Marijuana: Is It More Than an Illegal Plant?
For years, marijuana has been portrayed as a gate way drug, an illegal and harmful substance that will corrupt youth, and legalization of the plant will be the beginning of the downfall of civilized society. Outright prohibition for marijuana began in the United States during the 1920s and became a regulated drug in every state by the 1930s. That being said, it can be dated even back to 1853 as being known as a narcotic.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt successfully passed the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 which federally banned the use and sale of Marijuana. However, the act was deemed unconstitutional and replaced several years later. The Controlled Substance was enacted during the 1970s which categorized drugs by their dangerousness and potential for addiction. Marijuana, a naturally growing plant, was placed at the top of the list in the strictest category, Schedule 1, by recommendation of President Richard Nixon.
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This “why” question is being put to the test more and more in the recent years; individual states having been resisting against the federal government and passing legalization of marijuana on medical and recreational levels. How are states doing this when the federal government has banned the use and sale of the substance? States are now using the argument that there is scientific research proving the positive benefits of medical marijuana for certain medical diseases, such as cancer and epilepsy. To present date, there has not been one documented case of a marijuana overdose.
If this naturally occurring plant has such medical benefits for debilitating physical and psychological issues, why is society not abandoning outdated political opinion and utilizing these benefits, as they should, if it meant people could have an improved quality of