Marijuana is currently illegal in the United States, and according to popular belief, is considered a dangerous substance like any other and decriminalization of this substance would send a message to the nation’s youth that marijuana use is acceptable, resulting in higher use rates. Some believe that it is dangerous and needs to be contained, while others believe it should only be a civil infraction, and not a crime punishable with steep fines and jail time. Marijuana offenders can experience jail time and fines up to $1000. First time marijuana offenders however, are offered drug treatment programs instead of prison time. There are several court cases involving the fight for, and against marijuana. Some of these include Ravin v. State and Gonzales v. Raich. The Gonzales v. Raich court case was the closest the Supreme Court had ever come to suggesting that marijuana use should be decriminalized in any manner. Marijuana should be decriminalized due to the consequences of possessing something that is basically harmless and could potentially have medicinal uses.
Possessing small amounts of marijuana should be only a civil infraction, not a crime punishable with steep fines and jail time. The first and second times being prosecuted it’s considered a misdemeanor, with the first offense having one year incarceration with a one thousand dollar fine. The second, having 15 days incarceration with a $2,500 fine, and that’s with any amount regardless how small the findings are. The
Also, Dr. Pierre-Bernard Roques, from France, concluded that marijuana does not have any neurotoxicity effects, unlike alcohol and cocaine. Even though there are literal benefits of this "drug" - when used responsibly - there are still millions of people who find possession of marijuana highly illegal. Under the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution, Federal law in the United States preempts confliction state and local laws. However, there are some states and local governments which have established laws that are attempting to decriminalize marijuana. And one of the most fascinating findings about this, is that within those jurisdictions the number of "simple possession" has reduced. One will quickly find that the law is very shaky when it comes to possession of marijuana -- there are constantly conflicting rules and regulations. Such as in the 2006 election, amendment 44 of Colorado suggested making it legal to possess less than one ounce of marijuana. However, this amendment failed and the election was 40-60, however, the interesting point is, it is still just a misdemeanor to possess up to one half pound, and is punished mainly by fines unless a sale is established. Basically, what this is saying is that Colorado will not legalize one ounce of marijuana, but they will allow you to carry a half-pound bag of marijuana, and classify that as only a misdemeanor and the punishment is a fine.
This paper will look at the benefits and drawbacks to legalizing marijuana by looking in at Colorado.The state made forty million dollars by taxed marijuana in 2014 alone, also Colorado saved countless millions because of the extremely lower amounts of marijuana arrest and court cases. It is not clear how having new recreational marijuana stores opening will affect the cannabis market, or businesses expanding around them. Gov. John Hickenlooper says that the economy is thriving with record setting numbers of tourists (73.1 million). 49 percent of those tourist said that legal marijuana influenced their decisions to vacation in Colorado. The ER’s in Colorado have also seen a rise in numbers of marijuana related cases and those cases in non-residents have almost doubled. An unexpected situation that arose from legal cannabis was the amount of electricity that is being use to grow the drug. Some cannabusinesses have to go green with solar or wind power. There are many varying views on the effects of legal marijuana have developed in Colorado since marijuana became legal in 2014.
Marijuana is amongst one of the most disputable subjects in political issues. It is the most exploited drug in the United States and can even be around the globe. Marijuana is the main source of substance reliance other than alcohol in the United States. Numerous groups in recent years have come forward and claim that marijuana use has been beneficial with numerous medical conditions. In fact, it has helped numerous people with diseases, for example, Glaucoma, Cancer, and any other physical or mental pain. Medicinal cannabis should be legalized in Florida, but should be regulated accordingly. The clear majority trust that marijuana use would be more beneficial if it was not criminalized but most still believe that the government should keep it as a controlled substance. In 2008, 4 million out of the 7 million individuals, ages 12 and older, characterized as having a reliance or abusing marijuana. This implies that two out of every three Americans experiencing any substance abuse have developed marijuana reliance. The legalization of marijuana in the United States such an issue for so many individuals today. Some believe that marijuana should not be legalized in Florida because of physical health, mental health, effects of driving under the influence of marijuana, and increase in use. Others believe that is it marijuana should be legal because of its harmless if used in moderation, limits of personal freedoms, and potential FDA regulations.
Should marijuana be legalized? Many Americans have been asked this question or have heard some type of news about the issue. Marijuana is commonly known as cannabis which refers to the dried up hemp plant cannabis sativa, even though marijuana is a plant and has no chemical additives it has been a tropic of controversy for many years but nowadays it is in the spotlight more than ever. For centuries, marijuana has been used by people throughout the world for religious, recreational and medical use. A few countries like the Netherlands and Uruguay have already legalized marijuana for recreational use and many other countries are taking a step towards doing so. Is it finally time for the United States to take a closer look into possibly legalizing marijuana. Marijuana should be legalized for medical and recreational purposes because it would aid in the War on drugs, it would become an important source of revenue for the government and reduce overpopulation of American jails.
Since the first efforts to legalize marijuana in the 1960s, Americans have become progressively more accepting of requests to liberalize laws restricting possession and use of marijuana, but the shift has not been a straight line. After 11 states decriminalized marijuana possession in the 1970s, recoil led by suburban parents led too much harsher implementation of drug laws. But since California legalized medical marijuana in 1996, outlooks toward the drug have relaxed significantly.("A Brief History of Public Opinion on Marijuana Legalization.")
