Jacob Schoneman

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

Works Cited Donald Abrams,. "Cannabis for Treatment of HIV-Related Peripheral Neuropathy." Cannabis for treatment of hiv-related peripheral neuropathy. (CMCR)., Web. 1 Apr St. Pierre, A.. "Decriminalizing pot will reduce prison population, have no adverse impact on safety, study says." NORML News Release. N.p., Web. 1 Apr O'Keefe, K.. "16 legal medical marijuana states and dc."Procon.org. ProCon.org, Web. 2 Apr Murphy, K.. "How Marijuana Became Illegal." Washington free press. WAFreePress.org, Web. 1 Apr "Health Effects of Marijuana." National institute on drug abuse. Parents: The Anti Drug, Web. 29 March <