Luis H. Fuentes-Rios
09/28/2010
Essay# 2
Bob O’Connell
Legalization of Marijuana

Definitions The dried leaves and, females flowers of the hemp plant. Used in cigarette form as a narcotic or hallucinogen. Also called Indian hemp, marijuana. a tall, coarse plant, Cannabis sativa, that is native to Asia but naturalized or cultivated in many parts of the world and is the source of a valuable fiber as well as drugs such as marijuana and hashish. Compare cannabis.

Introduction The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 started the prohibition of marijuana in America. At the time many tabloids ran untrue stories of Immigrants committing violent crimes while intoxicated with marijuana, so Congress decided to start prohibition of marijuana. In the article of “why is marijuana Illegal” by Pete Guiter. He says “This was a huge blow to many Americans since marijuana was and still is the third most popular recreational drug behind nicotine and alcohol.” Also marijuana was a huge cash crop, so any farmers lost a lot of money by the prohibition. However the direst consequence has been the massive amount of marijuana users arrested, which causes prison overcrowding. “According to government surveys over 70 million people in America have smoked marijuana, and a marijuana user gets arrested every 45 seconds.” With numbers like theses its no surprise the prison systems can’t handle the huge influx of non violent marijuana smokers die to the war on drugs. “There has been a 60% increase in marijuana arrests since Clinton started the war on drugs and over 10,000,000 Americans have been incarcerated for marijuana usage since 1972.” In the eastern states, the “problem” was attributed to a combination of Latin Americans and black jazz musicians. Marijuana and jazz traveled from New Orleans to Chicago, and then to Harlem, where marijuana became an indispensable part of the music scene, even entering the language of the black hits of the time. Again, racism was part of the charge against marijuana, as newspapers said “Marihuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men’s shadows and look at a white woman twice.”

Thesis Marijuana should not be legalize for any reason, but only should use under doctor supervision Argument

Support From my point of view Legalizing of marijuana to the public was a big mistake. The government should have had a better control to how it was going to be offer to the public, they could of started by giving the doctors more power over their patient in the use of marijuana. Many Americans think that the use of drugs is morally wrong, because religious codes prohibit the use of intoxicating substances. Therefore legalizing of marijuana would be like legalizing something considered to be immoral. The mistake by legalizing marijuana to public leads the facility of other people to use it with out any doctor permeation; therefore marijuana is believed to be a stepping-stone drug that can eventually lead to addiction to heroin, cocaine and other harder drugs. But not only is the problem with other people being expos to marijuana but the increase of crimes. Some believe that legalizing marijuana may increase crime, as people involved in illegal trade of the drug are also involved in other crimes. They consider society is safer with marijuana offenders incarcerated. When using marijuana there are two type effects tours the body like immediate and long-term effects. Immediate effects after someone has smoked marijuana may include: loss of restlessness, excitement, hallucinations, psychotic, paranoia; and Long Term effects of marijuana may include: the loss of brain cells, lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, energy loss, slow confused thinking, apathy, and blood vessel blockage. On the website Marijuana today they show the what research have found in college students, woman been pregnant and on children like “A study involving college students found that the heavy marijuana users made