Legalization of Marijuana 
Courtney White
Professor Lundahl
Comp 1302
30 March 2015
Up In Smoke One of the major issues that Texas and the rest of the States governments are facing right now is the debate on Marijuana, whether or not to legalize it or decriminalize it. The questions are being asked and discussed, what are the effects? Will legalizing marijuana lead to increased use? Is it a gateway drug? And how many people are getting arrested for minor possessions each year? The illegality of marijuana in Texas is a problem because it is causing users to resort to supporting the black market; it’s a drain on taxpayer’s money and causing major overcrowding problems in the prison system. I propose legalization of medicinal and recreational use of marijuana, and decriminalizing charges associated with marijuana along with age and quantity restrictions to solve this problem. Texas legislature and the rest of the States are all debating this issue, but most of the common public is misinformed or has a stigma on what marijuana is and how it affects you which can lead to many misinterpretations on the plant or a stigma against users. Most of the time it can lead to loss of a job, prison and permanently stains your criminal record. So, what is Marijuana? It’s a drug made from the dry shredded parts of the Cannabis sativa hemp plant. This plant contains a chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or more commonly known as THC. What studies have discovered is that it’s very similar to chemicals that the brain naturally produces but it disrupts the natural function of these chemicals in the brain by overloading your senses. Marijuana smoke can also irritate the lungs and frequent smokers can have the same respiratory problems experienced by those who smoke tobacco. Any type of smoking leads to risk of lung cancer. Marijuana has many effects on the brain, this includes but is not limited too short-term memory loss, motor coordination, slow reaction time, mood swings and in some
Professor Lundahl
Comp 1302
30 March 2015
Up In Smoke One of the major issues that Texas and the rest of the States governments are facing right now is the debate on Marijuana, whether or not to legalize it or decriminalize it. The questions are being asked and discussed, what are the effects? Will legalizing marijuana lead to increased use? Is it a gateway drug? And how many people are getting arrested for minor possessions each year? The illegality of marijuana in Texas is a problem because it is causing users to resort to supporting the black market; it’s a drain on taxpayer’s money and causing major overcrowding problems in the prison system. I propose legalization of medicinal and recreational use of marijuana, and decriminalizing charges associated with marijuana along with age and quantity restrictions to solve this problem. Texas legislature and the rest of the States are all debating this issue, but most of the common public is misinformed or has a stigma on what marijuana is and how it affects you which can lead to many misinterpretations on the plant or a stigma against users. Most of the time it can lead to loss of a job, prison and permanently stains your criminal record. So, what is Marijuana? It’s a drug made from the dry shredded parts of the Cannabis sativa hemp plant. This plant contains a chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or more commonly known as THC. What studies have discovered is that it’s very similar to chemicals that the brain naturally produces but it disrupts the natural function of these chemicals in the brain by overloading your senses. Marijuana smoke can also irritate the lungs and frequent smokers can have the same respiratory problems experienced by those who smoke tobacco. Any type of smoking leads to risk of lung cancer. Marijuana has many effects on the brain, this includes but is not limited too short-term memory loss, motor coordination, slow reaction time, mood swings and in some
Bibliography: “10 Facts About Marijuana” Drug Policy Alliance, 25 July 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. 10 common facts about Marijuana. Will legalization lead to increased use? Fact: There is no evidence that implementing medical marijuana laws impacts the rate of adolescent use. How many people are arrested for marijuana each year? Fact: Roughly 750,000 people are arrested for marijuana each year, the vast majority of them for simple possession, with racial minorities over-represented. Misinformation and misrepresentation are the leading causes for the debate on marijuana legalization. "ERIC SCHLOSSER INTERVIEW." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. Frontline Interview of Eric Scholsser who has written several articles on impact of marijuana enforcement and how it affects the legal system. Schlosser makes the point "n a lot of its internal dynamics to the McCarthy era witch-hunts, which I had studied in college. And the deep unreason to it and the hysteria surrounding it seemed very similar. And what concerned me most was how it seemed like another scapegoating. This country traditionally has gone thorough periods of intolerance where we look for scapegoats blame scapegoats and avoid dealing with our real problems. And the war on marijuana seemed like a classic example of that national tendency. So the question that I address myself to in the articles I 've written is how does society come to punish a person more harshly for selling marijuana than for killing somebody with a gun?" Under the laws of 15 states you can get a life sentence for a 3rd non-violent marijuana offense but the average prison sentence for a convicted killer is about 6 to 8 years. Henrichson, Christian, and Ruth Delaney. "Vera Institute of Justice: Making Justice Systems Fairer and More Effective through Research and Innovation." The Price of Prisons: What Incarceration Costs Taxpayers. VERA Institute of Justice, 29 Feb. 2012. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. The main argument for this source is the price of prison and what incarceration is costing taxpayers. Among the 40 states that participated in a survey, the cost of prisons was $39 billion in fiscal year 2012. "Prison Overcrowding - American Legislative Exchange Council." ALEC American Legislative Exchange Council. American Legislative Exchange Council, 2015. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. Prison Overcrowding: The United States currently incarcerates 1 in nearly 100 American adults. America’s incarceration addiction grew during the late 1980s and early 1990s as state and local governments passed “tough-on-crime” legislation. For example, California’s “three strikes” law called for mandatory sentencing of repeat offenders, and New York adopted the “Broken Windows” strategy that called for the arrest and prosecution of all crimes large and small. The solution to this problem is decriminalization of possession charges on a Federal level. Marijuana." American Lung Association. American Lung Association, 2 Feb. 2015. Web. 09 Mar. 2015 what is Marijuana? It’s a drug made from the dry shredded parts of the Cannabis sativa hemp plant. This plant contains a chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or more commonly known as THC. What studies have discovered is that it’s very similar to chemicals that the brain naturally produces but it disrupts the natural function of these chemicals in the brain by overloading your senses. The source states that many states are debating whether or not marijuana can be used as medicine. As of right now the FDA has not approved medical use because there is not enough evidence that the benefits outweigh the risks. Marijuana has also only been useful in a limited number of symptoms compared to the wide variety it has been promoted to “cure”. In addition it has been found not to be as useful in curing these symptoms as other FDA approved drugs for the same symptoms. THC stimulates brain cells to release the chemical dopamine, which creates a euphoric feeling and can lead to a physical addiction. Similar to tobacco withdrawal, people trying to quit marijuana report irritability, sleeping difficulties, craving, and anxiety. "Economics: Drug War Facts." Economics. Drug War Facts, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. Data tables of the US Drug Control Spending. Source: "National Drug Control Budget: FY 2016 Funding Highlights" (Washington, DC: Executive Office of the President, Office of National Drug Control Policy) - See more at: http://www.drugwarfacts.org/cms/economics#sthash.MWYakCDP.dpuf