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<blockquote data-quote="solidcrowd" data-source="post: 5267812" data-attributes="member: 565671">Here&#039;s my paper I wrote about this topic and got a B on it....take what you need from mine for your paper or just reword mine lol i dont care:Criminal Justice 101&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; 10/23/07Legalization of MarijuanaYou most likely know that marijuana is illegal, but do you know the real reasons why thisis?&nbsp; If you don&#039;t know what marijuana is, it is the dried flowers and leaves from the Cannabisplant usually smoked or eaten to induce euphoria.&nbsp; The active chemical in this plant that causesthe euphoria is THC.&nbsp; THC in marijuana can range from 1% to 8%.&nbsp; This chemical is a verysoluble substance and can remain in the lungs and brain tissue for three weeks or longer.&nbsp; Thelegalization of this drug is very controversial and is talked about often.Marijuana has been smoked for thousands of years for recreation and also medicalreasons.&nbsp; Marijuana is possibly the most versatile plant on earth.&nbsp; It can be used for just aboutanything you can think of.&nbsp; From making paper to suppling power for cars.&nbsp; It can also be used tomake tanning lotion and clothes, the possibilities are endless.&nbsp; Before going on in explaining thepros and cons for legalization, here is a little history.From 1910 to 1920, the recreational use of marijuana began increasing and becomingpopular.&nbsp; By the late 1920s, sensational reports of violence resulting from recreational marijuanause were common in the media.&nbsp; Most of these reports were false and were just propaganda.In 1937 the government passed the Marijuana Tax Act which prohibited smoking potrecreationally.&nbsp; Physicians were still able to legally prescribe marijuana until the 1970Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act.&nbsp; This is now known as the FederalControlled Substance Act of 1970.&nbsp; Since this law was put into affect, arrests from marijuanahas constituted 44 percent of all drug apprehensions.So do you think marijuana should still be illegal in America?&nbsp; If so, read on and you&#039;llhave a better understanding of why this topic is such a heated debate.&nbsp; After alcohol and tobacco,marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America.&nbsp; According to a governmentsurvey, 20 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than about 11million still do.&nbsp; So if so many people do it, why is it still illegal?&nbsp; Marijuana is far less dangerousthan alcohol and tobacco.&nbsp; More than 400,000 deaths are caused from smoking tobacco each yearand 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning.&nbsp; As where marijuana is a nontoxicchemical, which you can simply not die from overdosing.&nbsp; In order to die from a marijuanaoverdose by smoking, you would have to smoke the equivalent of your body weight.&nbsp; No one hasever died directly from the intake of marijuana.&nbsp; So the facts show that marijuana is the safestrecreational drug Americans use.There are many many more reasons why marijuana should be legalized.&nbsp; Such as drugdealers and terrorist would lose most or all of their business since everyone would be able togrow their own or buy it very cheaply.&nbsp; Not only would this slow down terrorism funding, butwould also decrease violence on the street.&nbsp; According to the FBI, &quot;401,982 Americans werearrested nationwide for marijuana offenses in 1980.&quot; &quot;By 1999, a record 704,812 were nabbed,88 percent of them for possession rather than trafficking.&quot;&nbsp; The Marijuana Policy Projectestimates that the government&#039;s war on cannabis users costs taxpayers $9.2 billion annually.&nbsp; Isthis really necessary for a drug that&#039;s proven to be less harmful than alcohol and tobacco?Legalizing marijuana can decrease government expenses, which means less taxes arerequired from the public.&nbsp; This can also be a source of additional tax revenues, if controlled bythe government as a taxable sales item such as alcohol and cigarettes.&nbsp; Using the U.S. Bureau ofJustice Statistics data, the Marijuana Policy Project calculates that 37,500 federal, state and localinmates were incarcerated for marijuana violations in 1998.&nbsp; Of these inmates, 15,400 of themwere in for possession alone.&nbsp; At an average cost of $20,000 per inmate, the government spends$750 million to imprison these offenders.&nbsp; This is a ridiculous amount of money which can bespent on other problems we as Americans face.Now you can see that keeping marijuana illegal is costing the government and youbillions of dollars.&nbsp; These statistics are rarely ever in the news or papers and are covered up bypropaganda.&nbsp; Another misconception is that &quot;Marijuana causes cancer.&quot;&nbsp; This is proven false.Here is an excerpt from the Washington Post, Study Finds No Cancer-Marijuana Connection.&quot;The largest study of its kind has unexpectedly concluded that smoking marijuana, even regularlyand heavily, does not lead to lung cancer.&nbsp; Earlier work established that marijuana doesn&#039;t containchemicals as potentially harmful as those in tobacco.