Marijuana Essay

Submitted By jhump1991
Words: 2291
Pages: 10
Open Document
Marijuana: Dangerous Recreational Drug or Useful Medicine?
Marijuana was recently studied stating that “Marijuana penalties will not help” Canada is currently trying to implement new laws to punish minor marijuana users. Marijuana has been considered a “tough-on-crime bill”. Meaning that it takes too much money from the economy, and could potentially be a major harmful factor to one’s economy. A United State’s official was quoted stating that “These policies have bankrupted state budgets as limited tax dollars pay to imprison non-violent drug offenders at record rates instead of programs that can actually improve community safety.” Another official had said “legalizing marijuana would be a better approach with a strong policy on taxation and regulation”.Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is a naturally occurring weed found in various parts of the world. Documentation of marijuana use for medicinal purposes can be traced back to ancient China, Egypt, India, Rome and Greece. The drug marijuana consists of the leaves and flowers of hemp plants. Marijuana can be either smoked or eaten and is known to produce a euphoric high. More and more people have begun to accept the fact that marijuana is not just a recreational drug, but a drug that has great medicinal value.
Use of medical marijuana in America has a long history, with prescriptions dating back to 1764 (Minamide 7). Francis L. Young, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s chief administrative law judge ruled in 1988, “Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known…” (Minamide 27). In modern medicine, The American Public Health Association (APHA) noted that marijuana is effective in easing pain, reducing eye pressure caused by glaucoma, helping minimize nausea and vomiting, stimulating the appetite of patients with AIDS, and controlling seizures.
Today in the U.S., 13 states permit the sale of marijuana strictly for medicinal use (Minamide). From an economic standpoint, the legalization and taxation of marijuana could help the United States’ struggling economy. Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard University economist, estimated that marijuana prohibition costs the U.S. $13 billion annually. This is not including the billions of dollars the government loses in potential tax revenue from the sale of marijuana (Bennett 3). Miron also notes that by taxing marijuana similar to alcohol and tobacco, it could bring estimated $6.7 billion revenue to the United States (Lyons 3). (Miron quoted in 2 different sources?)
Some even relate marijuana prohibition to the unsuccessful prohibition of alcohol in the United States in the 1920s. If you recall, the attempt to make alcohol illegal in the 1920s gave rise to some of the most notorious gangsters in history. Al Capone, the infamous American mobster, made the smuggling and bootlegging of alcohol his main source of income during this era. Overall the prohibition of alcohol was unsuccessful and only resulted in increasing the crime rate during this time. So is marijuana prohibition doomed for the same failure? Law enforcement agencies worldwide have begun to believe that the marijuana business has grown so immense that it does not make sense from a law-enforcement, political, or economic perspective (Lyons 1).
The first federal marijuana policy in the United States was the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. This Act did not criminalize marijuana, but it set regulations and high taxes for people involved in the sale of marijuana. The Marijuana Tax Act also established penalties for anyone who violated the regulations of the act. During the 1950s, the Boggs Act and the Narcotic Control Act initiated stricter penalties for narcotic-related crimes. This gave way to harsher penalties and longer minimum sentencing for the sale and possession of narcotics. Even with the stricter regulations regarding marijuana set forth in these acts, the recreational use of the drug drastically increasing during the following decade
Show More

Related Documents: Marijuana Essay

Marijuana: Drug Addiction and Persuasive Essay Marijuana

Persuasive Essay Marijuana is a highly used drug that is not good. Many people use the drug thinking it is a positive thing to do when it is far from that. Marijuana causes many problems in someone’s life that could involve school, their family, and more. It is used as a stepping-stone drug and a gateway drug. Marijuana should never be legalized in our country. To start off, marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the United States and around the world. Many people use marijuana for…

Words 327 - Pages 2

Marijuana: Hashish and Marijuana Legalization Marijuana Essays

The CSUB Business Blog Abbas P. Grammy Professor of Economics agrammy@csub.edu Economic Research Center www.csub.edu/kej March 26, 2012 Economic Benefits of Marijuana Legalization Marijuana prohibition is so controversial that it has become a source of humor in comedy clubs. My favorite comic, Ahmed Ahmed, has made his case for marijuana legalization: I dated a girl for six months. She broke up with me over smoking pot. She said, “I don’t date people who do drugs; so you have to make your mind…

