Should Marijuana Be Legalized - 1011 Words

Filip Shamis Mr. Grosskreuz English Pre-Ap Period 1 5-4-16 Imagine that you suffered tremendous pain from a medical condition and the only medicine that could relieve this pain is illegal so because of this barrier, you have to resort to other drugs synthetically formulated in a lab. These drugs, which are not a natural product of nature, do nothing to help you. This is the case with many people, who oftentimes forego the law and purchase the drug in question-marijuana-on the black market. Marijuana, otherwise known as pot, weed, broccoli, or grass, is a beneficial substance that the government should legalize. For decades the legality of marijuana has been a hot topic, and this debate has only increased in recent times. People have many†¦show more content†¦Marijuana has been present in this country as far back as 1545, when the Spanish first brought it here. 66 years later, the English arrived with pot in Jamestown in 1611, where it became a major commercial crop, and it eventually replaced in the American south by cotton. Marij uana was a principal crop at Mount Vernon and a secondary crop at Monticello. Today in America, marijuana is used in medicine, as well as an recreational activity. Studies have proven that smoking marijuana has no negative long term effects on the body, nor was it proven to be addictive, and it is slowly becoming legal across America. Interestingly, in 1900 there were way more Americans addicted to drugs than there were in the 1960s or today. Studies showed that two to five percent of the population were drug addicts in 1900. Part of this is was because morphine was used as anesthesia in medical operations and people became addicted to it. The other part of this is the prevalence of â€Å"patent medicines† in rural America. Traveling salesman coming to small towns and farms sold elixirs and â€Å"medicines† that often contained marijuana, cocaine, or opium. All throughout the â€Å"jazz age† of 1920s, the use of pot increased among jazz musicians and lots of ot her people who were involved in show business. Marijuana clubs, called â€Å"tea pads,† began springing up in lots of cities. In 1920, the U.S. Department of Agriculture urged American farmers to grow marijuana as a