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.
The Legalization of Medical Marijuana Victoria Riley COM/156 April 30th, 2012 Elizabeth Dunham The Legalization of Medical Marijuana "Prohibition...goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." (Abraham Lincoln) Marijuana should be a legalized medical drug because it is a natural plant, reduces pain and also has little to no negative side effects. Marijuana was mentioned in the United States in 1857. A doctor named John Bell wrote in the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal (Volume.
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.
In June 2005 the US Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that federal laws against marijuana, including its medical use, are valid. The Investigative New Drug (IND) program of the FDA was extended by court order in 1978 to permit over a dozen patients to receive and use government-grown marijuana. Although the program was closed to new patients in 1991, the four remaining patients each continue to receive about 320-360 marijuana cigarettes per month from the US government. The government has authorized a few research studies into the health effects of medical marijuana. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved marijuana as a medicine, citing the fact that it has not gone through rigorous clinical testing like other new drugs must.
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.
Cannabis, also known as Marijuana has been smoked dating back to China in 2700 B.C. In 1545 it was introduced in to America and was grown as a cash crop, and was also sold in bars around America, right next to tobacco. Marijuana was made illegal in 1937 based on false propaganda and racism because some blacks usually smoked it. There are many fallacies regarding the effects of marijuana; like the addictiveness, cancer causing levels and reasoning impairment for the users. Despite these false accusations, marijuana has been found very useful in the treatment of cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, arthritis, and chronic pains.
Legalizing Marijuana The legalization, or decriminalization, of Marijuana has been one of the leading controversial political issues in the past decade. Made up of dried leaves of the Cannabis Sativa plant, with THC as it’s main psychoactive ingredient, Marijuana has proven to be less harmful than tobacco and alcohol, and even non-addicting. According to the Drug Awareness Warning Network, “There has never been a death recorded from the use of marijuana by natural causes.” (DAWN) Many people ask why the government would add one more substance to the list of the harmful, legal ones already, but I’m a firm believer that if we do not use our rights they will be taken from us. So should it not be a right of the people to decide whether Marijuana
The main difference between hemp and marijuana is the concentration of THC. The amount of THC in hemp is much lower at approximately 0.3% compared to marijuana which can be anywhere from 5-25%. The fact that hemp contains THC has been a major argument for not legalizing it in the United States. The truth is hemp has such a low concentration of THC a recreational marijuana smoker could smoke an acre of it and get nothing more than a headache for their efforts. (Earlywine) Hemp has been cultivated world wide throughout history with the earliest use dating back more than 8000 years ago in Taiwan.
Medical Marijuana Controversy Michael G. Olsen Abstract The controversy of medical marijuana has been in existence 43 years. In the beginning there was no establishment that marijuana could be replacement for commonly used pharmaceutical drugs prescribed for everything from cancer to HIV. However in the 1930s the oil from the marijuana plant was prescribed by doctors for ailments such as cancer and multiple sclerosis. It was not until the 1960s when the government chose to “take over” the production, manufacture and sale of marijuana. In recent years, there has been a surge in studies pertaining to marijuana and its medicinal purposes and value.
In 2009 an estimated 858,408 individuals were arrested for marijuana violation. Out of those whom were charged approximately 89 percent were only charged for possession. Depending on the state, the government spends 1 billion to 10 billion dollars annually on the prohibition of marijuana. According to economics professor Jeffery Miron of Harvard University the statistics prove that the American government is further crippling the U.S. financially. After endless amounts of research it has been concluded that legalizing cannabis would be the best financial decision for the United States.