This is the idea that a person who uses Marijuana will become addicted to harsher drugs such as Heroin, Cocaine, Angel Dust, and other potentially deadly drugs. The reasoning behind this is that a person who usually buys Marijuana, buys it from a dealer who also sells other drugs as well. The dealer after a while will offer the buyer a newer drug, and supposedly the buyer would accept, thus the gateway theory. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. In 1944 “The LaGuardia Report” was released, this was a report that studied the gateway effects and other associated Marijuana myths.
Why the Federal Government Should Legalize Marijuana Emily Ross COM/215 11-10-2014 Does anyone know the precise reason why the U.S. Government will not legalize the use of marijuana? Do you know of any reasons the American government should legalize marijuana? Although the legalization of marijuana is an extremely controversial subject for most it is a topic that will be debated for years. The debt the government consumes trying to keep marijuana illegal is outrageous. In 2009 an estimated 858,408 individuals were arrested for marijuana violation.
FEDERAL VS STATE VALUE OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA Marijuana is a drug that is derived from the dried and cut leaves of the hemp plant known as Cannabis. Marijuana has a variety of street names such as “dank”, "grass", "pot", "reefer", "herb", "weed" and more. The active ingredient in marijuana is delta Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). 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 yet, somehow within the last fifteen years, many changes in the drug policy have occurred between the states and the federal government.
After an in-depth scientific analysis, researchers concluded that marijuana does not cause violent, psychotic episodes, is not responsible for anti-social behavior, does not cause uncontrollable sexual urges and does not alter a person's core personality structure. In the 1950s, Anslinger used a new scare tactic by producing propaganda claiming that marijuana was a gateway drug to heroin. In 1951, Anslinger supported an amendment that would dramatically increase mandatory drug sentences In 1956 Anslinger then pushed for even tougher drug laws and got President Eisenhower on board. The Narcotic Control Act put marijuana in the same drug class as heroin and added more severe penalties. In the 1960s, anti-drug propaganda was widely distributed with the message that smoking marijuana would not only make you lazy and irresponsible, but that you were also out of touch with reality and a threat to national
South University Legalizing Marijuana Computer and Literacy ITS 1000 Michael L Smith October 18, 2013 Michael L. Smith Computer and Literacy: ITS 1000 Instructor: Carmen Flores October 18, 2013 Legalizing Marijauna In regards to illicit drugs, an epidemic that has a stronghold on our country caused a movement. That movement was and still is today, “the war on drugs”. Illegal drugs enters this country at an unexplainable alarming rate. In the United States alone the drug market is one of the most profitable in the world. (Agency, 2004) My intent is not to focus on the profitability of illegal drugs but the debate of legalization in particularly marijuana.
America should have learned this from the prohibition of alcohol. The government uses criminal penalties in an attempt to stop users, but over 25 million people use marijuana annually. Cannabis is the largest cash crop in the United States, currently. I believe prohibition could actually increase drug use for teenagers. Marijuana, now days, is extremely easy to get, and most drug dealers don’t have age restrictions.
Mohamed Alamoudi Why We Should Legalize Marijuana Many people believe that legalizing marijuana is only an issue of importance to “stoners” and other stigmatized groups in society; they couldn’t be more wrong. Marijuana is much less unhealthy than prohibition propaganda would lead you to believe. Furthermore, the government wastes vast resources on prosecuting and incarcerating nonviolent marijuana users. For these reasons, the United States should legalize and tax marijuana. The examples of the Netherlands and Portugal show that decriminalizing marijuana does not lead to “pot epidemics”.
In 1975 the U.S. government decriminalized the personal use and the possession of small amounts of Marijuana. During the 15 years it was decriminalized, the state was prospering and had its strongest economy. In addition, the most important analysis found from legalizing marijuana was that in the 15 years the national crime rate went up, while in Alaska it remained the same. Another example of low crime rate is Amsterdam, which has a very liberal policy on the consumption of marijuana. Amsterdam allows the consumption of marijuana to a controlled amount per person.
(Legalizing Marijuana) Marijuana helps relieve nausea suffered by cancer patients who are going through powerful chemotherapy treatments. (Legalizing Marijuana) It is also used by patients who have multiple sclerosis and AIDS. (Why Marijuana Shouls be Legal) Marijuana has been proven to be effective in the treatments of glaucoma because it lowers pressure on the eye. (Why Marijuana Shouls be Legal) In the United States there are an estimated 2.7 million people who abuse drugs. (Zive, 2010) The most popular is marijuana.
The government’s most recent drug survey, the 2005 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, “over 800,000 adolescents ages 12-17 sold illegal drugs during the previous 12 months preceding.” (NSDUH). Marijuana has damaged and brought chaos to lives of many young Americans. Medically, it is not addictive, but some people say that they begin to form a habit, and it becomes a psychological, rather than physical, addiction. Although marijuana is less harmful than other substances that are legal, chances are that if more people smoked marijuana because it became legal, there would be an increase in health problems. A study was done by the DEA in 2004 in which 19.1 million Americans aged 12 or older used illicit drugs in the 30 days prior to the study.