An Argument for the Legalization of Marijuana
An Argument for the Legalization of Marijuana
An Argument for the Legalization of Marijuana
A part of why marijuana should be legalized has to do with why it was criminalized to begin with. Some of the primary reasons marijuana was criminalized were racism, fear, protection of corporate profits, and yellow journalism. In the early 1900’s Pancho Villa and the Mexican revolution were affecting the western states. Marijuana use was prevalent with the Mexicans and many with influence in the U.S. used the distaste (racism) for what was going on to pursue anti marijuana legislation. This racism was accompanied by a good bit of yellow journalism. William Randolf Hearst, a newspaper giant and heavy investor in timber, gave assistance to Harry Anslinger the head of the new Bureau of Narcotics by fabricating stories about Mexicans and marijuana in order to sell papers and promote anti-marijuana sentiment (Guither, n.d.). It was during this time that several states enacted laws restricting or prohibiting the use of marijuana, also known as hemp or cannabis, as early as 1913. On a national level it was effectively made illegal on October 2, 1937 with the passing of the Marijuana Stamp Act. Of the many reasons marijuana was criminalized; racism, greed and yellow journalism, marijuana being harmful was not among them. Marijuana, which has beneficial uses as cloth, paper and medicine among others, is less destructive to the consumer ("Marijuana vs. Alcohol", n.d.) than alcohol and should be decriminalized.
With a history spanning thousands of years the use of marijuana in one form or another is varied. According to Wright (2011) “Evidence of the use of hemp to create cloth or rope has been found in an ancient site in Taiwan dating back to the Stone Age” (p. 460). Many early civilizations also used it for medicinal purposes. According to "42.0 Milestones in The History of Marijuana" (n.d.), "by 2727 BCE, the Chinese documented the use of cannabis as
An Argument for the Legalization of Marijuana
A part of why marijuana should be legalized has to do with why it was criminalized to begin with. Some of the primary reasons marijuana was criminalized were racism, fear, protection of corporate profits, and yellow journalism. In the early 1900’s Pancho Villa and the Mexican revolution were affecting the western states. Marijuana use was prevalent with the Mexicans and many with influence in the U.S. used the distaste (racism) for what was going on to pursue anti marijuana legislation. This racism was accompanied by a good bit of yellow journalism. William Randolf Hearst, a newspaper giant and heavy investor in timber, gave assistance to Harry Anslinger the head of the new Bureau of Narcotics by fabricating stories about Mexicans and marijuana in order to sell papers and promote anti-marijuana sentiment (Guither, n.d.). It was during this time that several states enacted laws restricting or prohibiting the use of marijuana, also known as hemp or cannabis, as early as 1913. On a national level it was effectively made illegal on October 2, 1937 with the passing of the Marijuana Stamp Act. Of the many reasons marijuana was criminalized; racism, greed and yellow journalism, marijuana being harmful was not among them. Marijuana, which has beneficial uses as cloth, paper and medicine among others, is less destructive to the consumer ("Marijuana vs. Alcohol", n.d.) than alcohol and should be decriminalized.
With a history spanning thousands of years the use of marijuana in one form or another is varied. According to Wright (2011) “Evidence of the use of hemp to create cloth or rope has been found in an ancient site in Taiwan dating back to the Stone Age” (p. 460). Many early civilizations also used it for medicinal purposes. According to "42.0 Milestones in The History of Marijuana" (n.d.), "by 2727 BCE, the Chinese documented the use of cannabis as
References: 12 States with Pending Legislation to Legalize Medical Marijuana. (2012). Retrieved from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002481 16 Legal Medical Marijuana States and DC Gronbaek, M. (2009, April). The positive and negative health effects of alcohol- and. Journal of Internal Medicine, 265(4), 407-420. Laino, C. (2008). Withdrawal Symptoms From Smoking Pot?. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20080507/withdrawal-symptoms-from-smoking-pot Marijuana And Alcohol Compared Wright, J. (2011). A history of Cannabis, from 'marijuana ' to 'dope '. British Journal Of School Nursing, 6(9), 460-461.