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Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

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Should Marijuana Be Legalized?
Should Marijuana be Legalized?
Henry Neuschwander
ENG-112
12/16/2012
Professor Linda Record

Should Marijuana Be Legalized?

To legalize marijuana or not to legalize marijuana, that is the question. Marijuana has been a thorn in the side of this country for the last one hundred years. Up until the end of World War Two, marijuana was produced legally in a low grade form known as hemp. After the war, hemp was outlawed because of fear that Americans would start smoking the different types of low grade varieties of marijuana. Marijuana has been called a destroyer of minds, because of the myth that it kills brain cells. In clinical trials of marijuana, it has been proven to cancer cells in the brain according to U.S. National Library of Medicine. Marijuana has been called one of the most powerful addictive drugs in history. Yet, marujuana has been proven to have no physical addictive properties at all. Our federal and local law enforcement agencies spend billions of dollars each year to keep marijuana off of our streets, but it can still be found illegally in almost every town and city in the United States. There is a growing debate in this county on the pros and cons of making marijuana legal. Many people think is just a matter of time before marijuana be comes legal nationwide. Should marijuana be legalized?

Marijuana has been used in the United States in one form or another for over three hundred years. Farmers in the colonies of Port Royal, Virginia, and Plymouth grew marijauna for the hemp fibers it produced. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp on their farms as a major cash crops.

Hemp comes from the stalk of the marijuana plant and has very low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Hemp is one of the earliest domesticated plants known. It is used to manufacture clothing, rope and other textile products. Hemp is also used to produce plastics, fuel products and has also be used as food.

Medical use of Marijuana has


References: A Brief History of Medical Marijuana. (2009, October 21). Retrieved December 21, 2012, from Time.com: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1931247,00.html Cannabinoid action induces autophagy-mediated cell death through stimulation of ER stress in human glioma cells. (2009, April 1). Retrieved December 14, 2012, from U.S.National Library of Medicine: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2673842/ The DEA Position on Marijuana. (2011, January). Retrieved December 21, 2012, from U. S. Department of Justice: http://www.justice.gov/dea/index.shtml Legalize Marijuana for Tax Revenue. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2012, from BusinessWeek.com: http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2009/03/legalize_mariju.html
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