Preview

Why Marijuana Should Not Be Criminalized

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
453 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Marijuana Should Not Be Criminalized
Why Marijuana should not be Criminalized

The decriminalization of marijuana is constantly debated by the Canadian government. As a society, it is necessary that we properly conduct measures to ensure that the users of this dangerous drug are penalized with more than just a fine. The only way to emphasize the seriousness of this drug is severe jail time. Marijuana has been classified under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 as a schedule 1 drug due to its addictive nature. These addictive drugs tend to take control of people’s lives. If decriminalized, people will go to work or school disoriented by the effects of marijuna, which would keep them from working at maximum capacity. It is the government’s responsibilty to start punishing regular marijuana users, which will set an example to other citizens on the seriousness of this perilous drug. To the naked eye, marijuana is a natural plant that grows from the earth. However, scientific research proves that there are many dangerous effects of marijuana to which the public has no knowledge of. These effects include toxins and cancer inducing chemicals, damaged brain cells, memory loss, and weakening of our immune systems. As Canadians, we cannot condone the use of a drug that affects our citizens in a harmful manner.

The only acceptable form of marijuana is for medicinal use, but the government needs to do a much better job in controlling who is able to get an ‘Authorization to Possess card’. It is unacceptable for citizens to fake diseases to attain these cards, punishment must be more severe for the fraudulent actions of these individuals. We must grant the police more power to allow the search of suspects involved with marijuana and other drugs to protect our society.

To ensure that we maintain a strong, safe society we must continue to ban the use of drugs like marijuana, which cause individuals to act in a way that makes them harmful to themselves and others. It is immoral to use



Bibliography: Greene, Stephen H. "Why Marijuana Should Remain Illegal." The New York Times. The New York Times, 26 Feb. 1994. Web. 14 Mar. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/1994/02/26/opinion/l-why-marijuana-should-remain-illegal-310506.html>. Murphy, Terry, Kathleen Elliot, Agi Mete, and Jamie Glass. All About Law Exploring the Canadian Legal System. 6th ed. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print Head, Tom. "Why Is Marijuana Illegal?" About.com Civil Liberties. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2013. <http://civilliberty.about.com/od/drugpolicy/tp/Why-is-Marijuana-Illegal.htm>.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Drugs have become one of the most controversial topics in the world. Some specific drugs are more frowned upon such as Marijuana. Marijuana is a plant in which its official name is “Cannabis”. Over the years this plant has become increasingly popular to people who don’t usually convert to traditional methods to relieve the stress of a hard day. “The National Drug Threat Assessment states that over 25.8 million individuals 12 years of age and older have smoked marijuana at least once in their life.” The rate has remained the same since 2008. The government labels these statistics as too high as they fight to keep one of the most contentious substances off the market. In 1970, Congress passed The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act .…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Marijuana, also known as “weed” or “pot” is one of the most used drugs in the United States today. Marijuana involves all age’s majority being ages 13 and older. Weed typically looks like brownish/greenish dried up leaves which can be rolled up into a joint or a cigarette. And even though weed might look harmless, it has become a serious altercation. Our campaign deals with the decriminalization of marijuana in Massachusetts, which removes the user of marijuana from the criminal justice system. By decriminalizing marijuana it will save the state a lot of money, would help the overcrowding issue in Massachusetts jails, and help regulate the drug so that minors can not get it.…

    • 3188 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Canadians hear the word cannabis, they don‘t associate it with images of junkies zonked out on the street corners, simply because marijuana‘s impact on society has not been disastrous. “There is very little evidence that smoking marijuana as a means of taking it represents a significant health risk. Although, cannabis has been smoked widely in Western countries for more than four decades, there have been no reported cases of lung cancer or emphysema attributed to marijuana,” states Lester Grinspoon, a medical doctor. Over 70% of Canadian’s approve of the decriminalization of marijuana. Legalizing marijuana, growing hemp, producing it’s products, supporting research and development into it’s many uses, cutting down the pollution and deforestation levels to well below Kyoto’s meager demand, I wouldn’t see why any Canadian would vote against it’s decriminalization.…

    • 1048 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marijuana is the growing topic in Americans daily lives; shockingly people are blind to realize that this substance will probably be one of the deadliest drugs in the next decade. “History repeats itself” a wise man once said, and this isn’t the first time or the last time America will use the excuses to make illegal substances that kill. The generations of the 20th century where blind and medically illiterate to the dangers of cigarettes in fact they believed it was health approved. Only a few decades later people started to realize the demons of smoking and plagued America with 5 million deaths a year ever since.…

    • 568 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Marijuana is one of the most controversial topics in the U.S today. Many associate the substance with some of the most highly addictive and dangerous drugs used in our society. While others claim marijuana to be the safest substance to use to date. One of the biggest debatable topics amongst marijuana use is the legalization of the substance medically. Many people believe marijuana should be accessible to those with terminally ill diseases. While others believe the drug should be illegal at all cost. Medical marijuana presents many negative issues in our society emotionally, medically and socially. Due to the negative effects from the substance, the use of marijuana should remain illegal in the United States.…

