... natural incentives for continued use. Such a natural product had unprecedented potential for profitability. The commodification of drugs, both illicit and licit, follows the principles of capitalism and supply-and-demand. David Courtwright has summarized drug use throughout world history in his book, Forces of Habit. Courtwright described the "big three" and the "little three" drugs of all time. The "big three ... years ago. Its value reflected its multipurpose nature. Its uses to the Chinese and others were cooking oil, edible seeds, animal fodder, and especially hempen fibers for rope...

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• Grade Level: High School

... to marijuana and then on to cocaine. (13) Marijuana supporter, Roger Christie and founder of the Hawaii Cannabis Ministry that promotes marijuana use as a religious sacrament, acknowledges he has no proof eradication caused the rising of popularity of ice, but points out in a 1994 study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse that found an eradication-ice link. That study was ... year 2000, the Hawaii Student Alcohol, Tobacco, and other Drug Use Study showed that the lifetime prevalence of marijuana abuse among tenth grade students increased from 25.7% in 1991 to 39.2% in 1998. (1) That...

• Word Count: 1430
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... stores and grocery stores which would lead to under-age children getting access to narcotics at such an impressionable age. This argument commits the fallacy of shifting the burden of proof, a fallacy of presumption. Using the false hidden presumption that [P5], which is false because in [P1-P3] the benefits of legalization was stated but in [P4] the topic was turned ... onto the hidden agenda the government has for pot legalization, a logical problem which could have been avoided if the author understood the fallacy of "shifting the burden of proof", in which case the premises does not...

• Word Count: 1414
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... accidents, fire and murder combined (The Union). The number two killer is alcohol with approximately 8,500 deaths per year (The Union). Marijuana has killed no one. There has been no proof that marijuana kills, causes cancer of any kind or causes brain damage (The Union). Also, it isn't addictive. According to procon.org, it is least addictive in comparison to heroin ... bodies are still developing which can alter the results. What critics fail to mention is why marijuana is considered a gateway drug. Marijuana is a gateway drug through association, not by scientific proof. In fact, a t...

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... five minutes, to produce a lethal dosage (Fish 413). Incredibly, while there are numerous deaths each year from overdoses of alcohol, there has never been a death resulting from overdose of cannabis. David Baggins says on page 72 of Drug Hate and the Corruption of American Justice , " there are zero fatalities in medical history from marijuana use. This compares to nearly a half million ... insisting on the partial or full decriminalization of cannabis and medical marijuana bills winning popular approval on state ballots, there are more marijuana-related arrests now than ever before (Gi...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... . It may also weaken the immune system and possibly increase a user's likelihood of developing cancer." (NIDA) There is no proof that it weakens the immune system and I"ve heard about a few hundred things that cause cancer, but there isn"t even any proof that marijuana causes cancer. That is the chemicals; you can get lung cancer if you smoke anything enough and are ... ...

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... harmful than some foods we eat. Let's stop the madness. Table 2.7 Consumption of cannabis in Western countries in the general population Country Year Ever use Last year use Australia 1998 39% 18% United States 1999 35% 9% Denmark 1994 31% 3% England and Wales 1998 25% 9% Spain 1997 22% 8% Ireland 1998 20% ? The Netherlands 1997 18% 5% France 1995 16% 5% Germany (West) 1997 13 ... ...

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... power to declare war, not the president (Kieffer, Par12). One issue with legalizing marijuana is controlling who can purchase the drug and keep it out of hands of adolescences. In David Sheffs article "Marijuana should be legalized, but" he talks about the changes in the brain of children quoting that it "Causes structural and functional changes in the ... ...

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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... opportunistic crime (Yu-Wei Chu, 2012)4. Which is interesting but how do recreational dispensaries hold up to the same theory, which should be noted is only a theory and not substantial proof that dispensaries cause negative ecological impacts. Therefore we will want to perform a local cross-sectional survey, interview of the current feelings and attitudes towards dispensaries as well as an analytical ... ...

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... a Universities tuition cost, so for student loans to be revoked for such a insignificant offense is rather illogical. The prohibition of marijuana, to contrary belief, leads to an increase in crime. David Boaz, an American libertarian stated that "Addicts are forced to pay for a habit that would easily be affordable if it were legal," (Boaz). Those that become heavily dependent on drugs ... ...

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... , William F., Jr. "Crime is the Big Issue, But it Doesn't Separate Parties." Dallas Morning News 9 December 1994. Cauchon, Dennis. "Marijuana: Medical Enigma." USA Today 1 Oct. 1996, national ed. 4A. Courtwright David T. "NO!" American Heritage Feb. - March 1995: 43, 50-56. Goldman, Albert. Grass Roots. New YorkHarper & Row 1979. Hager, Paul. "Marijuana Myths." ICLU drug task force literature. Available http://www.parinoia ... ...

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... guided our policy towards this crop"(West). Industrial hemp has been a misunderstood plant for many years now" Has there ever been a plant so fraught with confusion and controversy" asks Dr. David West. People like "retired General Barry Mcaffrey of the White House Office of National Drug Control, say that they continue to support the criminalization of hemp cultivation because hemp is ... ...

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... in which they denounce the legalization of marijuana. This is a group of over seven thousand law enforcement professionals who point to their firsthand experience in dealing with drug abuse as proof that marijuana is both damaging and dangerous ("Use" 1-3). The Major Cities Chiefs, another law enforcement organization made up of police executives from the fifty-two largest policing jurisdictions in the ... ...

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... $50 billion dollars a year from drug trade alone (More Reefer Madness, 15-25). Again, in concurrence with the prohibition of alcohol, during the 1920s, bootleggers marketed small bottles of 100+ proof liquors due to their ability to more easily conceal them (Encarta, "Prohibition"). Drug smugglers tend to carry and sell hard drugs in extremely potent form (i.e. cocaine) for the same reason ... ...

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... , wasting, appetite loss, cramping, seizures, muscle spasm, and/or spasticity, when these symptoms are unrelieved by standard treatments or medications. Patients who meet all of these requirements must also have proof of their identity and show it to any law enforcement officer who questions the patient regarding his/her use of medical marijuana. Valid documentation can be a statement signed by the ... ...

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... J. Anslinger). Today these accusations would be laughed out of court. Americans now consider jazz and swing to be an important piece of American culture, and the other "reasons- have no proof to back them up. Because these blatantly outrageous lies went unchallenged, marijuana had no chance of survival. Marijuana is known only for its supposedly harmful effects and the crowd associated ... ...

• Word Count: 1594
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate