Marijuana, an Argument for its Legalization

Paper Summary:

This paper is an argument to legalize the use of marijuana due to its medicinal effects. It claims that economically the U.S would benefit with reduced prison populations and furthermore, that the harmful effects from this drug are small compared to other legal substance abuses such as tobacco and alcohol. In addition increased tax revenues from sales would be enjoyed.

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From the Paper:

"Weed, bud, chronic, mary jane all slang terms of a harmless plant that which the government of the Unites States claims is unsafe for its citizens. Of course, these citizens only include what society has dubbed as stoners, potheads, or "drug" addicts. Therefore the question still remains, should marijuana be legalized throughout this wonderful nation? Controversy over medicinal marijuana has only just begun. States can not decide if they will allow marijuana to be sold medicinally. The government decided in the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, that marijuana is not unsafe to use, but a tax is to be paid to the government after one sells or prescribes the drug. If prescribed the doctor has to immediately inform the Federal Bureau of Narcotics with information on who they prescribed it to, their address, and what ails them (Marihuana tax act of 1937). The government's real intention was to stop the promotion of hemp use. Hemp is a much better textile product than cotton, which is one of America's cash crops. Well a cheaper, more efficient textile product does not seem to be causing anyone harm, is the government truly protecting America from this "horrible" drug? No one has ever died of an overdose from Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the drug that makes someone 'stoned'. In 1995, Paul Hager, chair of the ICLU Drug Task Force, released a list of facts that expose the many myths of marijuana use. He claims, in order for someone to overdose they would have to consume 40,000 times what it takes them to get high (Hager). So, the government has decided that marijuana use, no matter the benefits that are very well known, should not be legal in America. People die from cigarettes; people die from alcohol, yet no cases of death amongst marijuana smokers. If the government were to make marijuana use legal in the United States of America vast improvements would be seen. New jail populations for non-violent criminals would decrease, government revenue would increase, and all those who use for religious, medicinal, or recreational reasons would be able to enjoy this healing plant, without persecution. "

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