&nbsp; However, marijuana also contains thechemical THC, which may kill aging cells and keep them from becoming cancerous.&quot;&nbsp; So notonly does marijuana not lead to cancer, in a way it prevents it.Marijuana also has many other medical proprieties that can be very useful to people.&nbsp; Thecannaboid chemical marijuana contains could possibly also prevent Alzheimer&#039;s.&nbsp; In this excerptfrom the BBC news, researcher Dr. Maria de Ceballos states, &quot;These findings that cannabinoidswork both to prevent inflammation and to protect the brain may set the stage for their use as atherapeutic approach for Alzheimer&#039;s disease.&quot;Now for the cons of legalizing marijuana,&nbsp; there are some, but they do not outweigh thepros.&nbsp; It is said that marijuana is often used as a stepping-stone drug, leading to cocaine, heroin,and other harder drugs.&nbsp; After using it for a while, users start looking for a bigger &quot;high&quot; andmarijuana doesn&#039;t cut it for them anymore.&nbsp; They then go on to using harder drugs which do causedamage and ruin lives.&nbsp; Another problem that would occur if marijuana was legal, is more peopledriving stoned.&nbsp; Drunk driving is a major problem in the United States and causes many deathsand injuries each year.&nbsp;&nbsp; Now if marijuana is legal, most likely there will be plenty of people thatwill drive around after smoking.&nbsp; We certainly don&#039;t need any more impaired drivers on the road.Marijuana slows your response time and this should not be mixed when operating a vehicle orheavy machinery.Also, another thing to add to the con list is, some religions and moral codes prohibit theuse of intoxicating substances. Marijuana would generally fit into this category.&nbsp; Legalizationwould most likely increase the chances of marijuana falling into the hands of children.&nbsp; This isprobably the biggest con of legalizing marijuana.&nbsp; Developing bodies and brains can be damagedby the use of marijuana at a young age.&nbsp; Kids and teenagers can already easily get their hands oncigarettes and alcohol.&nbsp; Once you legalize something, you increase the accessibility to childrenand teenagers.&nbsp; So even though there are many pros, there are definitely some drawbacks thatshouldn&#039;t be overlooked when debating over the legalization of marijuana.Now after reading all of this, what is your side on legalizing marijuana in theUnited States?&nbsp; After researching and looking at many statistics and articles, I believe it shouldbe legal.&nbsp; Many people assume that marijuana was made legal through scientific, government,and medical hearings; that was meant to protect them, but it was not.&nbsp; It seems that the history ofmarijuana&#039;s criminalization consist of profits, yellow journalism, fear, racism, and corruptlegislators.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="solidcrowd, post: 5267812, member: 565671"] Here's my paper I wrote about this topic and got a B on it....take what you need from mine for your paper or just reword mine lol i dont care: Criminal Justice 101 10/23/07 Legalization of Marijuana You most likely know that marijuana is illegal, but do you know the real reasons why this is? If you don't know what marijuana is, it is the dried flowers and leaves from the Cannabis plant usually smoked or eaten to induce euphoria. The active chemical in this plant that causes the euphoria is THC. THC in marijuana can range from 1% to 8%. This chemical is a very soluble substance and can remain in the lungs and brain tissue for three weeks or longer. The legalization of this drug is very controversial and is talked about often. Marijuana has been smoked for thousands of years for recreation and also medical reasons. Marijuana is possibly the most versatile plant on earth. It can be used for just about anything you can think of. From making paper to suppling power for cars. It can also be used to make tanning lotion and clothes, the possibilities are endless. Before going on in explaining the pros and cons for legalization, here is a little history. From 1910 to 1920, the recreational use of marijuana began increasing and becoming popular. By the late 1920s, sensational reports of violence resulting from recreational marijuana use were common in the media. Most of these reports were false and were just propaganda. In 1937 the government passed the Marijuana Tax Act which prohibited smoking pot recreationally. Physicians were still able to legally prescribe marijuana until the 1970 Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act. This is now known as the Federal Controlled Substance Act of 1970. Since this law was put into affect, arrests from marijuana has constituted 44 percent of all drug apprehensions. So do you think marijuana should still be illegal in America? If so, read on and you'll have a better understanding of why this topic is such a heated debate. After alcohol and tobacco, marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America. According to a government survey, 20 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than about 11 million still do. So if so many people do it, why is it still illegal? Marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco. More