Young Writers Society

The U.S. government continues to pump money into the War on Drugs. Addicts and users still have access to drugs on the streets including heroin, cocaine, meth, etc. Groups of drug gangs make huge amounts of profit on selling marijuana to southern states. The “Pot” then slowly creeps up from south to north getting more expensive for each user. However, states like Washington and Colorado who have legalized the recreational use of Cannabis are looking on how to go about distributing the narcotic to its citizens. One of the most influential people in the world, Morgan Freeman, has this to say about current policy on Marijuana:

“It’s just the stupidest law possible… You’re just making criminals out of people who aren’t engaged in criminal activity. And we’re spending zillions of dollars trying to fight a war we can’t win! We could make zillions, just legalize it and tax it like we do liquor. It’s stupid.”

Every forty-two seconds one pot smoker is arrested for a possession charge; this is more often than violent crime. During the 1920’s Jazz, Pot, and African-American sub-culture was linked together. At the time the government ignored this until White people started to smoke marijuana. Harry Anslinger, the first commissioner of the US Federal Bureau of Narcotics, started a campaign with William Hearst (Hearst Productions) called “Reefer Madness”. They used everything from their publicity to propaganda to attempt to stop the continuing use of Marijuana. They claimed it led to violence and induced insanity. This promoted discrimination, xenophobia, and racism because of the link between African-American subculture. Hearst invested in timber this time and wrote false stories in his newspapers to bash on Marijuana because its male form of the plant, hemp, can be used to create paper too, at a much smaller cost.

The Cannabis plant is not only meant to be smoked, it can also be used at the industrial level. Hemp comes from the cannabis sativa L plant containing less than one percent of the psychoactive chemical in the plant. Its structure is similar to a Flax or Kenaf with a slender and tall body. The Hemp plant can make be used to be make many products including textiles, paper, paints, clothing, plastics, cosmetics, insulation, and animal feed. The yield per acre of hemp is higher than its substitutes such as cotton. There are even fewer pesticides to worry about while growing this cash crop. The average growing cycle is only 100 days long allowing for an even bigger amount in a smaller time of growing. The hemp also leaves the soil weed free for the next crop. Canada, Japan, and the European Union, and thirty other nations commercially harvested hemp.

Legislations around the world including the Mexican and Peruvian, and some U.S. state governments like Vermont, New Jersey, California, and several medical marijuana states are trying to pass bills of legal recreational use of the drug Cannabis. The Mexican government believes that if they decriminalize the drug it will stop the Cartels reaping of money on the border. Eighteen states in America already have medical Marijuana legalized for the diagnosis including severe chronic illnesses to using it for any of its proven perks in the state of California. There are 2,100 dispensaries, co-operatives, and wellness clinics present in the state including a taxi delivery service in the sector known as “cannabusiness”. Hawaii’s Senate Bill 862 became a law on June 14, 2000. This gave patients the ability to hold a maximum of three ounces (84g) of useable cannabis and to cultivate eight cannabis plants at home. States have been showing that they want to legalize or at least dampen the consequences surrounding Marijuana. The citizens of America show interest in legalization but their federal government does not. Conflictions inside the government between state and federal can cause various problems. Some include sending Fathers that provide for a family to prison for the legal Pot farm he grew in Colorado.

For the state of New Jersey, then Governor Jon Corzine, signed the New Jersey Compassionate Medical Marijuana act into law on January 18th, 2010, takes effect in July, 2010. Governor Chris Christy had ordered lawmakers to amend the legislation to delay the enactment until October 1, 2010. It is said that he did this because of the general fear of the federal government raiding his citizens or even a court case against the state of New Jersey. It doesn’t seem right that the governor of our state puts his fear above the patients in need of the new medicine. A move that correctly protects the citizens from federal raids is that patients authorized under that act will not be able to cultivate their own plants. Another situation that might come out of these recent reforms is “Where can they smoke their Marijuana?” The law doesn’t exactly state they are confined to their houses when smoking, but it strictly prohibits any operation of machinery.

States that have legalized the medical use of Marijuana, have legal medical Marijuana dispensaries that are getting raided by the federal government. This shows us how the state and federal governments still ignore each other. An entrepreneur that had a wife and kids, may start a dispensary due to the increased interest of Marijuana in their state. After starting a business and getting a legal permit to sell the medical Ganja, may still be shut down by the government. This father would then lose his job and his capital, and get a jail sentence depending on how much Marijuana he had in the building. He will then be unable to support his family like he used to be before legally.

One of the most conservative and strict nations of the world doesn’t even consider Marijuana to be a drug or harmful in any way. North Korea has a strong stance against inauspicious drugs including crystal meth. Marijuana which is feared by at least a quarter of America is neither classified illegal or policed in any way. Most American’s have the idea that people that smoke Marijuana become lazy and live the life of a junkie for the rest of their life. This creates the present taboo of recreational users of Marijuana in our society. It is common for young North Korean soldiers to allow time to pass on the military’s downtime. Even the military of the country we expect to be dogmatic and futile with their soldiers allows them to smoke Marijuana at their own will. However, unlike most Americans that smokes to get “high” and have a good time with friends, North Koreans are scared of the popular cigarette. Its tar and non-friendly poverty prices are the reason that most go to their backyard and pick the naturally growing Cannabis. It is reported that local newspapers are found on the streets rolled into small cone sized joints. It was hard to believe that North Korea doesn’t really categorize Marijuana smokers under drug users. And in America where our press has freedom along with its citizens, it continues to hand over money to organizations like the DEA to stop users and distributors.

With the recent legalization in Washington and Colorado, other states have been influenced to follow. Senator Daylin Leach of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania , is planning on introducing a bill that will be similar to Colorado and Washington’s. Since 2006 24,685 arrests have been made for marijuana possession. This is roughly 0.2% of the total population that has their possessions and time taken away for a measly possession charge. The state has spent $325 million to incarcerate and prosecute these people. Instead this sum of money should be used towards rehabilitation centers or education to the kids about drugs and their true effects.

If the U.S. continues to attempt to stop the uses and trafficking of drugs it will continuously add more money to its debt. Recently they have had problems with making dues up there, so they could tax one of the drugs they use so much money against. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most psychoactive chemical present in the Marijuana plant, this is responsible for the euphoric feeling that people consider as being “high”. Other chemicals including Cannabinoid (CBG), Cannabinol (CBN), and Cannabichromene (CBC) have a range of benefits from reducing spasms to very promising antibiotic properties. Other benefits from using the drug include prevent tumor formation, anti-nausea and anxiety, and the Tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) chemical is being investigated as an anti-obesity drug. There is still a chance of catching cancer while smoking the wacky tobaccy or becoming lazy under its effects. Whatever the circumstances may me, any human being in the world should have control over everything coming into their body, not their governments.