Is the illegalization of marijuana valid? The debate over the legalization of Cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, has been one of the most heated controversies ever to occur in the United States. Its use as a medicine has existed for thousands of years in many countries world wide, and is documented as far back as 2700 BC in ancient Chinese writing. (Jackson,pg. 55) When someone says ganja, cannabis, bung, dope, grass, rasta, or weed, they are talking about the same subject: marijuana.
Marijuana should be legalized because the government could earn money from taxes on its sale, its value to the medical world utweighs its abuse potential, and because of its importance to the paper and clothing industries. This action should be taken despite efforts made by groups which say marijuana is a harmful drug which will increase crime rates and lead users to other more dangerous substances. The actual story behind the legislature passed against marijuana is quite surprising. The acts bringing about the demise of marijuana were part of a large conspiracy involving DuPont, Harry J.
Angslinger, commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN), and many other influential industrial leaders such as William Randolph Hearst, and Andrew Mellon. The Marijuana Act, which passed in 1937, coincidentally occurred just as the decorator machine was invented. (Jackson, pg. 57) With this invention, marijuana would have been able to take over competing industries almost instantaneously. You see 10,000 acres devoted to marijuana will produce as much paper as 40,000 acres of average forest pulp land. William Hearst owned enormous timber acreage so his interest in preventing the growth of marijuana can be easily explained.
Competition from marijuana would have easily driven the Hearst paper manufacturing company out of business, and significantly lowered the value of his land. (Jackson,pg. 0) Even popularizing the term “marijuana” was a strategy Hearst used in order to create fear in the American public. You see the first step in creating hysteria was to introduce the element of fear of the unknown by using a word that no one had ever heard of before “marijuana. ” The reasoning behind Hearst and others was not for any moral or health related issues.
They fought to prevent the growth of this new industry so they wouldnt lose money. Jackson,pg. 61) In fact, the American Medical Association tried to argue for the medical benefits of marijuana. Marijuana is actually less dangerous than alcohol, cigarettes, and even most ver-the-counter medicines or prescriptions. Nearly all medicines have toxic, potentially lethal affects, but marijuana is not such a substance. Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within a supervised routine of medical care.
To me it doesnt make sense for marijuana to be illegal in the United States when alcohol poisoning is a major cause of death in this country, and approximately 400,000 premature deaths are attributed to cigarettes annually. (Jackson, pg. 64) Marijuana compares avorably to nicotine, alcohol, and even caffeine. When drinking a person will experience an inability to stand or walk without help, near unconsciousness, lack of comprehension of what is seen or heard, shock, and breathing and heartbeat may stop. When smoking marijuana will do nothing more than put you to sleep, while drinking excessive amounts of alcohol will kill you.
Prescribed marijuana alleviates epilepsy, weight loss of AIDS, nausea of chemotherapy, menstrual pains, and severe effects of Multiple Sclerosis. The illness with the most documentation among doctors which marijuana has successfully treated is Multiple Sclerosis. A doctor by the name of Lester Grinspoon believes for Multiple Sclerosis suffers, “Cannabis is a drug of necessity. ” (Jackson,pg. 63) Marijuana is also known to help patients with muscle spasms. It allows them to sleep properly, and helps to control the patients bladders.
Marijuana also proved to be effective in the treatment of glaucoma because its use lowers pressure on the eye. We should be concentrating on the serious business of heroin and amphetamines. If the government were to legalize marijuana, they could reasonably place high taxes on it. An entire industry could be created out of marijuana based products. The oils extracted from seeds could be used for fuels and the marijuana fiber, a fiber so valued for its strength that it is used to judge the quality of other fibers, could be manufactured into ropes, clothing, or paper. Dennis,pg. 86)
Most importantly, the money the government would make from taxes and the money which would be saved by not trying to prevent its use could be used for more important things, such as serious drugs or the national debt. The recreational use of marijuana would not stimulate crime like some would argue. For instance, the crime rate in Amsterdam, where marijuana is legal, is lower than many major U. S. cities. If we took action and our government legalized marijuana today, we would immediately see benefits from this decision.
People suffering from illnesses ranging from manic depression to multiple sclerosis would be able to experience relief. The government also could make billions of dollars off of the taxes it could impose on its sale. There have been no recorded deaths as a result of marijuana use, it is not physically addictive like alcohol, or tobacco, and most doctors will agree it is safer to use. Marijuana being illegal has no validity at all. Due to all the positive aspects of marijuana, it should be legalized in the United States.
