... and punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine up to one thousand dollars. Possession of greater than thirty-five grams of marijuana it is considered a felony and is punishable up to seven years in prison and a fine up to five thousand dollars. Possession of greater ... hundred kilograms or more carries a penalty of ten years to life in prison and a fine up to twenty thousand dollars. In Missouri if caught selling marijuana, even if the transaction consisted of only one gram, it is a felony and is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a fine up ... parole or probation (Te...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... available on the effects of long-term use" (Hochman 44). According to a recent study by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, ten chronic marijuana users were evaluated as test subjects to see if marijuana had any effect on the cognitive functioning of the human body. The results concluded that none of the ten subjects suffered any impairment of their mental ... has increased from the 1960's to the present day. If you look at this issue a little more closely, you will see that there isn't any hard evidence to support that marijuana will lead to harder drugs. According...

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... them from going blind. Cancer patients, for whom it alleviates the severe nausea that is often accompanies chemotherapy and sometimes makes lifesaving treatment impossible. Lobbying groups show substantial evidence, that marijuana is an effective prescribed drug. Also, many advocates complain that very dangerous drugs like morphine and cocaine are legal. That brings up the question: why not legalize ... marijuana as medical drug, which is proven to be less dangerous than cocaine and morphine? Lobbying groups in a San Diego, California and the council committee unanimously voted to urge ...

• Word Count: 821
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... them from going blind. Cancer patients, for whom it alleviates the severe nausea that is often accompanies chemotherapy and sometimes makes lifesaving treatment impossible. Lobbying groups show substantial evidence, that marijuana is an effective prescribed drug. Also, many advocates complain that very dangerous drugs like morphine and cocaine are legal. That brings up the question: why not legalize ... marijuana as medical drug, which is proven to be less dangerous than cocaine and morphine? Lobbying groups in a San Diego, California and the council committee unanimously voted to urge ...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... of citizens in tax-funded federal prisons for a drug that, if legalized, would create an abundance of positive impacts within the United States. Marijuana should be legalized because it would benefit the economy, help people with physical and emotional pain, and allow law enforcement to focus more heavily ... on violent crime. If regulated like alcohol and tobacco, marijuana would create a tremendous amount of new wealth. Dispensaries and small businesses based on the distribution of the drug would open up, along with ... market would take shape in the United States, and that would expan...

• Word Count: 1053
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... violent nausea that often accompanies cancer treatment. Other studies have shown that it eases muscle spasms that are part of multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. Marijuana revives appetites in AIDS patients, which keeps them from wasting away. And it relieves eye pressure that causes blindness in glaucoma patients. (" ... can cause emphysema and other lung diseases, and increases the risk of heart attack. Brain function is adversely affected and connections have been found between marijuana use and bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other mental problems-including the ability to learn...

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... particular purposes. The level of legalization also varies depending on the county's laws and regulations. Some countries impose more restrictive laws on the use of marijuana than other countries. According to Anderson (2013), legalization has been effected in many countries in Europe, North America and South America. In addition, a research study conducted by Friese & Grube (2013) ... . For drug users, some jurisdictions and courts direct for the use of mandatory treatment and rehabilitation programs (Caulkins, 2014). Some countries are increasingly using drug tests in order to detect ...

• Word Count: 666
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... be legalized is a highly controversial issue in the United States, and will likely continue to be so for many years to come. Scientifically known as Cannabis Sativa, marijuana is a hemp plant (Marijuana). There have been more than 5,000 years of recorded history of use but the earliest known use was in China and Central Asia around 3000 B.C. In North America, Native Americans ... have been documented, and it is unlikely that any will be" (Gottfried). Many drug war institutions have hidden the true knowledge about the plant, including the benefits of using marijuana. With teens knowing m...

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• Grade Level: High School

... his findings (Huffington Post, 2012). Miron's findings break down the revenue savings into different distinctive areas. 7.7 billion dollars would be saved annually just by ending the enforcement efforts to maintain marijuana's prohibition. Miron suggests that up to 6 billion dollars a year would be added to the United States economy. Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-CA), who introduced Proposition 19 to legally cultivate and ... all deaths for the year 2009 has legal prescription drugs positioned above half of all deaths which includes alcohol, illicit drugs with zero deaths being attributed...

