From the eighteenth century onward in the United States, there has been a temperance movement. In other words, many people crusaded against what they saw to be the damaging effects of alcohol on health, personal and professional relationships, and society at large. The temperance movement gained so much gravity that the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol were actually prohibited from 1920 to 1933. As we all know, prohibition of alcohol was a dismal failure, as a thriving black market continued to produce what many citizens wanted. Marijuana prohibition on the other hand, was not a direct cause of public outcry. It was made illegal due to political maneuvering and an attempt to make amends for the fuck ups of prohibition of alcohol. …show more content…
But unfortunately that figure cannot even be arrived at because there has never been a death from marijuana. If the prohibition of marijuana is to protect public health at large, there is not just little grounding for that claim, but none at all. Zip. Well, what about the long-term effects of alcohol and marijuana use? After all, U.S. citizens have been told for decades how marijuana can affect short-term memory and even kill brain cells. The DEA states on its homepage that "studies report that weekly marijuana use among teens doubles the risk of developing depression and triples the incidence of suicidal thoughts." This seems to run contrary to the idea that marijuana produces a "euphoric state." Harvard Medical School has indeed performed studies on marijuana concerning depression and schizophrenia, and has found that marijuana users admitted to more symptoms of depression or schizophrenia than those who did not. But even the creators of the study admitted that it is impossible to connect the dots. Just because there was a higher incidence of depression or schizophrenia in the marijuana-using population studied does not mean that marijuana was directly responsible for those maladies. Marijuana does present some harmful side-effects when …show more content…
For a long time, the anti-marijuana community's rallying banner has been marijuana's effect on short-term memory. However, hardly any of the factoids on anti-drug websites or pamphlets actually clarifies WHEN the short-term memory loss is occurring. For anyone who has smoked marijuana, they have felt the effects of not being able to remember a train of thought while under the influence of the substance. However, does marijuana have long-term effects on short-term memory? This is much less clear, and if it doesn't, then the DEA doesn't really have a rock to stand on. What difference does it make if someone has their short-term memory impaired WHILE smoking marijuana? If someone smokes up and forgets to attend a job interview, it is not the marijuana's problem, but the fact that the user made a poor judgment call. So what is to be learned from all of this? Is it that since alcohol poses more health risks than marijuana, that it should once again be banned? Certainly not. I think the lesson to be learned is that prohibition of a substance that poses few health risks when used in MODERATION is not right for America. Sure, there are some people who develop alcohol and marijuana
When most people hear the word “prohibition” it brings forth images of speakeasies, bootleggers, and rum-runners of the American alcohol prohibition of the early 1900s. Most people are unaware that there is a different type of prohibition happening in America right now with recreational use of marijuana. While there are differences between the two prohibitions, there are also a few similarities. Citizens should vote to legalize retail marijuana because states could use the revenue on taxes for beneficial public programs, marijuana would be better regulated, and legalization could help take down the marijuana smuggling business.
Cannabis began being outlawed all across the U.S. during the 1900’s and has remained illegal ever since, until recent years when states began legalizing it (huffpost.com). Although many people believe that the reason behind the prohibition of cannabis was based on genuine concern for the possible consequences it may have on the well-being of people if it remained accessible to all, the truth is that the drive behind the U.S.’s prohibition of cannabis was founded on racism. During the early 1900’s cannabis was considered an “ethnic drug” due to the fact that many Mexican immigrants smoked the plant (huffpost.com). With the tension in Western states regarding the migration of Mexicans into the states, laws concerning the use regulation of
Marijuana and alcohol are the two most threatening drugs used in America today. Marijuana is the most illicit drug while alcohol is the most abused. Both were illegal during the prohibition but when the constitution was ratified in 1933 alcohol was made legal while marijuana remained illegal. It does not mean that because alcohol is still legal it’s less dangerous than marijuana. Both drugs lead to serious risks and should be taken with caution if used.
Marijuana does impair short-term memory, but only during intoxication. Although the authoritative studies on marijuana use seem to agree that there is no residual impairment following intoxication, persistent impairment of short-term memory has been noted in chronic marijuana smokers, up to 6 and 12 weeks following abstinence.
Marijuana is much safer then alcohol too. Marijuana is one of the few drugs without the risk of overdose. In 2006, alcohol was the cause of 22,073 deaths in the united states. Alcohol, by itself or combined with another illicit drug, was involved in approximately 577,521 emergency room visits. Marijuana use, on the other hand, has no effect, increasing or decreasing, on mortality. Marijuana was only involved in approximately 290,563 emergency room visits. This means that alcohol is involved in two times the amount of emergency room visits as marijuana and kills more people each year because marijuana doesn’t have a direct affect on mortality.
