... 1 drug.(drug schedules) "Schedule I drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse." "(drug schedules) First time possession of marijuana is a misdemeanor with a penalty of one year incarceration and a max 1,000 dollar fine (norml.org). "Almost one in five inmates in state prisons and half of those in federal prisons ... have lowered traffic fatalities by and drop in beer sales and heavy drinking.(Sullum). It reduces sales and use among teens and their possible exposure to other illegal drugs.(hightimes)Marijuan...

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... and alcohol in popularity. In the United States, where it is usually smoked, it also has been called weed, grass, pot, or reefer. The word marijuana means different things to different people. To doctors and pharmacists, it means a medication that can be used to treat pain and ease sickness. To police officers ... tough felony laws for simple possession. On average, above an ounce is usually the separation from misdemeanor to felony. Locking up people for possession of marijuana is pointless. Many people use it responsibly at home. These people are not hurting anyone, nor are they going ...

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... , and it would boost the economy. I also think some drug crimes and innocent killings would go down an enormous amount. There are many cons to the use of this drug. Marijuana produces immediate, temporary changes in thoughts, perceptions, and information processing, even though there is no convincing scientific evidence that pot causes psychological damage or mental illness in either teenagers or ... adults. Many Americans believe that marijuana plays a role in violent acts while on this drug. Almost all human and animal studies show that pot decreases rather than increases aggression. T...

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... be the only ones not doing it. However this casual use among teens often turns into a heavy use of the drug and addiction. The use of marijuana has been directly linked to crime among teens. Between 1990 and 1995, the number of juveniles charged with narcotic related crimes in the United States has more ... the heavy use and abuse by the teen. Many times the teen will get the false notion that it is okay or not a big deal to smoke marijuana. Marijuana abuse by teens has also been linked to specific family stresses such as divorce, separation, and deaths.(Schleichert 73) "Family members d...

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... in controlling epileptic seizers that he has had since the age of four. Terry gets one hundred percent seizure relief when smoking two to three joints a day. Proponents say that marijuana controls symptoms in such diseases as epilepsy, glaucoma, arthritis, Tourette's syndrome, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, PMS, asthma, fibromyalgia, skin ailments, and relieves nausea for ... his Parker's trial. Fifty six year old Eric Angst suffers from fibroyalgia, a muscle disorder, which causes chronic fatigue and pain, as well as rheumatoid, and osteoarthr...

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... reduce the gang violence rates dramatically. Hence the fact that 87% of gang funds for weapons, cars, and other drugs is from the sale of marijuana, the legalization would reduce their funds greatly. Thus resulting in less gang violence and gang trouble in the streets. We would also see fewer suicides, ... . (Exposing 1) Although the legalization has many standard and medical positives, it has many negatives. There are reasons why people do not want to legalize marijuana. First of all the effects it has on your body can be harsh in the end, often exaggerated, the effects are still there...

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... sexual pleasure and Psychological dependence requiring more of the drug to get the same effect. (4) Sandra Lacar, executive director of the Coalition for a Drug Free Hawaii says, "The legalization of marijuana as a medicine and the abandonment of our science-based FDA testing and approval process are irresponsible as long as proven, positive alternative treatments are in place." (5) We are supposed to ... find new support for medical research, not use drugs such as marijuana. Secondly, marijuana is a gateway drug. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States and t...

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... is not harmful to health. It would be reasonable to judge cannabis as less of a threat than alcohol or tobacco." NORML explains the medical advantages of marijuana with fifteen examples. Modern research has proved marijuana aids in the treatment of many ailments. These include pain relief from neuropathic pain, nausea, glaucoma, and certain movement disorders. It also stimulates the appetite, ... and helps patients with HIV, or dementia. New research even suggests that marijuana may protect the body from certain types of malignant tumors, and are neuroprotective. There are more than 60 ...

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... is therefore differentiated according to the seriousness of the potential damage to health which may be caused by the use or abuse of the drug in question. Addicts of marijuana are regarded as patients rather than criminals. Accordingly, a comprehensive, differentiated set of preventive measures and care facilities has been established. The judicial authorities have always followed ... and C. Jones. 2001. Does prohibition deter cannabis use? New South Wales (Australia) Bureau of Crime Statistics: Sydney. "The different laws which govern the use and sale of marijuana do not appear to have...

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... blunts over joints because with a blunt they can smoke more. Next came the idea of using a pipe to smoke marijuana. A pipe is used to smoke tobacco just like it is used to smoke marijuana. There are many kinds of pipes from basic pipes to pipes that have al kind of weird designs. The ideal ... the same material a screen door is made out of. The screen is used so when a person inhales the smoke they don't inhale the marijuana. If a pipe has no screen someone could suck a little tiny fireball write into his or her throat. Nowadays pipes are what people use the most to smoke ... marijuana....

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... government must be kept as a servant of "We, the People." "We" claim to be a diverse, pluralistic, multicultural society, yet under marijuana prohibition, we have zero tolerance for people whose lifestyles are not acceptable to those in power. The First Amendment tells the federal government to keep ... , press, or assembly. In spite of this, the current government holds that only religions which conform to its standards are legal. Primarily, marijuana has been used for religious purposes for thousands of years. Today, it is used in Hindu celebrations. During holiday periods, some highe...

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... studies that they claim help their side have been found to be either "unsubstantial, unscientific, or poorly researched" (Use of Marijuana as "Medicine"). The credibility of their "experts" has also been found to be questionable. One of the experts who testified at the 1987 federal ... Diseases, as well as countless nationally recognized medical experts, researchers, and scientists. Rebecca S. Finley, PharmD, states "We really don't know how safe marijuana is for long-term use. Like alcohol, it's a mind-altering drug. It impairs people. We don't have enough scientific information at this...

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... , and it would boost the economy. I also think some drug crimes and innocent killings would go down an enormous amount. There are many cons to the use of this drug. Marijuana produces immediate, temporary changes in thoughts, perceptions, and information processing, even though there is no convincing scientific evidence that pot causes psychological damage or mental illness in either teenagers or ... adults. Many Americans believe that marijuana plays a role in violent acts while on this drug. Almost all human and animal studies show that pot decreases rather than increases aggression. T...

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• Grade Level: High School

... people disagree with them, their whole motive is to keep the country moving forward instead of stepping back. In his article "We Need to Legalize Marijuana Now,"" Ken MacQueen wrote, "Persons using this narcotic smoke the dried leaves of the plant, which has the effect of driving them completely insane"" ... are just trying to get the things they want and need to survive that they probably would otherwise have if they did not begin using marijuana. Edmund Hartnett, deputy chief and executive officer of the narcotics division in the New York Police Department stated, "Opponents to legali...

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... . I started by searching various search engines such as yahoo, excite and dogpile. The one I found to be the most resourceful was dogpile. "Marijuana: facts for teens," was one of the web pages that contained an abundant amount of useful facts. I found it very easy to use because ... of its format. It contained frequently asked questions about marijuana along with scientific answers. The second step I took in locating my information was visiting the Mastic-Shirley Community Library, located in my town. ... In the library I stumbled upon books such as The Residual Cognitive Effects of He...

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... will make drugs readily available to our nation's youth. Until its ban, pot was used for over 50,000 non-drug commercial uses including paper, textiles, fuels, food and sealants. Marijuana is also a medical herb that has hundreds of proven, valuable therapeutic uses- from stress reduction, to glaucoma to asthma to cancer therapy, etc. THC, the main active ingredient in ... to obtain alcohol was through the black market. Once alcohol was legalized, distributors sold alcohol at a cheaper price, therefore driving bootleggers out of business. The same thing would happen if marijuana was leg...

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... positive economical and social outcome. Before the initiatives and laws are passed the people of Nevada need to know what they are getting in to. Marijuana is a serious issue across the world and governments need to do whatever is best and necessary for their citizens. Nevada is headed down the ... and other felonies. Section 38 of Article 4 of the constitution of Nevada states that "The use or possession of three ounces or less of marijuana by a person who has attained the age of 21 years is not cause for arrest, civil or criminal penalty, or seizure or forfeiture of ... assets". In th...

