While the spread of marijuana was going through Mexico, the United States began taking in the drug near the beginning of the twentieth century. One issue that caused the spread of marijuana domestically, was the influence that Mexico gained from the press’ stories and report on marijuana and the different kinds mentioned in chapter eight, such as “locoweed, loco poison, and weed of bughouse propensities” (214). As the stories of weed began to scatter into the United States, newspapers picked up on it and began to say marijuana “effects a smoker making them wilder than a wild beast” (215). The more the ideas and culture of marijuana put forth by the Mexican and United States press, eventually helped lead to the prohibition in Mexico in 1920. This prohibition in 1920 helped Mexico portray a public victory against marijuana during what became a first structural “War on Drugs” by Mexican government and
White laborers banded together and formed groups such as Key Men of America, and American Coalition whose goal was to Keep America American, so leaders of these groups believed that Mexican immigration and marijuana abuse was closely connected and newspaper articles began to circulate stating that marijuana made users become sexually excited and violently insane. Moreover, the first commissioner of the newly formed Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN), Harry Anslinger, saw marijuana use as a way to gain national attention. Congressional committees heard testimony from Anslinger, who relied on extraordinary tales from movies, which depicted young people committing horrendous acts under the influence of marijuana. The result was the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which did not outlaw the marijuana but required a hefty tax to be collected on its manufacturing and sale of the drug. Every time marijuana was sold, the seller had to pay a tax of one-hundred-dollars pe3r ounce for a transfer stamp, failure to possess the stamps that were rarely issued was a federal
The first federally passed law on marijuana was the, Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. This made it illegal to possess any amount of marijuana without a special stamp from the treasury department. The passing of this law was created from the widespread panic that was created from Anslingers propaganda. The funny thing about this tax act, was one could obtain marijuana legally if they had a stamp from the treasury department, however, what the treasury department did not tell everyone was that they would not give out any stamps after it was passed. This was signed into law by President Roosevelt.
Kansas V Dank Kush Over the course of the last five years the U.S. state and federal courts have addressed a growing concern about the legalization of marijuana. The legalization of marijuana has been put into question several times causing numerous politicians to claim different sides to this issue. The 37th president of the United States (Richard M. Nixon) once said “Federal and state laws (should) be changed to no longer make it a crime to possess marijuana for private use.” At this point in time four states have legalized the sale and use of marijuana including Colorado, Alaska, Washington, and Oregon.
Just as in the 1920’s we are also facing prohibition, and the same things that played out in the 1920’s have been occurring for years. Marijuana is federally illegal, but some states have already started to legalize it. There are also crime organizations that profit because of the prohibition of marijuana the same as the gangsters of the 1920’s did with the prohibition of alcohol. Prohibition is damned to fail when the majority of the country is against banning a substance, but the federal government still bans it. 2)
In 1930 the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN) was established within the Treasury to handle narcotic enforcement. In 1937, the government imposed the Marihuana Tax of 1937. The MTA required a high cost transfer tax stamp for each sale. Stamps were hardly ever issued and shortly after all states made possession of marijuana illegal (DEA Editors,
Following the failure of the prohibition of alcoholic beverages in the 1920s, America 's law enforcement establishment looked around for another target for government intervention, and drugs thought to be used by poor minorities were a convenient choice for a renewed war on crime. The motives behind this thinking were that marijuana, heroin and opium originated outside America 's borders, and were consumed only by Blacks, Hispanics and Orientals. The simple solution was to go after the source of supply in Mexico or
In the 1960’s marijuana use had no outstanding effects on the United States people but in today's society the use of marijuana had become a huge epidemic over the past years. Even though it has been scientifically proven that marijuana can help seizures, Crohn’s, and effects of cancer, yet many people in today's society still believe that it has no use. In the United States 45 percent of drug arrest in 2013 were due to marijuana, but at Woodstock in 1969 when there was a controversial “Drug War” no one was arrested for marijuana (Merino par. 3). The use of marijuana is more strict in the United States now then it was in
Back in the early twentieth century, marijuana was mainly used for medical purposes in the US. Now, both it 's recreational and medical use is increasingly being consumed by the population and the tendency is to continue increasing. Much has been said about the use of marijuana as a solution to different health problems, and although not everything that is said is true, it cannot be ignored that marijuana can help in the treatment of some cases of adult patients. CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, was opposed to the medicinal use of cannabis. Based on his knowledge as a neurologist, he was convinced that the drug was dangerous and had dismissed its supposed therapeutic benefits.
The Costs of Criminalization Over the last 18 years, 23 state governments have legalized marijuana, taxonomically known as cannabis sativa, for medicinal use. Voters in these states have declared that the federal government has scheduled marijuana inaccurately, in that cannabis has many medical uses. Medical professionals in these states prescribe marijuana as a treatment for ailments ranging from insomnia and muscle pain, to post traumatic stress and epilepsy. But recently, we have seen a shift in marijuana reformation movements throughout the country.
I would think this has led to the emergence of the controversial debate of medicinal marijuana. The debate on this subject is rooted heavily in the natural remedies of
According to the PBS Timeline of Marijuana in the US, Cannabis’s domestic production was encouraged until the early 1900’s when the Pure Food and Drug Act required that any over the counter remedies that contained cannabis should be labeled as such. This essentially started the movement to fear marijuana. In the 1910’s Mexican immigrants flooded the US and introduced the public to recreational use of marijuana but because of their immigrant status, anti-drug campaigners “warned against the encroaching “Marijuana Menace,” and terrible crimes were attributed to marijuana and the Mexicans who used it.”
Today the demands are changing in different states. In States such as Colorado and Washington, marijuana has been legalized for recreational use. This move raised several questions as far as decriminalization of marijuana is concerned. Besides portraying the US in a bad light, legalization of marijuana for recreation increases the risk of developing mental problems, increases government expenditure on public health, jeopardizes the future of children, and is a gateway to other dangerous drugs. Increased health problems and public health expenditure-
Marijuana, morphine, heroin, and cocaine continued to be used when the Prohibition was over in 1933. In 1937, 46 states decided to ban the use of marijuana for the reason that it was dangerous and a potential drug for addiction. Fast forward 60 years, states
Americans at the time were weary of the drug and the effects it had on the people who lived on this new land they had just acquired. Throughout history Marijuana has been a Taboo substance and current laws and regulations have restricted its full capability’s. It is upon lawmakers to include the legalization of Marijuana to open up and unlock its many benefits.
