Marijuana & Legalization
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Marijuana has been known to exist since ancient times. Throughout history, it has been used for medicinal purposes as well as for providing "highs." In colonial America, the hemp fiber of the plant was often used for making rope and textile products. Today, however, marijuana is more commonly known as an intoxicant drug. In the 1930's, laws were passed in the United States restricting its growth, sale, and consumption. At that time, marijuana was regarded as a dangerous narcotic, on the same level as substances like heroin or morphine. The 1960's counterculture saw a resurgence in popularity for the use of marijuana. Since that time, millions of Americans have tried marijuana, and a large number have continued to use it on a regular basis. Despite its popularity, marijuana plays a key part in the government's "War on Drugs." The "Zero Tolerance" policy, for example, allows the police to confiscate automobiles and other vehicles for the possession of even small amounts of the drug. In addition, all-out police raids are conducted on marijuana farms located in Kentucky and Northern California. Considering marijuana's popularity in America, this type of assault is clearly a waste of time and resources as well as being an abuse of civil rights. In fact, there is really no reason why marijuana should be illegal at all. With this view in mind, lobbying groups such as the National organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and Help End Marijuana Prohibition
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y of other foreign substances. If it was legal, however, the quality of the product would be regulated by government standards. As such, it would become even less harmful to human health. of course, there are certain people in society who should never use marijuana under any condition. In addition, there are certain circumstances in which marijuana should not be
used. Thus, mentally imbalanced people and underage children should be restricted from being able to purchase and consume the drug. In addition, pregnant women should be advised against using marijuana, just as they are currently advised against smoking cigarettes or consuming alcohol. It is also dangerous for people to drive or operate heavy machinery while under the influence of marijuana. In particular, people with public safety jobs, such as air traffic controllers and railroad engineers, have a responsibility to avoid being intoxicated while on the job. Nevertheless, despite these exceptions, "there still appears to be little evidence that occasional marijuana consumption does much harm" (Nadelmann, 1990, p. 37).
There are a variety of other arguments in favor of legalizing marijuana. One such argument is based on the fact that keeping marijuana illegal is
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Approximate Word count = 1741
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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