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Legalizing Marijuana

“In any civilized society, it is every citizen’s responsibility to obey just laws. But at the same time, it is every citizens responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Martin Luther King Jr. The topic of legalizing marijuana is a very conversational issue in American politics today. Although many malicious claims have been made about marijuana, the truths are slowly beginning to resurface. Unfortunately, these truths are under heavy criticism due to the stereotypical view of what people view as a typical “pot smoker”. This is the problem with society. Marijuana is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within groups of people. It is the mode of thinking that happens when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives. Group members try to minimize conflict and reach a consensus decision without critical evaluation of alternative ideas or viewpoints. Some of us are better educated in some areas more than others. Those who don’t know enough facts or realizations about the topic, automatically go with what everyone else believes is right without even learning about it. This results into misinformation spread by those who don’t even necessarily know exactly what they are talking about. Marijuana can be used for medical purposes, but it is no lessharmful than alcohol or Tabaco if used in moderation, and it could be a source of additional tax revenues. Medical marijuana emerged as a mainstream medicine by the 19th century mostly in the West. According to URI.edu, the use of medical marijuana continued to spread up until 1937 when it was outlawed. The argument of legalizing medical marijuana continued to grow stronger. California became the first state to legalized medical marijuana in 1996. Then, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington in 1998. Maine became the 5th state in 1999 and Hawaii in 2000, Colorado and Nevada as well. In 2006, medical marijuana became legalized in Rhode Island. In

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