Marijuana Prohibition: Improving America

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Melissa Ardis Ms. Montgomery Senior Project October 18, 2010 An End to the Marijuana Prohibition, an Improving America Thisere is no other law deemed unnecessary by such a substantial part of the populace, and yet enforced so harshly and widely; the prohibition of marijuana holds this unique quality. The term marijuana refers to the leaves and flowering top of the hemp plant, cannabis sativa. Marijuana has been illegal for less than one percent of the time is has been in use (Louie). The known uses for marijuana go back to 7,000 B.C., but in the 1970s the Uniform Controlled Substance Act classified the plant as a Schedule I drug, and ever since, an ongoing debate about the plant has risen. America’s first hemp law was in Jamestown Colony,…show more content…
From 7,000 B.C. to 8,000 B.C. hemp was believed to be the first material to make woven fabric (Nadelmann). Hemp can be used to make a number of daily products including food, incense, cloth, rope, canvas, and cordage for baling cotton. Entire industries could be created out of hemp products. Hemp fiber was the first main ingredient in making woven fabric; it was used to make clothing, paper, and sails for ships among other things. In fact, because of the extreme durability of hemp it is actually preferred over many other man-made products (Guither). During the 1930s when the Marijuana Tax Act was first passed, a man by the name DuPont started an anti-hemp campaign while at the same time he was patenting a new sulfuric acid process for producing wood-pulp paper; he intended to replace the already booming business of hemp paper. Two years after he invented nylon, a substitute for hemp fiber, but it was unable to compete with the strength and durability of the fiber (“Legalizing Marijuana”). Despite the lack of strength and durability, the anti-hemp campaign and tax helped secure a place in the economy for all. Clothing was also a big part of hemp’s use and even the original Levi’s Jeans were made from hemp. Cannabis seed oil can be used as a lubricant, water repellent, and in paint manufacturing as well (“How and Why Marijuana is Illegal”). Alone…show more content…
Arthritis affects the joints and surrounding areas, including muscles, membrane linings and cartilage. It causes painful inflammation, heat, swelling, pain, redness of skin and tenderness in the affected areas. Cortisone-type drugs provide dramatic pain relief for short periods but decrease in effectiveness if used over time. The side effect of these drugs include nausea, restlessness, insomnia, dizziness, headache, depression and mood swings, irregular heartbeat, and menstruation problems. Several cannabinoids have analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, a combination particularly helpful for arthritic people. Cannabidiol (CBD), one of the main active ingredients in cannabis is a very effective anti-inflammatory agent. Cannabis can be smoked or eaten to relieve general pain, inflammation, and discomfort of arthritis. Cannabis poultices can be applied topically to troubled areas. Cannabis in alcohol or as a cream can also be rubbed on skin to relieve pain. Multiple Sclerosis, destroys the sheathing tbat that protects nerve fibers interfering with the function of the nervous system. The victim suffers painful muscle spasms, loss of coordination, tremors, paralysis, insomnia, mood swings and depression, blurred vision, impotence, loss of bladder control and more. Many sufferers end up using wheelchairs. Modern medicine has failed to

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