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... "political world" we use "liberty" more often than those who try to exercise our liberalism. I am at liberty (freedom) to voice decriminalization of marijuana, as well as my fellow pot smoking Americans. We would like full use of our liberalism without conditions. Therefore I step ahead of the rest and ... . The executive branch would contribute towards the legalization not only because of pay raise, but because they get to put all the regulations on marijuana use, marijuana plantations; such as how it's grown, how much is grown, and who gets to be licensed to plant, grow, and process it...

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... beginning of experiments in the late 1830's. He found that the drug was beneficial in treating rabies, rheumatism, epilepsy, and tetanus. J.R. Reynolds, Queen Victoria's personal physician, also studied marijuana. He declared it "by far the most useful of drugs in treating painful maladies." ("Disease Categories"). Moureau de Tours and Dr. John Bell, M.D., reported that the mentally ill ... member of the Parliament from Quebec, Yvan Loubier, was reported saying that he could see dozens of patches of pot in random fields the countryside in Canada from a plane ("Marijuana: Canada's Pot 1")....

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... reasons that it should not. Through out this essay, I am going to compare and contrast some of the pros and cons of the legalizing of marijuana. Many people think that the legalization of cannabis would lead to health problems, such as, the use of a harsher drug and to psychological and personality ... The government seems to be always looking for new ways to tax people. Instead of spending all the money they spend on arresting people in possession of marijuana, the Government should put it on a shelf at the store and tax it like any other merchandise. Of course, just like acohol and cig...

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... then people have been fighting to try to legalize it. So far we seem to be doing all right they have legalized marijuana for medical use in some states. Marijuana is effective in treating different medical orders such as AIDS , cancer, epilepsy and chronic pain. Some other benifits are relief from ... eating disorders. Many people believe legalization will lead to an increase in crime rate. This how ever cannot be true if they were to legalize marijuana then I believe the crime rate would drop. Think about it think about the costs to keep convicts in jail for a crime as small as ... who s...

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... and cigarettes have been proven to be chemically addictive and yet they are legal. For the last decade or so, the government has sparingly dispensed marijuana to a minute portion of the population. These people receive it legally on an experimental basis for the treatment of glaucoma and nausea related to cancer ... the Drug Wars in the late 1980s, the Department of Health and Human Services began receiving dozens of applications from AIDS patients, for whom marijuana's hunger inducing effects was the only thing that separated them from life and death. As they lost weight and strength, ...

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... to consider are the billions of tax dollars pot sales would generate as well as massive employment in the manufacturing, distribution and retail sectors. Additionally, it is reported that marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers at least $10 billion annually due to prevention, arrests, court time, seizures and prison housing. In studies done throughout the United States by prestigious organizations such ... as National Academy Press, Connecticut Law Review, Journal of Public Health and the California State Office of Narcotics and Drug Abuse show there is little evidence the decriminalizatio...

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... them. There is also literally hundreds of social, medical, and economic benefits of legalizing the sale, possession and use of marijuana and marijuana related products. I believe that Marijuana should be legalized because there is no evidence that it has caused a single death, it is useful in treating medical ... time clearly proves it is safe and beneficial. There have been eight states so far that have taken a step toward permitting the medical use of marijuana. These states include: California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, and Colorado. However, "the Supreme Court...

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... , breaking away from the restraints of the normal society and a way to rebel against the government. This was the start of the social beginnings of marijuana. Also a new form of religion was beginning; Rastafarianism used pot as a religious sacrament. Smoking the holy herb was "to help one understand God's ... the upper airways (sinuses and larynx) than tobacco." (TIME.) Yet compared to alcohol and tobacco there has never been a recording of an overdose in marijuana users. Alcohol and tobacco kill thousands of people a year but it is still legal to purchase and consume. I feel that more t...

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• Grade Level: High School