Marijuana Legalizing Drugs
The War on Drugs and The Legalization of Marijuana
Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world. The word “marijuana”, referred to as “herbal cannabis” by the rest of the world, is the American term for dried flowers and leaves of the cannabis sativa plant (Caulkins 2012). The drug can be dated back to as far as 6000 B.C. when the plant’s seeds were used in China as food. It was used as a pain reliever and sedative in Napoleonic France (Spaulding and Fernandez). The flowers on the cannabis sativa plant contain concentrated amounts of a mind-altering chemical known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).1 THC varies in potency depending on the plant. The leaves of the plant, which have become the social symbol of marijuana, contain …show more content…
The amendment also permits licensing marijuana retail stores, cultivation operations, marijuana edible factories and testing facilities (Rocky Mountain HIDTA 2013). The first retail marijuana business will be licensed in January 2014. In 2000, Colorado legalized the use of medical marijuana. In 2009, the medical marijuana dynamics in Colorado drastically changed and expanded. A district judge lifted the limit of dispensary owners to only sell to five people. “Colorado experienced an explosion to over 20,000 new medical marijuana patient applications and the emergence of over 250 medical marijuana dispensaries”(Rocky Mountain HIDTA 2013). By the end of the year, there were 38,000 additional new patient applications, an increase of 36,000 cardholders and by 2010, over 900 dispensaries were in …show more content…
Instead of acting with force, unsuccessfully scaring people out of doing drugs, there should be different drug policies. There should be more focus on treatment for drug abuse, as well as increased prevention education and minimized convictions. So much money is spent on prevention advertisement and instilling fear about drugs. Funding for school education should be increased to enhance student and adult knowledge about drugs and their harm. The U.S. government needs to loosen its firm grip on the issue of marijuana and create a stable base for Americans to comply with instead of defy. Colorado and Washington have begun to create a seemingly successful regulatory plan that when implemented will be able to benefit from what Michael R. Caputo—leading professor at the University of Central Florida’s Department of Economics—claims is the nation’s leading cash
Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal drug in the world. The word “marijuana”, referred to as “herbal cannabis” by the rest of the world, is the American term for dried flowers and leaves of the cannabis sativa plant (Caulkins 2012). The drug can be dated back to as far as 6000 B.C. when the plant’s seeds were used in China as food. It was used as a pain reliever and sedative in Napoleonic France (Spaulding and Fernandez). The flowers on the cannabis sativa plant contain concentrated amounts of a mind-altering chemical known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).1 THC varies in potency depending on the plant. The leaves of the plant, which have become the social symbol of marijuana, contain …show more content…
The amendment also permits licensing marijuana retail stores, cultivation operations, marijuana edible factories and testing facilities (Rocky Mountain HIDTA 2013). The first retail marijuana business will be licensed in January 2014. In 2000, Colorado legalized the use of medical marijuana. In 2009, the medical marijuana dynamics in Colorado drastically changed and expanded. A district judge lifted the limit of dispensary owners to only sell to five people. “Colorado experienced an explosion to over 20,000 new medical marijuana patient applications and the emergence of over 250 medical marijuana dispensaries”(Rocky Mountain HIDTA 2013). By the end of the year, there were 38,000 additional new patient applications, an increase of 36,000 cardholders and by 2010, over 900 dispensaries were in …show more content…
Instead of acting with force, unsuccessfully scaring people out of doing drugs, there should be different drug policies. There should be more focus on treatment for drug abuse, as well as increased prevention education and minimized convictions. So much money is spent on prevention advertisement and instilling fear about drugs. Funding for school education should be increased to enhance student and adult knowledge about drugs and their harm. The U.S. government needs to loosen its firm grip on the issue of marijuana and create a stable base for Americans to comply with instead of defy. Colorado and Washington have begun to create a seemingly successful regulatory plan that when implemented will be able to benefit from what Michael R. Caputo—leading professor at the University of Central Florida’s Department of Economics—claims is the nation’s leading cash