Medical Marijuana Should be Legalized Essay - 1973 Words

Marijuana has been in the news lately since two states, Colorado and Washington, have voted to legalize recreational marijuana. Currently they are the only two states to legalize recreational marijuana. Twenty states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana. Iowa, at this time, has decided not to legalize medical marijuana in spite of many Iowa citizens advocating for the legalization of the drug. Iowa is taking a cautious approach to medical marijuana. Medical marijuana has been proven to help with seizures, pain management, nausea and improve the quality of life of people with certain medical issues. Regulation of medical marijuana will keep the drug safe by overseeing the growing and sale of the drug and†¦show more content†¦One Denver citizen put it quite clearly when he stated, â€Å"The only thing more addictive than illegal drugs is tax revenue.† We have seen this work with gambling which used to be illegal and now is a wonderful sourc e of revenue for states. Governor Hickenlooper of Colorado has urged other states not to rush into legalizing marijuana just for the tax revenue, but to wait and see how Colorado handles any problems that may arise. The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 criminalized marijuana by restricting possession of the drug to individuals who paid an excise tax for certain approved medical and industrial uses. Penalty for nonpayment of this tax was up to $2000 and/or jail time up to five years. (Kriho) Three men, William Randolf Hearst, Andrew Mellon and Harry Anslinger were the men behind the development of The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937. The Act was created to reduce the size of the hemp industry. Anslinger was the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and had made his career enforcing alcohol prohibition. Prohibition ended in 1933 and Anslinger felt he needed a new illegal substance for job security. Hearst owned a newspaper empire. Hemp had become a cheap substitute for paper pulp which is used in the newspaper industry. Hearst felt hemp was a threat to his extensive timber holding from which paper pulp was also made. Hearst started a scare campaign to convince the public that Mexicans andShow MoreRe latedShould Medical Marijuana Be Legalized?1915 Words   |  8 PagesAll States Should Have Legalized Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Hot of the press for the State of Hawaii†¦ on July 15, 2015 Governor Ige signed HB 321 which became Act 241 establishing a system for licensing Medical Marijuana dispensaries throughout the state. He is quoted as saying, â€Å"I support the establishment of dispensaries to ensure that qualified patients can legally and safely access medical marijuana† (1). Hawaii legalized the use of medical marijuana in 2000 through Act 228, fifteen yearsRead MoreShould Medical Marijuana Be Legalized?1515 Words   |  7 PagesShould Medical Marijuana Be Legalized In The United States? Marijuana is a controversy that has been argued over for years now and it has many people questioning its benefits and defaults. Whether or not marijuana is a drug this is a subject that is very misunderstood by most people who argue over it today. Marijuana has been outlawed in the United States for almost a hundred years now, Hemp first was encouraged to be sold during the 1600’s to 1890’s by the government of the United States in orderRead MoreShould Medical Marijuana Be Legalized?1551 Words   |  7 PagesLegalization of Medical Marijuana Marijuana is not like other helpful drugs that have amazing medical benefits. It is not made available to thousands of patients that could gain quality of live from it. Many Americans are forced to use second rate drugs to help them deal with conditions such as nausea, glaucoma, chronic pain, and multiple sclerosis. Why does the â€Å"world’s best health care system† use drugs that are not as effective as marijuana, but have more side effects? The United StatesRead MoreShould Medical Marijuana Be Legalized?1129 Words   |  5 PagesMarijuana goes by many names such as cannabis, weed, and molly just to name a few. It is often seen as a stress reliever, and an escape from reality type of drug. Some use it for recreational purposes, or medical purposes. Marijuana comes in many forms such as an oil, a pill, or hemp which was used for a lot of economical purposes. I’m going to be focusing on the medical benefits of this drug, in order to give you good reasons as to why it should be legalized. This drug has been found to help patientsRead MoreShould Medical Marijuana Be Legalized?2024 Words   |  9 PagesMarlyn Brillantes Mr. Tariq Jawhar ENG 111 April 24, 2016 Should Medical Marijuana be Legalized? Marijuana is a controversial drug because it can be both beneficial as well as harmful to the user. The marijuana plant can be utilized as an effective medicine to diagnose a number of issues. According to Business Insider, marijuana can treat glaucoma, improve lung health, control seizures of epileptic patients, decrease the symptoms of Dravet’s Syndrome, prevent cancer from spreading, and can contributeRead MoreWhy Medical Marijuana Should Be Legalized1245 Words   |  5 PagesWhy Medical Marijuana should be legalized all over all the United States. In today’s society, debates regarding legalizing Medical Marijuana occur frequently. The discussions arise in almost every state. Both sides bring solid arguments; however, opponents of the approval are facing the fact, which is very hard to ignore. Medical Marijuana has proven to cure people with life-threatening diseases much more effectively than official treatments; to have second-to-none side effects; and to be aRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized For Medical Purposes?1735 Words   |  7 Pagessurveys, about 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year. More than 14 million do it regularly. (NORML: Working to Reform Marijuana Laws, 2015) Marijuana has been the topic of much discussion these past decades. The main factor of discussion is whether or not to legalize it and the outcome it would have on the states. Some states have already legalized but for medicinal purposes only. Much research has come out in this decade that marijuana just isnâ€⠄¢t for your average drug junkie butRead MoreMarijuana Should Be Legalized for Medical Purposes2770 Words   |  11 Pageswere told that she might benefit from marijuana. After much difficulty they were finally able to get it for her in oil form. After taking the medical marijuana for just one day, the seizures basically stopped. Now she only experiences one to two seizures a month! She was on the brink of dying and now she is living a relatively healthy normal life. Medical marijuana literally saved this little girl’s life. (Gupta). Marijuana should be legalized for medical purposes because it is saving lives andRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized Medical Marijuana?1465 Words   |  6 Pagesand some for the bad. In this paper we be discussing whether to continue the federal prosecution of medical marijuana patients and their providers under the accordance with the federal controlled substance Act. There are so many opinions that people have on this issues. Some people may disagree with congress for passing this law and they may feel that it’s giving people the right to smoke marijuana freely and then you have some people that agree with this law being pass. Because they may feel thatRead MoreShould Medical Marijuana Be Legalized?967 Words   |  4 PagesLegalization of Marijuana There are many topics nowadays that people in America agree on and there are also many topics American’s disagree on. One main topic that the states are trying to figure out whether to legalize or not is medical and recreational marijuana. Many look at cannabis or marijuana as a gateway drug and many look at it as another tobacco product. I personally don’t see marijuana as a bad thing for the states to legalize. People look down on marijuana because of it only being legal