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... this drug was harmless, but it has been proven that it can be used for medical uses. There are many slang terms used for marijuana, some of the most popular are pot, weed, cannabis, Mary Jane, hash, dope, bud, green, smoke, just to name a few. There are many ... . I also think some drug crimes and innocent killings would go down an enormous amount. Almost every American in today's society has used marijuana at some point in his/her life. Marijuana use is one of America's largest drug problems today. Our nation has been fighting the war on drugs since the 1960's; however, people ... mai...

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... the medicine. This problem resulted in the establishment of Investigational New Drug compassionate access program (IND). This procedure enabled a few patients to receive marijuana from the government. This program however had too many flaws. Most patients never consider the idea of an illegal drug as being their best medicine ... severely can find help without the fear of punishment or prosecution. There are countless numbers of stories that impart unfortunate circumstances concerning ill people using marijuana. One particular story is about a man named Peter McWilliams, the author of th...

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... Health Organization states that "it is doubtful the cannabis use produces amotivational syndrome." To sum up the article holistically I"ll leave it to the Advisory Committee on Drug Dependence, "marijuana's dangers had previously been greatly exaggerated." I've always believed in the free will approach on the consumption of drugs, but I understand the reasons why the government has put restrictions ... on certain drugs. After investigating marijuana I don't believe the government has any solid reasons on why this specific drug should be illegal. This summer I participated in legalization...

• Word Count: 784
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... ) By legalizing this relatively social-harmless drug, police officers and judges could spend more time fighting serious crimes rather than having to worry about marijuana dealers. Plus, our already over-jammed courtrooms and jail could use a break and get back to working on creating a safer society for Americans ... much more productive areas such as drug education and drug treatment facilities. Even more important though, the government would have the ability to regulate marijuana. "In 1995 average THC (potency) content ranged from 3.73 percent to 8.61 percent with THC contents greater t...

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... health of Americans along with the government's monetary spending. The two sides in this matter are the side who favor the legalization of marijuana and the side who does not. This essay will present a number of arguments as to why the United States of America should not legalize the ... justified in using it. Many people respect the law and view it as a duty to follow it. This is why they do not use marijuana. But if marijuana is legalized, then a countless amount of civilians will experiment with it and could become addicted to it. In addition, children will grow up with the ... popul...

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... the eyes, it reduces introcular pressure; helping those afflicted with glaucoma. Spacsticity, it is believed to help calm spasms from spinal cord injury. Stomach, marijuana helps restore the appetite in people who have lost weight from cancer or AIDS. Nausea, it combats nausea from chemotherapy and reduces vomiting (John Cloud, ... willing to break the law in some states to get it. Also, no one has ever died of THC poisoning which is the active part of marijuana; no one has ever died mostly because a 160-pound person would have to smoke nine hundred or more joints in a sitting to reach a ...

• Word Count: 929
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... . This puts it in the same category as heroin and cocaine. It is defined by the DEA as being an addictive substance with no medical value. People who support medical marijuana want to change just that. They feel that marijuana has medical potential and should be reclassified as a Schedule 2 drug, allowing people with terminal diseases to acquire it with a doctors prescription. Moreover ... social maturity as some users lose interest in school, job, and social activities. About 100,000 people each year resort to drug abuse treatment programs to end their marijuana addiction. Some people a...

• Word Count: 1007
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... is an ancient drug that dates back to hundreds of years to Asia. Many cultures have used it during meditation, religious worship, and for intoxication. Marijuana itself comes from the Indian Hemp plant. It is the third most widely used drug in the United States, according to a survey taken in 1988, ... , Cannabis Indica, and Cannabis Rudderalis. These three plants vary in size and mood altering effect. The hemp plant has many uses and has been farmed for centuries. Marijuana can be taken in three ways, by eating, made into a tea, or smoking (the most popular). Smoking it can be done three...

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... , Pot, Reefer, grass, and Mary-Jane. A new survey shows that 53% are all for legalizing marijuana, while 44% are opposed (Pew Research Center). Does Marijuana pose as a medical value? Is Marijuana harmful enough to remain illegal and how does it compare to other forms of illegal drugs that are not ... policymakers. I think drug use should be treated as a crime or, and a health issue. The most addictive drug, even above heroin, is nicotine Unlike Marijuana which is used to treat a variety of disorders that cause pain because of diseases like Cancer, HIV, Muscle Spasm, and arthritis; it is...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... that the consumption of hard liquor was off 50 percent during Prohibition." However, as time progressed, the statistics would change. Now that medical marijuana is legal in 21 States and DC how will prohibition of this substance affect the United States? Is it going to help lessen crime, ... , they stand against recreational drugs and harm caused by illegal drug trades to increase their reputation. I believe one of the many benefits of legalizing marijuana (that's currently illegal except in 21 states) is that the price will fall, leading it to a crumple in the illegal drug market. This...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... spending bill, included in the bill was a measure stating that federal funds may not be used by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to prevent certain states from implementing medical marijuana laws. The inclusion of this provision follows an August 2013 U.S. Department of Justice announcement that, as a matter of prosecutorial discretion, DOJ would not use its limited resources to challenge ... state laws legalizing recreational marijuana, as long as the states implemented strong regulatory schemes to prevent crime (Russo 2014). In the landmark case of Gonzales v. Raich, 545 U.S. 1 (U...

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... past couple of years. The majority of the people can't decide whether it would be good or bad for the United States if we were to legalize marijuana. To some, it is a way of coping with a disease or excruciating pain, and to others it is the gateway to everything bad in this world ... and painful contracting and stiffening of the muscles. This option is better than any legal treatment that we have right now for multiple sclerosis. Although marijuana causes short-term memory loss, researchers are now using this to understand the memory-blocking mechanism. Hopefully this will increase our ...

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• Grade Level: High School

... is often as effective as NSAIDs or acetaminophen in osteoarthritis, and there have been no reports of death from cannabis.""(Grinspoon/Baklar, 1997, p.35). This statement clearly indicates that marijuana is a safer alternative medication to drugs already on the market for arthritis treatment. This, of course, is only one of the many beneficial uses of the drug, and properly ... in some cases implying no charges at all. Marc Schuckit, a professor at the University of California School of Medicine, stated in a newsletter that "the 1970 Uniform Controlled Substances Act listed marijuana as...

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... , or alcohol poisoning. Tobacco can lead to lung cancer, or heart disease, which both like alcohol can lead to death. Marijuana, on the other hand, can lead to short term memory loss and there is no known report of anybody dying from "smoking weed". Thus when ... be more reliable than the current legal drugs. In addition to its medical benefits, ending its prohibition on marijuana would stop trafficking of the herb and would lower the rate of violent crimes. When marijuana becomes readily available on the market it will eliminate the needs for a drug dealer. With no sales ... fight or get...

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• Grade Level: High School

Millions of people are diagnosed with AIDS or cancer every year. Although there is no cure, doctors have discovered that marijuana is one step in the right direction. Marijuana is also used for many other purposes. To the AIDS or cancer patient, it is the plant that fights nausea and appetite loss. To the paper or cloth manufacturer, it ... acre than trees. To the environmentalist, it is the plant that could slow deforestation, restore robbed nutrients by other crops, and help prevent erosion. Marijuana should be legalized in the United States. In technical terms, hemp, cannabis, or marijuan...

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... 18th century. Caffeine, though far less than nicotine, is also toxic to the body. And whereas excessive alcohol consumption can be lethal, marijuana is medically nontoxic and not lethal to humans. Cannabis metabolites are nontoxic. As with any legal substance, be it tobacco or alcohol, adults ... persons as well as in those with glaucoma, a disease of the eye in which increased intraocular pressure may cause blindness. Other illnesses that marijuana can help treat include cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and many others. So my question is, why ban something that can help people sufferi...

• Word Count: 888
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate