Background Info First made illegal in 1937 with the Marijuana
Stamp Act. In 1970 the government enacted the Controlled Substance
Act. Schedule one drug Has been illegal ever since then.
Slide 4
Why It Should Be Illegal No medicinal use and short term health
risks such as distorted sense of time, paranoia, short-term memory
loss, anxiety and depression.. Considered gateway drug, meaning
users are more likely to go on and try other harder drugs such as
meth, heroine, cocaine. Considered highly addictive, although it is
not physically addictive it is just as mentally addictive.
Slide 5
Why It Should Be Legal Proven medicinal use. Reduced pain in
people with HIV- related peripheral neuropathy (injury to the
nerves that supply feelings to your arms and feet) Could be taxed
as if it were tobacco, thus generating thousands of dollars in new
revenue. If legalized, could ease the burden on the taxpayers by
reducing the number of people in prison, thus freeing up more room
in the budget for other things. According to the U.S Department of
Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, a study done in 2006
revealed that 12.4 percent of federal inmates and 12.7 percent of
state inmate were incarcerated for marijuana related crimes(St.
Pierre).
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States That Have Medicinal Marijuana The first state to adopt a
medicinal marijuana plan was California in 1996 with Proposition
215. Since then 15 other states, including Colorado, Washington,
Oregon, Alaska, Arizona and the District of Columbia have adopted
medicinal marijuana programs. Each state varies on the amount one
person can legally have and each state varies on the symptoms that
can be treated with marijuana.
Slide 7
Common Middle Ground Impose a set of laws with penalties
ranging from the low end of an infraction for possession, to the
upper end of a lowest level misdemeanor in said state(because
states have different misdemeanor levels) for growing and
distributing. Would stifle recreational use because there are still
risks associated with use.
Slide 8
Works Cited Donald Abrams,. "Cannabis for Treatment of
HIV-Related Peripheral Neuropathy." Cannabis for treatment of
hiv-related peripheral neuropathy. (CMCR)., 2007. Web. 1 Apr 2012..
St. Pierre, A.. "Decriminalizing pot will reduce prison population,
have no adverse impact on safety, study says." NORML News Release.
N.p., 2007. Web. 1 Apr 2012.. O'Keefe, K.. "16 legal medical
marijuana states and dc."Procon.org. ProCon.org, 2012. Web. 2 Apr
2012.. Murphy, K.. "How Marijuana Became Illegal." Washington free
press. WAFreePress.org, 2009. Web. 1 Apr 2012.. "Health Effects of
Marijuana." National institute on drug abuse. Parents: The Anti
Drug, 2012. Web. 29 March 2012.