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Legalization of Marijuana

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Legalization of Marijuana
Marijuana Legalization in the United States

Elisha Havraniak

Ottawa University

LAS 30012 Writing and Critical Thinking in the Liberal Arts

October 11, 2013

Marijuana Legalization in the United States Marijuana has had a long history as an illicit drug, but is quickly becoming a mainstream issue. Some people use marijuana to ease their pain and treat their illnesses. Many others use it because of it mood-altering effects. Laws have been passed to regulate both of these uses of the drug. Those who advocate legalization favor easing or overturning laws against the possession and use of marijuana for recreational purposes, medical use, or both. In general most proposals for legalization fall into one of three categories: decriminalization for recreational use, legalization for recreational use, or legalization for medical use. In opposition to these three choices is the option to keep marijuana illegal for both recreational and medical purposes. The purpose of this paper is to explore the facts, pros and cons, regarding the legalization of marijuana. The information for this paper was obtained from scholarly and peer reviewed journal articles, books, and online sources. The research questions answered are as follows;
Could the legalization of marijuana rescue our struggling economy or could it provide much need relief to the overcrowded prison system?
Will the legalization of marijuana lead to a regulation nightmare…can it even be regulated?
Could the legalization of marijuana ease the suffering of so many Americans suffering from debilitating diseases? The legalization of marijuana, whether for medicinal use or recreational use, has caused much legal confusion as well as polarizing social and political debate. The trend to decriminalize marijuana is upon us and is not going away. States must now address and update current legislation to keep up


References: Barbour, S. (2011). Should marijuana be legalized? San Diego, CA: ReferencePoint Press, Inc. Danovitch, I Kamin, S. (2012). Medical Marijuana in Colorado and the Future of Marijuana Regulation in the United States. Mcgeorge Law Review, 43(1), 147-167. King, R., & Mauer, M. (2006). The war on marijuana: the transformation of the war on drugs in the 1990 's Ludlum, M. (2011). Colorado’s 2010 Update to the Medical Marijuana Law: Three Problems, Three Solutions Miron, J. (2005). The budgetary implications of marijuana prohibition. Retrieved from http://www.prohobitioncosts.org. Rosenthal, E., Kubby, S., & Newhart, S Shechtman, M. (2012). Joint Authority? The Case for state-based Marijuana Regulation. The Past, Present, and Future of Medical Marijuana in the United States. (2010). Psychiatric Times, 27(1), 1-4.
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