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Possession and use of cannabis, also commonly known as marijuana, is considered illegal. For years marijuana has been an illegal “drug” in most countries. In today’s world a few countries have legalized cannabis while others are still progressing toward it. In particular, small amount of marijuana have been allowed in places such as Europe, North America and South America. In the United States in particular, states such as Washington and Colorado have also legalized the usage of marijuana for medical/recreational purposes. On the other hand, numerous penalties are enforced pertaining the use or possession of cannabis where it is not legal. The chance of the penalties being small are seldom; offenders often receive severe punishments. Possession of small quantities of marijuana is not punished the same way as possession of large quantities of other illegal narcotics. In this essay, there will be an in-depth argument on the reasons why cannabis should be legalized, and why it should not.
To legalize or to not legalize drugs, that is the popular question lately. The current repeat visitor to each states legislative sessions is making marijuana legal. Currently in the United States there are twenty states with legal medical marijuana and the District of Columbia. Out of those twenty only Colorado and Washington have also legalized marijuana for recreational use. When it comes to legalizing drugs marijuana appears to be the most popular one being advocated for. However, does that leave the door open for other drugs to be advocated for as well? Should they all be legalized or just a select few?
The war on drugs needs to come to an end. There are so many more important things that law enforcement officers should be focused on than cracking down on marijuana users. The most resourceful crop on earth, cannabis yields industrial hemp for canvas, oil, fiber, and paper among other things; a harmless medicine for very ill patients; and a
Over the past 30 years, there have been many controversial debates in regards to the marijuana craze. The façade that users want and need differs from what the criminal justice system views it as. Several states within the United States of America have proposed bills, which seek to decriminalize marijuana. In 1973, 12 states including Colorado, California, and Oregon, have worked on altering and succeeded in reducing the crime of possession laws. Possession of a small amount of marijuana can mean up to six or more months served in jail as well as fines of a thousand dollars or more depending on past criminal records. Arresting people with possession of marijuana is very time consuming for police and law enforcement, and can deter them from
Marijuana has been prevalent in the United States of America since its birth in 1776. Currently, there is a prohibition on marijuana, similar to the prohibition of alcohol from 1920 to 1933. Most arrests in the United States are first time nonviolent offenders who are in possession of the illegal substance, due to this prohibition. Despite being illegal at a federal level, Colorado and Washington have passed laws to legalize medicinal and recreational use of the substance. On top of that sixteen other states offer medicinal marijuana, including the nation’s capital, the District of Columbia. Marijuana should be legalized in the United States of America as a whole, because of the amount of revenue that it would generate, the medicinal benefits that it can offer to those who are sick, and the legalization would stop the incarceration of nonviolent offenders who wish to use marijuana.
The legalization of marijuana is a controversial topic. Jimmy Carter, the United States 39th president, said, “Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marijuana in private for personal use... Therefore, I support legislation amending Federal law to eliminate all Federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce [28g] of marijuana.” When evaluating the pros of marijuana to the cons, it is clear that the current punishments against the use of marijuana are doing more harm than good, and the legalization of the drug can create many benefits for the United and its people.
Marijuana is a drug. If you are found in possession of it by law enforcement, you are probably going to be arrested. People that use marijuana recreationally are thought to be criminals and drug addicts with bad intentions. They are also perceived to have poor health and no ambition or desire to improve their life or lives of others. But the perception of this drug varies from person to person. In light of Colorado and Washington legalizing recreational marijuana, more states are considering to follow suit. I believe marijuana should be legal in my state because it isn’t as harmful as we once thought, we waste a lot of money trying to control it, and marijuana is a new revenue stream for the government. It is time that we fully understand what marijuana is and treat
Possession and use of marijuana is illegal in over half of the United States, but it is still the third most popular recreational drug in the United States. The debate for this drug to be legal has been going on for many years; some states have legalized the drug for medical use, and some for recreational use as well. Other states seem to disagree; they are not in favor of making the drug legal for medical use or recreational use. It has been proven that marijuana has a positive impact on society. Marijuana should be legalized as it would reduce crime, provide health benefits, and it is a safe drug.
Marijuana is a drug that has been actively used for centuries. This drug can be traced back to 2737 BC by the Chinese emperor Shen Nung. He spoke about the euphoric effects of Cannabis and even referred to it as the “Liberator of Sin.” Since early on, marijuana was seen as a medicinal plant that was recommended for medical uses. Marijuana is currently in schedule I, which means that physicians are not allowed to prescribe it in the United States (Hart, Ksir 2013). This drug is also considered to have a high potential for abuse. In New York, a recent law was passed that states the penalties of possession of marijuana. If a person is carrying less than 25 grams and it is his/her offense, a $100 fine will be given to the individual. Marijuana is a very popular drug and in a study called Monitoring the Future Project by the University of Michigan in 2011, they state that next to alcohol, marijuana is the second most popular drug used by college students (Hart, Ksir 2013). There are currently many ongoing debates on why marijuana should be legalized. Marijuana should be legalized for recreation use in New York State because it can bring many positive effects to one’s health and can improve the economy as well.