Essay about Cannabis: United States and Marijuana

Submitted By acpadilla9
Words: 1631
Pages: 7
Open Document
Cannabis Conundrum

It has been eighty years since the twenty-first amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified. The twenty-first amendment repealed the eighteenth amendment, once again making alcohol legal to produce and consume in the United States of America, this marked the only time in United States history that an amendment had been ratified (Rosenberg). Even though more than three-quarters of a century has past, the United States is currently faced with a new dilemma. With the legalization of Cannabis in Washington and Colorado, the rest of the country is now faced with a choice whether to proceed in the footsteps of history or try and keep marijuana growth and consumption illegal. As was the case of alcohol starting in 1919, as is the case with marijuana in 2013. We are now coming into a time much like then, with a severe marijuana usage rate amongst Americans, it is now time to make a drug that has long been illegal, legal again. To combat all of the naysayers toward this recreational drug a different approach must be taken, for there are many benefits to legalizing the drug known by many names such as: Weed, Marijuana, Cannabis, Pot, Chronic, or Dope. The major benefits of legalizing Marijuana are as follows: Marijuana will stimulate and promote the economy, it will have many useful health benefits, and lastly will free up law enforcement dollars and man-hours. As a nation battling out of a recession, something is needed to rebound the economy and catapult job growth any kind of stimuli could help. The Bureau of Labor Statistics points out that there has been a seven to ten percent unemployment rate in the United States during the recession. This rate may not be as bad as the Great Depression, however it’s the largest unemployment rate since World War II. To climb out of the great depression, many institutions, like TVA, were created and many laws were passed, like the legalization of alcohol, to allow this nation to get back on its own two feet. Desperate times, call for desperate measures, Franklin Roosevelt had the burden of creating economic stimuli to better the nation during the thirties, which started with the legalization of alcohol (Rosenberg). What better way to create jobs, increase revenue, or improve the economic standpoint. Since the legalization in Washington and Colorado, the new measure is expected to bring the two states more than five hundred and fifty million dollars combined, with more that 300 economists previously estimating that legalizing pot could save the United States up to fourteen billion dollars a year just in direct marijuana growth and consumption (Bradford, 2012). Not only will taxation drive the economy to try and recover from a monstrous debt that has been accumulating for many years, jobs will start opening up everywhere, albeit from the growers, the transporters, the marketers, advertisers, or sales associates jobs will become more available. AZBusiness Magazine states that when hydroponic marijuana growing supply chain weGrow opens a new store it creates and estimated 75 jobs indirectly (Bradford, 2012). Just out of the four stores that have opened more than 300 jobs have opened up, if legalized the number of jobs would grow exponentially. Money should not be the only reason we should legalize marijuana, however it’s hard to turn down the sheer lopsided numbers that we are faced with. To refer back to prohibition days it was illegal to purchase alcohol unless prescribed by a licensed doctor; there is a very similar process in many states currently in the United States (Rosenberg). Medical marijuana is legal in states such as California and Oregon, so with a prescription one can readily purchase Cannabis at a local “grow shop”. Dave Smith, The International Business Times, points out in an interview with Dr. Lester Grisnspoon, that prescription drugs kill about one hundred thousand people in the world each year. “There are no deaths from cannabis use.
Show More

Related Documents: Essay about Cannabis: United States and Marijuana

Marijuana: Cannabis and 20 th Century Cannabis Essay

Background Cannabis, also known as marijuana is a preparation of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug and as medicine. The principle compound involved is thc. Cannabis has psychoactive and physiological effects when consumed. sources report that minimum amount of THC required to have a perceptible psychoactive effect is about 10 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. Use Contemporary uses of cannabis are as a recreational drug, as religious or spiritual rites, or as…

