Cannabis or commonly known as marijuana is a
preparation of the cannabis plant used for medicine or as a psychoactive drug.
The oldest use of cannabis recorded dates all the wayback to 2727 B.C. used by the Chinese Emperor
Shen Nung. The ancient Romans and Greeks were also familiar with the plant. The
plant spread to the Middle East, then to North Africa, and finally in 1545 it
spread to the western hemisphere through Spanish explores In North America
cannabis in the form of hemp was grown on plantations to make rope, clothing
and paper. The production of hemp was highly encouraged by the government in
the 17th century for production of rope and other materials. In 1619 the Virginia Assembly passed legislation requiring every farmer to
grow hemp. Hemp was allowed to be exchanged as legal tender in Pennsylvania,
Virginia, and Maryland. After the civil war hemp was replaced by other
materials, but it would not be forgotten. During the late 19th century
marijuana became a popular ingredient in many medicinal products and was sold openly in public pharmacies. Up until the Mexican Revolution of 1910 marijuana was only used
for medicinal purposes in the United States. Mexican immigrants
flooded the United States and that's when the American culture was
introduced to the recreational use of marijuana. The drug quickly became
associated with immigrants. During the great depression
when many Americans
were unemployed they feared the Mexican immigrants. This lead to 29 states
outlawing marijuana in 1931 because it was associated the "racially
inferior" who were more likely to commit crime or act violent. Strict
sentencing laws were set up through 1951-56 to punish people
who possessed drugs including marijuana. With a first-offense of
marijuana possession carried a 2-10
year minimum prison sentence and up to $20,000 in fines. By 1970
the mandatory sentences established in the 50's was repealed by congress because
it had not done anything to change the minds of the growing marijuana culture.
In 1986 President Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, the new law raised federal penalties for marijuana. Possession of 100
marijuana plants received the same penalty as possession of 100 grams of
heroin. Later on an amendment added the "three strikes and you're out" policy. Meaning repeated drug
offenders were required to serve life sentences and drug kingpins were to be
put to death. It was not until 1996 when California passed Proposition 215. This allowed marijuana to be sold to patients with
Aids, Cancer, and other painful illnesses. If you cannot beat them then join
them is a popular phrase used. Colorado and Washington decided to be a part of
the marijuana culture on January 1, 2014 by being the only places on the planet
in where you can buy and consume marijuana for
recreational uses legally, well
state wise anyways. Marijuana has come a long way so why does
the government stop its growth? Legalization alone would save tax
payers $10 billion yearly on enforcing the prohibition. We could use this money
to fund more important things like education and building new roads. It is not
right that we should be spending more money trying to get people locked up than
to make someone succeed in life. Marijuana legalization would reduce
the prison population by a lot. In 2012 we put 749,825 people in jail because
of marijuana alone. I do not think putting people in a place that is meant
for murderers, rapist, and psychos because of drugs is right. Smoking
marijuana is a non-violent crime and someone guilty of it should not be going
to prison. Outlawing marijuana does not work just like prohibition
people continued to drink alcohol and well considering
about 20 million people smoke marijuana each day I don't think it’s ever going
to stop. Legalizing and
regulating marijuana will bring the nation's largest cash crop under the rule
of law, creating jobs and economic opportunities in the economy. The criminalization of marijuana harms young people and people of
color, leads to massive levels of violence and corruption, and fails to stop
the youth from access to it. Not only would there be less violence here in the
United States but this could cause a domino effect on our neighbors down
south. Mexico is going through a tough time because of drugs. There are
thousands of people getting killed because the war on drugs.
By legalizing marijuana we could help Mexico's violence
diminish. Although there are a lot of positives to legalizing marijuana many
people disagree. They say things like "marijuana is more dangerous
than alcohol". I don't think that statement is completely
wrong. Alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous than marijuana.
Smoking cigarettes can cause addiction and lung cancer in the long
run yet it is still legal. Alcohol can kill you if you binge drink while
it is physically impossible to die of marijuana overdose. Marijuana
has been proven to be healthier than both alcohol and tobacco .The
majority of the country wants it to be legally federally anyways. California
and Oregon are set to vote on
marijuana in 2016. If Oregon and California are both able to pass legalization measures, then
the entire U.S. west coast would be comprised of states that have ended
prohibition. This could cause a domino effect that could lead it to be legally
federally. "Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall
not perish from the Earth"- Abraham Lincoln. If the people want marijuana
then they shall have marijuana.