On January 1st the states of Colorado and Washington officially began the regulation of legal marijuana sales. Thousands of people from all over the country including tourists from Wisconsin, Ohio, Chicago, and even Georgia lined up out front of dispensaries to make a purchase. Recreational marijuana is being regulated and monitored like alcohol; you must be at least 21 years old to make a purchase. The drug, which is controversial in many states’ legislations, is currently legal for medical use in 20 states, but Colorado and Washington were the first to approve of recreational use (Healy). The geographical concepts involved in the legalization of marijuana include migration, movement and flow, and private/public space.
Marijuana is the most common drug in America and all over the world. It is legalized in some countries, but most countries prohibit its use. It has proven medical abilities and was used for this purpose for a while before being federally criminalized. The United States has been debating on the legalization of marijuana with some states supporting the move and others against it. ("10 Facts About Marijuana") Despite all these debates, the legalization of marijuana is the better option of the two. Legalizing marijuana will result in medical, economic and social benefits all over America.
Marijuana the most hated drug by our government and is considered illegal. People have come to question its prohibition due to its newly discovered medical value. While there is no such concern for Alcohol. For example there are diseases that young children have been battling
Marijuana became a problem in America from 1913 to the late 1930s. California was the first state to ban marijuana in 1913, and Utah outlawed marijuana in 1914. From 1915 to 1937 it was banned by 30 states, in the southwestern states it was outlawed because of racial prejudice against the mexicans who used it. In other states they thought that marijuana was a “gateway” drug and lead to heroin addiction. Marijuana also became illegal because of Henry Hearst, he invested in the timber industry to support his newspaper business and he did not want hemp as a competitor. Another man was also trying to get marijuana banned, he was the director of Federal Bureau of Narcotics, Harry Anslinger. He saw a business opportunity, like many other corrupt
Short-term memory is very important in our everyday lives. It is what allows people to remember many various things such as, phone numbers, directions to a friends house, and so on. Short-term memory impairment is fairly obvious with marijuana users. Many of the times users frequently forget the beginning of a conversation, or even the beginning of a sentence, but regularly they are still able to complete what they were saying without any knowledge of the topic (Tart, 2001). It is still unknown why this happens, but it is feasible that it relates back to the problem of too much information being processed faster then usual, allowing for distractions to take over the person’s mind, making them forget what they were originally talking about.
They're are many people in the states that are for and against the prohibition of marijuana. The people who are for the prohibition of marijuana, they beileve that the drug causes loss of brain cells and will have the negative impact of your health. The other side of the argument is that it's not harmful as other illegal drugs and can be useful in curing or stopping fatal disease from killing you. Where I fall in this spectrum is against the prohibition of marijuana. One of the main reason I'm against the prohibition is because of the medical uses. Examples of marijuana for medical uses are to treat and prevent glaucoma, can prevent epileptic seizures, and prevent cancer from spreading to name a few. In the article "Why I changed my mind on
Close to half a million people die annually from alcohol and an additional one hundred thousand people a year die on average due to cigarettes. No one has died from marijuana overdose or any type of ailments related to marijuana and that is an absolute fact (Brownstein). There
People have been smoking marijuana for thousands of years while also using hemp for everything from fabric to make clothes and other items. Unfortunately, Harry J. Anslinger with a bit of power and enough determination decided pot was evil and addictive. The struggle continues to this day to overcome the lies about marijuana (“Marijuana (Weed) History and Facts”). There are many benefits to legalizing marijuana and the government should take advantage of it.
Prohibition hasn 't stopped the use and domestic production of marijuana so it 's time everyone faced the facts. Marijuana should be legal because punishment such as prohibition or incarceration does not help the country in any way shape or form but in return causes a lot of problems. There is no true good evidence that prohibition or even incarceration decreases the use of drugs or drug dealing. Actually there are many theories that suggest prohibition might actually increase drug use i.e. the "forbidden fruit" effect, and easier accessibility for the youth. Prohibition and incarceration has failed to control the use and domestic production of marijuana. The government has tried to use criminal penalties to prevent marijuana use for more than 75 years and yet marijuana is now being used by over 25 million people every year. Marijuana is currently the largest cash crop in the United States, and marijuana is grown all over the world whether it is grown legal or illegal. Claims that marijuana prohibition is a successful policy are outrageous and very much so unsupported by the facts. Arrests for marijuana possession mostly affect blacks and Hispanics and reinforce many people’s perception that law enforcement is biased and prejudiced against minorities. Blacks account for approximately 13% of the population of the United States and about 13.5%
Think for a minute about alcohol. It's something we are well accustomed to in our every day lives. We associate it with celebrations, parties, relaxation, and many other things that involve leisure. What else do we associate alcohol with? How about drunk driving and the deaths that occur as well. The thought of alcoholism and the destruction of the body as well families might spring in to mind. Now think about marijuana. Pot is something we all have been taught is next to sin. " Pot will make you stupid and lazy." "Pot will ruin your life." These might be a few examples of phrases that accompany the mentioning of the marijuana in any context, and the government has spent a lot of