Words 811 - Pages 4

Drug Trafficking in the United States Essay

DRUG TRAFFICKING IN THE UNITED STATES Rachelle Edwards ENG122 English Composition II Instructor Amanda Price December 10, 2012 Introduction Even though some opponents of legalizing marijuana believe that individuals involved in illegal purchasing and peddling of the cannabis are more likely than average to be involved in other crimes, and that society is safer with marijuana offenders incarcerated. The Southwestern states could benefit even further when these savings are reinvested…

Words 2071 - Pages 9

Essay on Marijuana Issue mac evans

1 Marijuana Issue Mac Evans Friends University Running head: Legalization in the U.S. 2 In most countries, possession and use of cannabis that is also commonly known as marijuana is considered illegal. In fact, it can be noted that for many years, cannabis has been considered to an illegal drug in most countries. Nevertheless, mainly today, some countries have legalized cannabis while other countries have not. Small quantities of cannabis have been allowed in regions such as Europe…

Words 718 - Pages 3

The Use Of Medical Marijuana

demonstrated that cannabis sativa use is medically advantageous, and legalization would render to have a positive impact. The United States government should legalize cannabis sativa, also known as marijuana, for medicinal use. Marijuana can provide relief to those suffering with diseases that cannot be treated with modern medicine. On the contrary, marijuana can provide a psychoactive high and has been known to be addictive. However, according to the federal government, marijuana has no medicinal…

Words 3309 - Pages 14

Should America Go Green?

Medical cannabis refers to the use of cannabis or to synthetic forms of specific cannabinoids, such as Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as a form of medicine. Cannabis comes from the ground, it is a plant, and what is used for treatments it comes from the buddings of the plant. There are three different kinds of the cannabis know as Sativa, Indica, and Ruderalis. The cannabis is consumed through smoking, vaporizing or ingesting through edible forms. Most countries have outlawed the use of cannabis although…

Words 899 - Pages 4

legalization of marijuana Essay

Global Legalization of Marijuana April 22, 2013 Cannabis is a naturally grown plant that is found across the world in various locations. When grown, cultivated, dried, and mixed with certain items, this plant yields a mentally soothing effect on anyone that smokes this plant. Cannabis is known by many other urban names. Nicknames such as weed, kush, dope, reggie, “refer” and “loud” are all used to identify this potent herb with mental affects to people who…

Words 2066 - Pages 9

Medical Marijuana Research Paper

Medical Cannabis Richard Davis Neff English 111 Professor Bryant October 16, 2012 More than 100,000 U.S. deaths are caused by excessive alcohol consumption each year. Direct and indirect causes of death include drunk driving, cirrhosis of the liver, falls, cancer, and stroke. In that same year a staggering 440,000 people die from tobacco use in the U.S. Nearly 1 of every 5 deaths is related to smoking. Cigarettes kill more Americans than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and…

Words 1206 - Pages 5

Charlotte Figi Case

experimenting with medical marijuana. Her mom thought of the idea to use this controversial medicine because of a story she heard about with another child who also suffered from Dravet Syndrome. The child was treated with the use of cannabis in California. The Figi family then decided to try medical marijuana on Charlotte. Charlotte’s first use resulted in…

Words 1601 - Pages 7

Marijuana: Cannabis Essay

Contemporary uses of cannabis are as a recreational drug, as religious or spiritual rites, or as medicine; the earliest recorded uses date from the 3rd millennium BC.[9] In 2004, the United Nations estimated that global consumption of cannabis indicated that approximately 4% of the adult world population (162 million people) used cannabis annually, and that approximately 0.6% (22.5 million) of people used cannabis daily.[10] In the United States, cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug; 5…

Words 1251 - Pages 6

Legalizing Marijuan To Legalize It Or Not?

Bennouna Eng 80 3:30 / 5:50 pm John Robertson Marijuana: to legalize it or not? Have you ever heard the word cannabis? What is your immediate reaction when you hear this word? Do you know its different uses? As soon as people hear the word “Marijuana” their first impression is a “stoner drug”. Some people do not agree with the legalization of Cannabis, but it has helped in many troubles before and it can provide more if we know how to use…

Words 1363 - Pages 6