    • 1079 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Marijuana Taxes

    • 3869 Words
    • 16 Pages

    It is very important to understand the effect of cannabis (marijuana) and its history. Forty-three million American use drugs regularly, despite the federal government efforts to enforce the law, destroy illegal crops, seize illegal drugs, make arrests, and educate people about the harmful effect of the drugs. Many people feel that crime would be reduced if drugs were legalized. A conversation of how legalization might affect crime is followed by a look at the over-burdened criminal and judicial systems charged with enforcing the law in the face of overwhelming drug-related criminal activity.…

    • 3869 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act of Canada, marijuana is currently recognized as a Schedule 2 controlled substance. This restricts and limits the many medicinal and industrial applications of Cannabis.Upon legalization, many Canadian healthcare patients will find themselves with a potentially life-altering form of alternative medicine. Many former test patients with various diseases and illnesses have reported improved quality of life, by way of increased appetite, consistent pain relief, and controlling nausea. As scientists begin to further analyze and test Cannabis and its properties, it will become further evident that marijuana should become legalized in Canada.…

    • 980 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Marijuana can be considered the most popular and widely used illicit drug in the United States. State drug policies have changed in recent years, however many American citizens still face prosecution for the cultivation, distribution and possession of marijuana. Despite the known benefits of legalizing marijuana on the economy and crime rate, the US federal government has still not changed its policy. The United States must acknowledge and change its role in the imprisonment and suffering of innocent people by legalizing marijuana on a federal level or the ongoing counterproductive prohibition of marijuana will continue to no avail.…

    • 2324 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Marijuana

    • 1770 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The use of marijuana in human civilization dates back to 6000 B.C. In this era, China found that cannabis seeds are edible and later discovered a greater use as textiles. From that time period, humanity has made significant advancement, and has discovered further uses for the marijuana plant. Today, marijuana can be used as medical cannabis to treat ailments that other medication cannot possibly treat. Although medical cannabis has some great benefits, in the many countries it is still illegal to possess and/or use. Thus the legalization of marijuana should be legalized through its promising and beneficial results.…

    • 1770 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Some advocates for validating marijuana have argued that the costs of legalization will keep the United States from spending tax dollars on the criminal-justice costs of marijuana law enforcement. This is simply not true. Research has found that the percentage of people in prison for marijuana use is less than one-half of one percent. More than 30 percent, of treatment admissions reported in the Treatment Episode Data Set, are collected from state-funded programs and are referred through the criminal-justice system. Marijuana is a drug abused by individuals recommended to treatment by the court system. The future of drug policy should not be a choice between using the court system or treatment. The goal should be to get these two systems to work together to improve both the nation's safety and health.…

    • 515 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Medical Marijuana

    • 1773 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Marijuana is a very prominent and controversial issue in society today. Although many slanderous claims have been made about cannabis in recent history, the truths are slowly starting to resurface. Unfortunately, these truths are under heavy criticism due to the stereotypical view of what people view as the typical “pot smoker.” This skewed perception of a lazy and unmotivated American is the result of over seventy years of propaganda and misinformation spread by private interests who relied on illegal cannabis illegal from their own personal gains. As a marijuana consumer and a current medical marijuana patient, I strongly believe that marijuana should be legalized for all users. Currently in the United States today, marijuana is prohibited by federal law and has been a topic of controversial debate since the start of the prohibition. There are several, important reasons for the legalization of marijuana, including research concerning these issues are beneficial in understanding both sides of the debate. The result of abolishing our country’s marijuana prohibition by supporting legalization will stimulate the economy, to show the medical properties, and lower the crime rate.…

    • 1773 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Legalization of Marijuana

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Marijuana has a history dating back many years, and has been used in various cultures in different ways. In recent years, marijuana has become a forefront topic in the world of American politics whether or not it should be legalized. Marijuana has been adapted to fit our lifestyles and our social environment. A vast amount of the world’s population smoke marijuana for various purposes. Thus, the drug should be legalized because it has many medical beneficial uses, the ability to generate billions of dollars in tax revenue, and would lower the cost to imprison individuals arrested for crimes related to marijuana.…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Should The Government Legalize Marijuana, The Yes And No Sides Of The Fence From A Neutral Stand Point?…

    • 714 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is a plant that can be ingested or smoked. This plant, or rather botanical, is illegal in most of the country with the exception of some states giving physicians authority to recommend the use to their patients. The purpose of this essay is to examine both the benefits and the risks of legalizing marijuana. Marijuana has many medicinal properties that have been proven to be therapeutically effective for various conditions. However, this drug also has carcinogenic properties and dangerous short- and long-term effects on the body. Although advocates may argue that the legalization of marijuana has many potential benefits, such as it would lessen our national debt and benefit our overall economic system, opponents may beg to differ. In this essay, the debate over the legalization of marijuana continues, with arguments over the therapeutic benefits versus the dangerous adverse effects of marijuana, the influence marijuana has on individuals, and whether or not the legalization of this drug could benefit our economy.…

    • 5889 Words
    • 24 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marijuana has been used recreationally as well as medicinally for thousands of years. The earliest evidence of inhalation of marijuana, a small pile of charred cannabis/seeds, was found in Romania and believed to be dated prior to the 3rd millennia BCE. Marijuana use is considered to be beneficial to some, however has been controversially classified as a schedule 1 controlled substance, making it as illegal as heroin, politicians claim it to be more dangerous than cocaine, with little to no factual basis. Based upon my personal use of medical marijuana, I have seen more positive than negative effects, and believe it should be decriminalized so as to ease the pain, suffering, anxiety,…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays