messageConor Olsen
Mr. Forster
English 11
Dec 16, 2008
Legalization of Marijuana
Marijuana has been a subject of debate and criticism for many years. Although the facts are out there people are still ignorant and biased towards the drug. In many ways the United States war on cannabis is much like the school’s war on iPods, useless at best. Marijuana should be legalized and decriminalized because of the good effect it will have on the United States, economically and socially, and because of numerous medical reasons. The prohibition has been too much of a strain on this country for not enough of a reason.
The prohibition of marijuana was put into effect in 1937 as a method for giving Mexicans a bad stereotype and for other reasons that are unknown. At first the government increased taxes to extraordinary levels so that the tax was “$100 per pound of hemp,” (Legalize.org) this made it so that farmers were discouraged to grow it or sell it because the taxes were too high. Afterwards people started to put out propaganda such as “Reefer Madness” which was a full length propaganda movie warning people about the horrible things cannabis supposedly inflicted upon the user. It implied such things as marijuana will lead to extreme criminal behavior, recklessness, hallucinations, heavy memory loss, and eventual insanity of the user. This of course led to a very biased opinion towards the drug which still exists as the major barrier to its legalization. In 1969 the 1937 Marijuana Tax Act was struck down, but a year later in 1970 cannabis was once again illegal to possess, sell, or use. All this work by the government has cost the country a lot of money that could be used for education or defense of the country they say they are trying to protect.
The economical benefits of the legalization of marijuana are obvious and could be very helpful. A study done by a professor of economics, Dr. Jeffrey Miron, shows that “Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of taxation and regulation similar to that used for alcoholic beverages would produce combined savings and tax revenues of between $10 billion and $14 billion per year…Replacing marijuana prohibition with a system of legal regulation would save approximately $7.7 billion in government expenditures on prohibition enforcement.” If the numbers are crunched, that means that the United States has spent approximately $539 billion from 1937 to 2007. That money could be used for so much more. Dr. Miron’s report is endorsed by more than 530 distinguished economists, which shows that the prohibition does nothing good economically yet the government still seems to think it is necessary. Another economic downside of the prohibition is the amount of money spent in the prison system to lock up non violent marijuana offenders. “In 2001 alone, 724,000 individuals were arrested for violating marijuana laws and 90% of these arrests were for simple possession…It costs between $20,000 and $30,000 to keep a criminal behind bars for one year.”(Schlosser qtd. in Fisk) With these numbers why does the government continue this war? That is too much money that could be used for something beneficial and not something pointless like it is currently being used for.
If that isn’t convincing enough, then the comparison between the U.S. and the Netherlands should be. According to Drugwarfacts.org in 1998 each U.S. citizen spent 379 Euros on the criminal justice system compared to 223 Euros in the Netherlands. That is not to say that that is all related to marijuana, because it is not, but the only thing that is different between the U.S. and the Netherlands justice system is their policies on cannabis. If that is the only thing that is different than that means that the 156 Euro difference is mostly because of those policies. That is definitely a big chunk of money out of the taxpayers’ pockets. That is not the only benefit that the Netherlands has from the legalization of marijuana.
The Netherlands has been very successful when it came to the legalization of cannabis in 1976. By increasing the law enforcement that dealt with hard drugs and at the same time legalizing the possession, sale, and use of marijuana in certain areas they drove a wedge between the two communities of hard and soft drug users. The authorities reasoned “It wasn’t the psychoactive properties of hashish…but contact with the criminal subculture that leads to serious antisocial behavior.” (Morais, 1152) Antisocial behavior in a sense is the use of hard drugs, and committing of crimes that have nothing to do with the smoking of marijuana. Now Holland has the lowest amount of hard drug addicts and lowest amount of cannabis ‘abusers’ out of several countries including the U.S., France, Switzerland, and Italy. According to Drugwarfacts.org in 2001 the U.S. had 5.4% of people who had used marijuana within the last month of the survey compared to 3% in the Netherlands. Now how can the U.S. government still say that it is good for the country with facts like that? Tourism is another benefit that Holland has gained from being the only country that legalized marijuana. It’s often called Narco Tourism and it “may account for as much as 25% of Holland’s $5.3 billion tourist income.”(Morais, 1174) Narco Tourists also buy an approximated $180 million in marijuana at the coffee shops every year. That could be this countries money that if taxed could be used for education and other projects. If that doesn’t sound helpful the medical side of things most likely will.
Marijuana has been used as a medicine for thousands of years by ancient civilizations and it did not hurt them. The effects of the smoking of marijuana are very beneficial to people with certain diseases or mental conditions. People have found that it helps reduce any type of nausea, relieving acute pains or improving appetite. Many people in the United States have been trying to use medical marijuana for their illnesses and to ease their pain. People with HIV, AIDS, Multiple Sclerosis, and forms of Cancer can use it to relieve some of their pains, aches, and nausea. However, if they are prescribed medical marijuana then it is still illegal to buy it on a federal level. This system is obviously not working for the ill, and needs to be mended. For studies have shown that it doesn’t cause cancer so why not mend the system?
Many people think that marijuana would cause lung, brain, or neck cancers since it has approximately 500 more carcinogens in the smoke than cigarettes. However
“Investigators at the University of California, Los Angeles, led by Dr. Donald Tashkin, found that—contrary to their expectations—smoking pot does not lead to cancer, even in heavy smokers. The National Institutes of Health-funded study, presented at the annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society, assessed lifetime marijuana use in 1,200 Los Angeles are a cancer patients and 1,040 control subjects. He found that even those who had smoked more than 22,000 joints had no increased incidence of lung, head, or neck cancers.” (Bell, 541)
So if marijuana does not cause cancer than why are people so afraid of it? It is caused by the fact that they don’t tell all the facts about marijuana to the public. There are a lot of things that need to be public knowledge so that people can make an informed decision when it comes to legalizing cannabis. A fact about marijuana that might be surprising and might change people’s opinion about it is how it does not affect the human fetus so pregnant woman can use it to relieve morning sickness.
“Dozens of studies have compared the newborn babies of women who used marijuana during pregnancy with the babies of women who did not… Most of these studies, including the largest study to date with a sample of more than 12,000 women, (9) have found no differences between babies exposed to marijuana prenatally and babies not exposed. (10) Given the large number of studies and the large number of measures, some differences are likely to occur by chance. Indeed, researchers have found differences in both directions. In some studies, the babies of marijuana users appear healthier and hardier." In others, researchers have found more adverse outcomes in the babies of marijuana users. (12)… Researchers have also examined older children for the effects of prenatal exposure to marijuana. A study of one year olds found no differences between marijuana-exposed and nonexposed babies on measures of health, temperament, personality, sleeping patterns, eating habits, psychomotor ability, physical development, or mental functioning. (17) In two studies, one of three year olds, (18) the other of four year olds, (19) there was no effect of prenatal marijuana exposure on children’s overall IQ test scores. However, in the first study, when researches looked at black and white children separately, they found, among black children only, slightly lower scores on two subscales of the IQ test. On one subscale, it was children exposed to marijuana only during the first trimester who scored lower. On the other subscale, it was children exposed during the second trimester who scored lower. (20) In neither case did the frequency or quantity of mothers’ marijuana use affect the outcomes. This makes it highly unlikely they were actually caused by marijuana. Nonetheless, this study is now cited as evidence that using marijuana during pregnancy impairs the intellectual capacity of children. (21)” (Zimmer and Morgan qtd. in Hildenbrandt)
There is much more to be said about it but it will be left out. The only other thing that should be included is this, “In essentially all studies, marijuana contributes less than alcohol or tobacco.” (Zimmer and Morgan qtd. in Hildenbrandt) If the two legal drugs, besides prescriptions, cause more damage than marijuana to the most precious of possessions, a baby in the womb, than why is cannabis illegal and they are legal? Alcohol is known to make people violent and “in the words of The Lancet, produce the severe or grossly debilitation impairment of memory, attention and cognitive function” (Lowry) and tobacco has one of the most addictive substances known to man and causes cancer yet they are both legal unlike marijuana, which is known to make people passive and happy with one of the smallest chances of addiction. Another thing about marijuana as a drug is that people who use it cannot overdose ever unlike alcohol. So in a sense, alcohol should be in marijuana’s place, but alcohol has been wound into the culture for hundreds of years so it won’t ever be in that position.
All in all cannabis should be legalized and decriminalized because its effect on the society and the economy of the U.S., and the numerous medical reasons. marijuana has been around for thousands of years and has never been the devil’s weed until 1937. If people looked past the bias and the propaganda they would see an herb with medical properties and feel good effects. marijuana is not even as close to as bad as alcohol yet alcohol is shown as a socially acceptable drug and cannabis is shown as a gateway drug and a drug that makes criminals out of outstanding citizens when that is not the case. Marijuana helps people with diseases and eases the minds of so many more so the obvious solution is to legalize marijuana and to decriminalize it.
Works Cited
Bell, John R. “Pot causes pizza delivery, not cancer.” Family Practice News 36.13 (July 1, 2006): 54(1). General OneFile. Gale. Idaho Comm for Lib. 14 Dec. 2008
<http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS>.
Friedman, Milton. “500+ Economists Call for Marijuana Regulation Debate; New Report Projects $10-14 Billion Annual Savings and Revenues.” Costs of Marijuana Prohibition: Economic Analysis. Marijuana Policy Project. 14 Dec 2008 <http://www.prohibitioncosts.org/index.html>.
Hildenbrandt, Erin. “Medical marijuana: a surprising solution to severe morning sickness.” Mothering 124 (May-June 2004): 52(10). General OneFile. Gale. Idaho Comm for Lib. 14 Dec. 2008
<http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS>.
LOWRY, RICHARD. “Weed Whackers – The anti-marijuana forces, and why they’re wrong.” National Review 53.16 (August 20, 2001): NA. General OneFile. Gale. Idaho Comm for Lib. 14 Dec. 2008
<http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS>.
Mcvay, Douglas A. “The Netherlands Compared With The United States.” Drug War Facts. 2008. 14 Dec 2008 <http://drugwarfacts.org/cms/?q=node/53>.
Morais, Richard C. “Just say maybe.” Forbes 157.n12 (June 17, 1996): 114(1). General OneFile. Gale. Idaho Comm for Lib. 2 Dec. 2008 <http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS>.
“Reefer madness; Medical marijuana." The Economist (US) 379.8475 (April 29, 2006): 83US. General OneFile. Gale. Idaho Comm for Lib. 15 Dec. 2008
<http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS>.
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Conor Macleod started this discussion on Dec 15, 2008
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Manuel Padilla replied on Dec 16, 2008
i read this whole paper and almost shed a tear at the end. im so passionate when it comes 2 the legalization of Marijuana. this paper was VERY well written and very well when it came to the facts. i know ALOT about Marijuana and its legal status over the years, alot of whats in this paper i already knew. but a few things really got me into it. the whole thing with women being able 2 consume Marijuana while pregnant was fascinating. this paper was VERY well written. 1000 stars out of 10. when ever people tell me Marijuana shouldnt be legal, ill show them this. props for this paper brother.
Stay Chiefin.
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Conor Macleod replied on Dec 16, 2008
Thanks for the input, I really appreciate it. This was just my rough draft so it will be some minor additions to it and it will be complete.
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Richie Turner replied on Dec 18, 2008
If people would wake up in the usa and open their eyes up Marijuana is a seed that grows from the earth just like our vegies out of the garden or ur pretty flowers Marijuana is a plant that put hear to help people in many ways which people needs to realize its no worst than using stuff like whiskey, beer or so on that is legal!!!
So if Marijuana was legal to help people to feel free and good about theirselfs exspecially the people with medical needs this world would be a better to live in if people could just be free in the usa to smoke some Marijuana to relax and for there medical needs and just let people me free of all the shit that going on just let people chill and say Fuck it I’m free of the worries and stress for some hours out of the day then U do what U need to do all over again!!!
PLEASE LEGALIZE IT!!!
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james birchard replied on Dec 18, 2008
we must organize this petition has been up for a year and only 3000 joining a million marijuana march must be organized not these petty marches in san Fransisco right in front of the whit house i say i am more than willing to do my part so who ever reads this let me know if something like that is going down or if there is anything i can do to help my main reason for my passion on the subject is i have chrones disease its basically a inflammation of the bowl that i will have for the rest of my life now this would be unbearable if it wasn’t for weed put simply stomach hurts cant eat for 3 days smoke a joint get munchies and are able to eat at least a little bit and its even been proven that marijuana helps prevent alzheimer’s disease
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james birchard replied on Dec 18, 2008
and bye the way most of the information in the fist post can be seen in a vhs documentary called grass its really great and everyone should see it
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Heather Dohrman replied on Dec 21, 2008
Guys, they can’t see the idea Alaska has as far as taxing it. In Alaska, you have to purchase a card from the government, and are safe to use marijuana for medicinal purposes, and carry it as long as you have a card that is not expired. I don’t even know if they’re still allowing it. U.S. government might’ve overpassed that. If the government would wake up, there is technically a way to tax it, so it should become legal easier. Please look at my campaign and help support. My husband is literally a modern day martyr! Peace!
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Mark O'Keeffe replied on Dec 21, 2008
Heather, please tell us about your husband as I could not find anything on your (maze of a) website.
(Not your fault, myspace is just “that way”). You might like www.freewebs.com a little better.Peace and Merry Christmas!
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Mark O'Keeffe replied on Dec 21, 2008
To Connor:
I would like permission to add your wonderful post to my website blog about marijuana.
Please let me know ASAP and I’ll send you the website link when its posted.
GREAT JOB!!! Keep up the good work and ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS:
Anti pot legalisation people are ALWAYS going to look for the tiniest little mistake or flaw in your posts or discussions, and especially in how you present these to them. Always be mindful of your “delivery”, not that there was anything wrong with your post.
Remember this: When you hand somebody a dead bird, there is no way they can argue that it is not a bird and that it is not dead. You have a world of potential. Use it wisely and make us proud of you!!!
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Heather Dohrman replied on Dec 21, 2008
Mr. O’Keeffe, my husband put down the wrong url. He thought he’d be helpful, had an adverse effect though! Please check out www.myspace.com/thumpershole. That is the correct website for my battle! Thank you for the encouragement and support, it means a lot to me right now!
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