than 400,000 deaths are caused from smoking tobacco each year and 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning. As where marijuana is a nontoxic chemical, which you can simply not die from overdosing. In order to die from a marijuana overdose by smoking, you would have to smoke the equivalent of your body weight. No one has ever died directly from the intake of marijuana. So the facts show that marijuana is the safest recreational drug Americans use. There are many many more reasons why marijuana should be legalized. Such as drug dealers and terrorist would lose most or all of their business since everyone would be able to grow their own or buy it very cheaply. Not only would this slow down terrorism funding, but would also decrease violence on the street. According to the FBI, "401,982 Americans were arrested nationwide for marijuana offenses in 1980." "By 1999, a record 704,812 were nabbed, 88 percent of them for possession rather than trafficking." The Marijuana Policy Project estimates that the government's war on cannabis users costs taxpayers $9.2 billion annually. Is this really necessary for a drug that's proven to be less harmful than alcohol and tobacco? Legalizing marijuana can decrease government expenses, which means less taxes are required from the public. This can also be a source of additional tax revenues, if controlled by the government as a taxable sales item such as alcohol and cigarettes. Using the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics data, the Marijuana Policy Project calculates that 37,500 federal, state and local inmates were incarcerated for marijuana violations in 1998. Of these inmates, 15,400 of them were in for possession alone. At an average cost of $20,000 per inmate, the government spends $750 million to imprison these offenders. This is a ridiculous amount of money which can be spent on other problems we as Americans face. Now you can see that keeping marijuana illegal is costing the government and you billions of dollars. These statistics are rarely ever in the news or papers and are covered up by propaganda. Another misconception is that "Marijuana causes cancer." This is proven false. Here is an excerpt from the Washington Post, Study Finds No Cancer-Marijuana Connection. "The largest study of its kind has unexpectedly concluded that smoking marijuana, even regularly and heavily, does not lead to lung cancer. Earlier work established that marijuana doesn't contain chemicals as potentially harmful as those in tobacco. However, marijuana also contains the chemical THC, which may kill aging cells and keep them from becoming cancerous." So not only does marijuana not lead to cancer, in a way it prevents it. Marijuana also has many other medical proprieties that can be very useful to people. The cannaboid chemical marijuana contains could possibly also prevent Alzheimer's. In this excerpt from the BBC news, researcher Dr. Maria de Ceballos states, "These findings that cannabinoids work both to prevent inflammation and to protect the brain may set the stage for their use as a therapeutic approach for Alzheimer's disease." Now for the cons of legalizing marijuana, there are some, but they do not outweigh the pros. It is said that marijuana is often used as a stepping-stone drug, leading to cocaine, heroin, and other harder drugs. After using it for a while, users start looking for a bigger "high" and marijuana doesn't cut it for them anymore. They then go on to using harder drugs which do cause damage and ruin lives. Another problem that would occur if marijuana was legal, is more people driving stoned. Drunk driving is a major problem in the United States and causes many deaths and injuries each year. Now if marijuana is legal, most likely there will be plenty of people that will drive around after smoking. We certainly don't need any more impaired drivers on the road. Marijuana slows your response time and this should not be mixed when operating a vehicle or heavy machinery. Also, another thing to add to the con list is, some religions and moral codes prohibit the use of intoxicating substances. Marijuana would generally fit into this category. Legalization would most likely increase the chances of marijuana falling into the hands of children. This is probably the biggest con of legalizing marijuana. Developing bodies and brains can be damaged by the use of marijuana at a young age. Kids and teenagers can already easily get their hands on cigarettes and alcohol. Once you legalize something, you increase the accessibility to children and teenagers. So even though there are many pros, there are definitely some drawbacks that shouldn't be overlooked when debating over the legalization of marijuana. Now after reading all of this, what is your side on legalizing marijuana in the United States? After researching and looking at many statistics and articles, I believe it should be legal. Many people assume that marijuana was made legal through scientific, government, and medical hearings; that was meant to protect them, but it was not. It seems that the history of marijuana's criminalization consist of profits, yellow journalism, fear, racism, and corrupt legislators. [/QUOTE]

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