Criminalization of Marijuana
The Criminalization of Marijuana
Corry Countryman
ENG 210
Mrs. Rippard
November 18, 2010
The issue of criminalization of marijuana in the United States is becoming a big one. Marijuana was first federally prohibited in 1937, when very few Americans had even heard of what it was. To this day, there are between 95 to 100 million Americans admitting that they have tried using marijuana before. Out of these, 15 million of them said that they have used within the last month. In addition to this, there was a study released in December, 2006. The study found that now marijuana is the leading cash crop in the United States. The value of marijuana in the U.S. exceeds the value of wheat and corn combined. High school seniors consistently report every year, that approximately 85% consider marijuana “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain, according to government funded researchers (Marijuana Prohibition Facts, 2008). With all of these facts at hand, we can see that there is a huge problem concerning the non-taxation of marijuana in the United States. Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with the idea of marijuana use, it will continue to remain a huge cash crop in the U.S. By criminalizing its use and not putting a federal tax on it, our country is ultimately missing out on a huge cash market and a potential boost in the economy. The criminalization of marijuana has become a real, legitimate problem in the United States that needs to be addressed before it gets any worse. On top of the U.S. missing out on the taxation of the large cash crop, it continues to pour astronomical amounts of money into the “war on marijuana”. The U.S. government spends more than $12 billion dollars a year on drug control programs. Because federal budgets do not separate spending by drug, there is not a precise figure for the amount spent on marijuana alone. Although, it is estimated that the amount spent on marijuana alone is well over a billion dollars a year
Corry Countryman
ENG 210
Mrs. Rippard
November 18, 2010
The issue of criminalization of marijuana in the United States is becoming a big one. Marijuana was first federally prohibited in 1937, when very few Americans had even heard of what it was. To this day, there are between 95 to 100 million Americans admitting that they have tried using marijuana before. Out of these, 15 million of them said that they have used within the last month. In addition to this, there was a study released in December, 2006. The study found that now marijuana is the leading cash crop in the United States. The value of marijuana in the U.S. exceeds the value of wheat and corn combined. High school seniors consistently report every year, that approximately 85% consider marijuana “fairly easy” or “very easy” to obtain, according to government funded researchers (Marijuana Prohibition Facts, 2008). With all of these facts at hand, we can see that there is a huge problem concerning the non-taxation of marijuana in the United States. Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with the idea of marijuana use, it will continue to remain a huge cash crop in the U.S. By criminalizing its use and not putting a federal tax on it, our country is ultimately missing out on a huge cash market and a potential boost in the economy. The criminalization of marijuana has become a real, legitimate problem in the United States that needs to be addressed before it gets any worse. On top of the U.S. missing out on the taxation of the large cash crop, it continues to pour astronomical amounts of money into the “war on marijuana”. The U.S. government spends more than $12 billion dollars a year on drug control programs. Because federal budgets do not separate spending by drug, there is not a precise figure for the amount spent on marijuana alone. Although, it is estimated that the amount spent on marijuana alone is well over a billion dollars a year
References: Kaufman, M. (2006, May 26). Study Finds No Cancer-Marijuana Connection. The Washington Post . Marijuana Prohibition Facts. (2008, September). Retrieved November 17, 2010, from Marijuana Policy Project: http://www.mpp.org/assets/pdfs/download-materials/MJ_ProhibFacts092008.pdf Religious and spiritual use of cannabis. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2010, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_and_spiritual_use_of_cannabis Sativex - Investigational Cannabis-Based Treatment for Pain and Multiple Sclerosis. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2010, from Drug Development Technology: http://www.drugdevelopment-technology.com/projects/sativex/ American Association for Cancer Research (2007, April 17). Marijuana Cuts Lung Cancer Tumor Growth In Half, Study Shows. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 17, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm The price of keeping marijuana illegal. (2006). Retrieved November 17, 2010, from Marijuana Legalization Organization: http://www.mjlegal.org/cost.html