Randy Scott
Soc 120
Martin DiBello
Feb 6, 2012
Marijuana is currently an illegal substance made from the dry leaves of a hemp plant. It contains over 400 chemicals. This substance has been given many different nicknames such as weed, pot, green, cannabis, skunk, and the list goes on. Marijuana has different psychological and physical effects. Marijuana is usually smoked in cigarette papers but can also be put in food and beverages. There are many different beliefs on whether marijuana should be legalized or not.
Marijuana has been around for centuries and has been used for medicine in the past. The Chinese has discovered as a medicine for healing purposes. Centuries later, a Chinese medical text (1578 A.D.) described the use of marijuana to treat vomiting, parasitic infections, and hemorrhage. Marijuana continued to be used in China as a folk remedy for diarrhea and dysentery and to stimulate the appetite. (Mack, Alison. Marijuana as Medicine: The Science Beyond the Controversy)
The Harrison Act of 1914 made it where a non-medical person cannot buy or possess any marijuana under the National Firearms Act and the Marijuana Tax Act. The Congress came up with a way such as; every person buying a firearm or marijuana had to pay a steep transfer fee and carry out the order. All the manufacturers’ importers and dealers had to register their name, business, and pay an extra tax. The transfer tax was higher than the product which made it $100 for an ounce on an unregistered person and $1 for an ounce on a registered person. The Marijuana Tax Act in 1937 with the prohibiting tax made marijuana illegal in the United States.
The Marihuana Tax Act was framed as a revenue measure, but its language and implementation effectively brought about prohibition. The rules for physician compliance were complex, and its extensive, broad requirements made registered persons subject to the administrative discretion of the Treasury Department. Violators were
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