Legalization of Marijuana
Legalization of Marijuana: Benefits and Statistics
The topic of legalizing marijuana has been a topic of controversy for quite some time now not only throughout our local streets, but throughout the local and into the state government. The legalization of marijuana is such a controversial topic because some are for it and some are against it. People are for the legalization because of the great uses it has towards medicine, the money that could come from the taxation of legalized marijuana, and the emptying of prisons because of the releases of marijuana offenses. The list could go on and on. Other people are against the legalization because it is considered a “gateway drug”, or because the legalization of marijuana would eventually lead to the legalization of harder drugs such as heroine or cocaine. Despite the negative comments about the drug, marijuana should be legalized because it would give the U.S. a huge amount of money from the taxation and regulation of the drug, its uses would greatly impact our health throughout the medical field and throughout our own well being, and would help our fight with the war on drugs and our overcrowded prisons. Marijuana has a pretty broad history throughout not only the United States, but also throughout China, Mexico, Europe, and many other countries throughout the world. According to Cannabis Now magazine, it is believed that marijuana reached North America with Christopher Columbus in 1492 A.D. and initially was only used to make industrial goods and didn’t become popular for its recreational use until the early 20th century (“History Of”). From 1850 until 1942 marijuana was used and prescribed for multiple medical conditions including labor pains, nausea, and rheumatism. Marijuana is considered a mild hallucinogen with many short-term affects impacting mood, physical behavior, and neurological functioning such as euphoria, increased appetite, hallucinations, excitement, enhanced recollection, stress reduction,
The topic of legalizing marijuana has been a topic of controversy for quite some time now not only throughout our local streets, but throughout the local and into the state government. The legalization of marijuana is such a controversial topic because some are for it and some are against it. People are for the legalization because of the great uses it has towards medicine, the money that could come from the taxation of legalized marijuana, and the emptying of prisons because of the releases of marijuana offenses. The list could go on and on. Other people are against the legalization because it is considered a “gateway drug”, or because the legalization of marijuana would eventually lead to the legalization of harder drugs such as heroine or cocaine. Despite the negative comments about the drug, marijuana should be legalized because it would give the U.S. a huge amount of money from the taxation and regulation of the drug, its uses would greatly impact our health throughout the medical field and throughout our own well being, and would help our fight with the war on drugs and our overcrowded prisons. Marijuana has a pretty broad history throughout not only the United States, but also throughout China, Mexico, Europe, and many other countries throughout the world. According to Cannabis Now magazine, it is believed that marijuana reached North America with Christopher Columbus in 1492 A.D. and initially was only used to make industrial goods and didn’t become popular for its recreational use until the early 20th century (“History Of”). From 1850 until 1942 marijuana was used and prescribed for multiple medical conditions including labor pains, nausea, and rheumatism. Marijuana is considered a mild hallucinogen with many short-term affects impacting mood, physical behavior, and neurological functioning such as euphoria, increased appetite, hallucinations, excitement, enhanced recollection, stress reduction,
Cited: Fairchild, Caroline. “Legalizing Marijuana Would Generate Billions in Additional Tax Revenue Annualy”. Huffington Post. 20 Apr, 2013. Web. July 18, 2013. www.huffingtonpost.com Kotler, Steven. “Who is Secretly Working to Keep Pot Illegal?” TruTv.com. Web. July 18, 2013. www.trutv.com/conspiracy/in-the-shadows/pot-illegal McDermott, Mat. “Perfect Plant? 7 Great Uses For Industrial Hemp”. Treehugger.com 20 Apr, 2013. Web. July 18, 2013. www.treehugger.com Marijuana Today. “Medical Marijuana”. July 18, 2013. Web. www.marijuanatoday.com Narconon International. “Marijuana History”. July 18, 2013. Web. www.narconon.org NORML. About Marijuana. State Info. Web. July 18, 2013. www.norml.org ProCon.org “Medical Marijuana”. ProCon.org. Web. July 18, 2013. Stevens, Amanda L. “Legalizing Marijuana Allows Police to Focus on Violent Crimes”. Rawstory.com. Web. July 18, 2013. www.rawstory.com Westphal, Kelsey. “Marijuana: Times Are A ‘Changing’”. Cannabis Now Magazine. 19 Feb. 2013. Web. July 18, 2013. www.cannabisnowmagazine.com