drug, i.e., marijuana use leads to use of harder drugs such as heroin or cocaine. This theory is disproved by the fact that after the legalizing of marijuana in Holland in the 1970s, heroin and cocaine use declined markedly, despite a slight increase in marijuana use. If the 'gateway' theory were true, the use of hard drugs should have gone up rather than down. ("Answers to ... " 2005)
Other charges against marijuana, based mainly on prejudiced and unreliable studies, are that it contributes to an escalation in crime and is responsible for increased driving accidents. The linkage between marijuana and crime is absolutely false because, if anything, marijuana actually lessens aggressiveness in the user. Only "driving under the influence of marijuana" could be hazardous but it is far less problematic as drunken driving. (Ibid.)
Enforcing the ban against marijuana in the U.S. costs the tax payers as much…
References
"Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Marijuana Use." (2005). Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. Retrieved on October 1, 2005 from http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/library/mjfaq1.htm
Concar, D. (1998). "High Anxieties." New Scientist. February 21, 1998: Issue No. 2122.
'Marijuana Prohibition Facts." (2004) Marijuana Policy Project Foundation. Retrieved on October 1, 2005 from http://mpp.org/pdf/prohfact.pdf
'Study Compares Nicotine to Other Drugs." (1994). National Drug Strategy Network. Retrieved on October 1, 2005 from http://www.ndsn.org/AUGUST94/NICOTINE.html
Whitebread, C. (1995). "The History of the Non-Medical Use of Drugs in the United States." Schaffer Library of Drug Policy. Retrieved on October 1, 2005 from http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/History/whiteb1.htm
There is much more to the issue and how it is addressed than that (Seamon, 2007). These states are: Alaska California Colorado Hawaii Maine Maryland Michigan Montana Nevada New Mexico Oregon Rhode Island Vermont Washington (Seamon, 2007) Criticisms of Decriminalization Gateway Drug The war on drugs has been in the news for some time now, and marijuana has been included in that war. It continues to be listed as important in the speeches of many politicians, and it continues to be at the forefront of a
Fact 9: Europe's more liberal drug policies are not the right model for America. Fact 10: Most non-violent drug users get treatment, not jail time. (Legalization, 2010). Conclusion There are no benefits for society in the legalization of marijuana. The money from the taxing of the marijuana will end up being use to regulate and enforce the dispensaries. The money to treat the addiction will be another source of lost revenues from the taxation. Increased usage
Already, "lawmakers in at least three states are considering joining the 13 states that have legalized pot for medical purposes. Massachusetts voters last fall decided to decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of pot; there are now a dozen states that have taken such steps." (Crary, 1) And as demonstrated by the Appendix B contained below, there is a clear penetration of legalization in every region of the U.S.,
"As a case in point we may take the known fact of the prevalence of reefer and dope addiction in Negro areas. This is essentially explained in terms of poverty, slum living, and broken families, yet it would be easy to show the lack of drug addiction among other ethnic groups where the same conditions apply." Inciardi 248() Socio-economic effects Legalizing drugs has been deemed to have many socio-economic effects. A study
Marijuana Legalization Marijuana, also known as marihuana, is a drug that is taken from Cannabis sativa, a hemp plant. It is one of the most frequently used and popular drugs in the world along with caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. The United States of America is one of the world's leading producers of marijuana where it is generally smoked and is also referred to as weed or reefer by the citizens ("marijuana"). Marijuana
Marijuana Medical Marijuana: The Interplay between State and Federal Law History of Criminalization The Current War on Drugs Political Issues The legal status of medical marijuana in the United States is something of a paradox. On one hand, federal government has placed a ban on the drug with no exceptions. On the other hand, over one-third of the states have that legalizes the cultivation, distribution, and consumption of the drug for medical purposes. As such, the