Legalizing Marijuana In America Essay

The legalization of marijuana in America has been a major topic of discussion for many years. Recently, more talk about the government and society’s acceptance of the drug has increased in the household and in the government. Many American schools taught and continue to teach the belief that Marijuana is a gateway drug that will lead to risky behavior and a ruined life. On the contrary, a growing idea in many Americans is that marijuana use is not actually as bad as the first group believes and it is often either not harmful or even beneficial in some cases. Because most Americans hold one of these two very different ideals and often won’t alter their position, it has been hard for the government to know how to best protect and represent the people. In 1937, cannabis’s first official prohibition in the Unites States was through the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which was later deemed unconstitutional. This act was quickly replaced by the Controlled Substance Act in the 1970, which was based on the premise of its potential for addiction, which is what finally made the standing law that banned marijuana. (Bonnie and Whitebread 2011). More recently, many states have legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes and in some, recreational use. Nine states and Washington

The American Medical Association, or AMA, is a major advocate for making marijuana laws more strict (AMA 2016). They have long-standing, genuine care for the American public health. The AMA and other organizations have access to the best and most trusted research facilities on all things that concern the health of Americans. Since such well respected corporations, like the AMA, oppose the legalization, many Americans will stand with them and oppose it as well. One of the main reasons that the AMA stands with this position is because marijuana can be a gateway drug to harder, more dangerous