Most people would argue that drug testing for welfare would be a waste of time and money. I will say personally that is completely false. Drug testing randomly for welfare program, would be a wonderful, and probably one of the only good things, to this already corrupt government program.…
The argument of legalizing pot has been in question for years now. William Bennett, who served as the Secretary of Education under Ronald Reagan and a Drug Czar under H.W. Bush, wrote an article called “Legal Pot Is a Public Health Menace”, that is full of hard hitting facts. Though all his facts go against the legalization of pot, not all of them are trustworthy enough to decide whether or not to legalize pot. Most of Bennett’s facts are unrepresentative, unclear, or insufficient for the claim he wants to get across to his audience.…
The campaign to legitimize what is called “medical” marijuana is based on two propositions: first, that science views marijuana as medicine; and second, that the DEA targets sick and dying people using the drug. Neither proposition is true. Specifically, smoked marijuana has not withstood the rigors of science–it is not medicine, and it is not safe. Moreover, the DEA targets criminals engaged in the cultivation and trafficking of marijuana, not the sick and dying. This is true even in the 15 states that have approved the use of “medical” marijuana.…
Philadelphia policymakers actively searched for a beneficial solution to their war-on-drugs, but remained mindful of the government’s overarching rule and contrasting beliefs. One of the largest disputes between local and federal was the handling of drug-related charges, most notably with the sentencing of offenders.…
This paper explores the legalization of cannabis from a medical and economic standpoint. In a pro/con format I will research and analyze different facts and opinions on whether or not legalizing cannabis is in the best interest of the people and the government. As we progress into the future more and more states are hopping on the bandwagon. Not only are the people interested in the advancements from a medical standpoint but is allowing each state themselves to decide how it will be handled and taxed benefiting the local economy. While this is a vital step forward, the work to ensure that all seriously ill patients who can benefit from medical cannabis have reasonable access to it is not done. (blog.mpp.org/medical-marijuana/new-york-becomes-the-23rd-medical-marijuana-state/07072014)…
Many studies have been performed that prove marijuana can help with the treatment of many types of cancers. Metastasis is when cancer cells spread from one part of the body to another (Mandal, n.d., What is Metastasis). Scientists at California Pacific Medical Center have found a compound in marijuana that can actually stop metastasis. This compound is called Cannabidiol. They learned this first by testing the compound on animals that had cancer and have proven that it works. They are now waiting on approval to begin human testing (Wilkey, 2012, Marijuana and Cancer). It can also be used to replace many pain pills that damage our kidneys and cause major addictions. Studies show that smoking marijuana can help lessen nerve pain or pain caused by surgery. "About 10% to 15% of patients attending a chronic pain clinic use cannabis as part of their pain control strategy"(Doheny, 2010, Marijuana Relieves Chronic Pain).…
Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal substance in United States and in many other countries; this is a statement that seems to be in each article that is written about the legalization of marijuana. This is a subject that has been up for debate for quite a few years now. There are many people who support the legalization of this drug and are strongly convinced that marijuana is not a drug in which one should be punished for, but rather a drug that should not be frowned upon and seen as a way to help our nation economically and medically. On the other end, there are also many people who support the criminalization of marijuana and believe it is a drug that should remain illegal or else further use of the drug may increase and become dangerous. There was a time in history when the use of marijuana was quite popular until it became illegal, like many other substances, it did not stop people from using. The question still remains, should marijuana be legalized? Throughout this writing piece, information regarding different views and opinions on the legalization of marijuana will be presented, along with positive and negative effects this would have on our nation economically and medically.…
Drugs have become one of the most controversial topics in the world. Some specific drugs are more frowned upon such as Marijuana. Marijuana is a plant in which its official name is “Cannabis”. Over the years this plant has become increasingly popular to people who don’t usually convert to traditional methods to relieve the stress of a hard day. “The National Drug Threat Assessment states that over 25.8 million individuals 12 years of age and older have smoked marijuana at least once in their life.” The rate has remained the same since 2008. The government labels these statistics as too high as they fight to keep one of the most contentious substances off the market. In 1970, Congress passed The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act .…
Marijuana legalization, is an issue that can be dated back to the late ninetieth century (PBS). This issue continues to be a controversial topic in today’s world. State and federal laws still collide on the issue of marijuana legalization. On November 2, 2010, California voters voted on a ballot called the Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis 2010. Prior to this date, Charles Stimson wrote an article, “Legalizing Marijuana: Why Citizens Just Say No,” in order to persuade California voters to not vote in favor of the ballot. He made various claims such as; marijuana is bad for one’s health, that it is linked to crime, and that the legalization of marijuana will not help the economy. He also poses the questions: who would distribute the drug and…
Marijuana is the growing topic in Americans daily lives; shockingly people are blind to realize that this substance will probably be one of the deadliest drugs in the next decade. “History repeats itself” a wise man once said, and this isn’t the first time or the last time America will use the excuses to make illegal substances that kill. The generations of the 20th century where blind and medically illiterate to the dangers of cigarettes in fact they believed it was health approved. Only a few decades later people started to realize the demons of smoking and plagued America with 5 million deaths a year ever since.…
We the people in the US try to use reason and logic to determine our laws. as a consequence of this intellectual process, we develop graded scales for punishment and degrees of illegality. The more dangerous an activity the more illegal and higher punishment, lesser activities are either not illegal or endorsed. Marijuana illegality defies this rational thinking in that it is less detrimental than alcohol and cigarettes and yet is treated far worse. Most pharmaceutical drugs can kill if used improperly, like alcohol and tobacco. In the following essay, I will explain how medically prescribed marijuana has a beneficial effect on patients who suffer from certain diseases, both by treating disease symptoms and…
Some advocates for validating marijuana have argued that the costs of legalization will keep the United States from spending tax dollars on the criminal-justice costs of marijuana law enforcement. This is simply not true. Research has found that the percentage of people in prison for marijuana use is less than one-half of one percent. More than 30 percent, of treatment admissions reported in the Treatment Episode Data Set, are collected from state-funded programs and are referred through the criminal-justice system. Marijuana is a drug abused by individuals recommended to treatment by the court system. The future of drug policy should not be a choice between using the court system or treatment. The goal should be to get these two systems to work together to improve both the nation's safety and health.…
There is no feasible way to completely abolish drug use in the United States. As with Prohibition of Alcohol in the earlier part of this century, the fight against drugs has backfired. The United States is spending billions of dollars a year to fight a war, which over the last 60 years, has shown that it cannot be won. "So let's use a little reverse psychology on the subject. What would happen if marijuana or other illegal drugs were legalized" (Rosenthal, 133)?…
Marijuana prohibition has been in America since the 1930’s, but prohibition took power and money from the government and gave it to gangs and criminals. There has been a nationwide war against marijuana for years now; yet the drug is still very easy to find and acquire. Prohibition was implemented to reduce the use, selling, and cultivating of the marijuana plant (Venkataraman). Prohibition is largely depended on arrest, incarceration and, the seizure of private property; but it has failed miserably. These days it is more potent, easier to acquire, and cultivated since beginning of the prohibition. Amazingly, marijuana is America’s number one cash crop at 33.8 billion dollars, more than corn (23.3 billion) and wheat…
Harry J. Anslinger hated marijuana. In the 1930s, as head of the US Federal Bureau of Narcotics, the forerunner of today’s Drug Enforcement Agency, he waged a furious campaign against the use of marijuana, known at the time as hemp. The attitudes and policies he fostered influence the Federal government’s policies on marijuana to this day. Since the information and research available today has advanced exponentially over that of 80 years ago, those laws must be changed.…