Words 952 - Pages 4

Marijuana: Cannabis and Marijuana Offenders Essay example

09/28/2010 Essay# 2 Bob O’Connell Legalization of Marijuana Definitions The dried leaves and, females flowers of the hemp plant. Used in cigarette form as a narcotic or hallucinogen. Also called Indian hemp, marijuana. a tall, coarse plant, Cannabis sativa, that is native to Asia but naturalized or cultivated in many parts of the world and is the source of a valuable fiber as well as drugs such as marijuana and hashish. Compare cannabis. Introduction The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937…

Words 995 - Pages 4

Marijuana: Criminology and Marijuana Essay

DWRI0093-43009 25 February 2014 Marijuana Many people believe that marijuana should be legalized in Texas. According to the NIDA, Marijuana is a substance that has become very much a part of American culture. Its use has been increasing among young people since 2007. The federal government considers marijuana to have no medicinal uses and a high risk for abuse. However, legalizing marijuana in Texas may cause more good than harm. Two states have legalized marijuana for adult recreational use, and…

Words 571 - Pages 3

Essay on MEDICAL MARIJUANA

MEDICAL MARIJUANA Should Marijuana Be Legalized? Medical Marijuana Initiative Section 1. Section 11362.5 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read: 11362.5. (a) This section shall be known and may be cited as the Compassionate Use Act of 1996. (b) (l) The people of the State of California hereby find and declare that the purposes of the Compassionate Use Act of 1996 are as follows: (A) To ensure that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use marijuana for medical…

Words 1410 - Pages 6

Marijuana: Addiction and Marijuana Essay

Timothy Shepherd wrote an article entitled “Marijuana will destroy America (and help me out) – maybe I do support the legalization?” In this article Shepherd outlines a number of reasons that marijuana is bad for us. His main argument is that marijuana is very addictive and that one in six people who try it will become addicted to it. This claim really grabbed the writer’s attention because this claim that one in six people, or around 17 percent, who try marijuana will become addicts sounded a little high…

Words 458 - Pages 2

Marijuana Essay

debating has been going on whether to make medical marijuana legal. Some people think that it is a “drug” but it helps thousands of people every day. Some people would not be able to function in their daily lives without medical marijuana. It helps with AIDS, migraines, cancer, insomnia, pain, glaucoma, and more. In the case of terminal illness, medical marijuana may allow patients to enjoy their last days with their loved ones. Why is it that marijuana is criminalized when alcohol and tobacco continue…

Words 933 - Pages 4

Marijuana: Cancer and Medicinal Marijuana Essay

7/22/12 Legalize Marijuana The topic of making marijuana legal has been debated for the last several years.Marijuana has been given a bad rap because of the gangs associated with illegal drug sales. Many people would say that it is harmful and negative, but in actuality, marijuana is safer than tobacco and alcohol.There are many benefits to marijuana, which is why it should be legalized and regulated. To begin, making marijuana legal would drastically reduce the crime rate. Marijuana is the most common…

Words 598 - Pages 3

Marijuana Essay

Marijuana Marijuana is one of the most discussed and debatable topics in the U.S today. Many say that it has medicinal benefits and should be made legal. While many say that it has a “high potential for abuse” (Medically) and should remain illegal. With the arguments, allies for medical marijuana have offered a stronger argument for legalization through their use of research and evidence. Marijuana is not addictive: A large majority of people who have smoked pot (marijuana) tend to only do it…

Words 579 - Pages 3

Essay on marijuana

Legalize Marijuana Finally, after years of protests and demonstrations’ and the recent 2012 elections in Colorado, and Washington State, The people of these states have spoken and voted to make recreational marijuana use and possession legal in these states. Also people in these states are allowed to grow up to six plants for their own use. I think Marijuana has more uses and benefits to people if it were only legal across the United States. (Coffman, Neroulias) The new rules for marijuana use in…

Words 900 - Pages 4