Marijuana Position Paper - Pro Legalization
Research Based Position Paper
Marijuana Laws in a Rapidly Changing American Society
The turbulent history of Marijuana prohibition in America is one filled with racial motives and propaganda, but surprisingly was not an issue before 80 years ago. In fact, when Ronald Reagan was a child, marijuana was still legal in his state (Guither). Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of scientific or medical process which classified it as a dangerous drug, and though government hearings was in turn made illegal. The actual story of Marijuana prohibition in America had nothing to do with any of that. Those who voted on the legal fate of this plant never had the facts, but were dependent on information supplied by those who had agenda of their own to satisfy. The history of marijuana's criminalization is filled with racism, fear, yellow journalism and corrupt legislators. These laws were not only crafted on false premises but for the wrong reasons as well, and the time for change is ever drawing more near. Marijuana should be legalized in America because it has a positive history of industrial use around the world, the laws were crafted on false pretenses, prohibition is a waste of taxpayer money and Marijuana could also provide relief to patients with debilitating diseases.
Cannabis is a species of flowering plants that includes three distinct species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis Janisch. The substance we know today as Marijuana are the buds off the Cannabis sativa plant, which contains a higher concentration of the active ingredient in Marijuana, THC or tetrahydrocannabinol. Hemp, on the other hand, is a common name for plants in the entire family of Cannabis, although the term usually only refers to Cannabis strains cultivated for industrial use. Hemp is cultivated virtually everywhere in the world except for the United States, for its wide range of uses and ease of cultivation makes for
Marijuana Laws in a Rapidly Changing American Society
The turbulent history of Marijuana prohibition in America is one filled with racial motives and propaganda, but surprisingly was not an issue before 80 years ago. In fact, when Ronald Reagan was a child, marijuana was still legal in his state (Guither). Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of scientific or medical process which classified it as a dangerous drug, and though government hearings was in turn made illegal. The actual story of Marijuana prohibition in America had nothing to do with any of that. Those who voted on the legal fate of this plant never had the facts, but were dependent on information supplied by those who had agenda of their own to satisfy. The history of marijuana's criminalization is filled with racism, fear, yellow journalism and corrupt legislators. These laws were not only crafted on false premises but for the wrong reasons as well, and the time for change is ever drawing more near. Marijuana should be legalized in America because it has a positive history of industrial use around the world, the laws were crafted on false pretenses, prohibition is a waste of taxpayer money and Marijuana could also provide relief to patients with debilitating diseases.
Cannabis is a species of flowering plants that includes three distinct species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis Janisch. The substance we know today as Marijuana are the buds off the Cannabis sativa plant, which contains a higher concentration of the active ingredient in Marijuana, THC or tetrahydrocannabinol. Hemp, on the other hand, is a common name for plants in the entire family of Cannabis, although the term usually only refers to Cannabis strains cultivated for industrial use. Hemp is cultivated virtually everywhere in the world except for the United States, for its wide range of uses and ease of cultivation makes for