this is my speech about marijuana legalization. hope it's not too hard to read! sorry it's so long!
There are two sides to every story, and this issue is no different. Rebellious teens and cancer patients. Rap songs and popular movies. What do these all have in common? Drugs; and marijuana to be specific. Marijuana legalization is a viable option for the improvement of many aspects of life. First I will discuss the economic benefits of legalization, followed by its crime-deterring capabilities, potential for medical use and a brief review. As money is a driving force behind much of politics, I will begin by discussing the economic pros to legalizing marijuana. Ending prohibition would cause great monetary improvements. According to Jeffery Miron, professor at Harvard University and author of Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition, the government spends $7.7 billion annually on prohibition. The same report states that legal cannabis sales would generate a whopping $6.2 billion if taxed like alcohol or cigarettes. This extra money could be extremely valuable. My senior year, a referendum failed at my school, and this year students could only take six classes instead of seven. If it hadnt passed this year, our district would have been forced to cut ALL school athletic programs completely. I think its fair to say that at least education could use a couple billion dollars. Scott W. Bates, the Principle Investigator and author of The Economic Implications of Marijuana Legalization in Alaska, found that prohibition costs the state $24 million annually to enforce. He also mentions the possibility of tourism generated by ending prohibition. This is comparable to the large tourist trade in Amsterdam, where marijuana is legal, as we all know from movies such as Eurotrip. As you can see, legalized marijuana would have a large impact on state and federal budgetsnow lets see how else it could affect us. The ending of prohibition would also be able to deter crime. It should be intuitive that, if something illegal is made legal, involvement in that activity will no longer be illegal, and thus, crime will go down. According to drugwar.org, in 2004, there were nearly 1.8 million drug arrests nationwide, with 44.2% of those being related to marijuana. That adds up to 771,000 preventable arrests. Each arrest costs moneyThe National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws says about $10,400 a piece. Thats over $8 billion. Also, have you ever done something or wanted to do something just because its forbidden? The first weekend I was here I dyed my hair because my parents would not allow me to. Im sure all of you have similar stories, as this is the first time we were on our own. However, had they previously allowed me to experiment with my hair color, I would have gotten tired of it early on. By the same token, wouldnt you say that it is a possibility, if marijuana were no longer forbidden, the mystery would be removed and fewer would be prone to heavy use or abuse later? In conclusion, arrests for marijuana are costlyand they make up a very large portion of total drug arrests in this country. Overall, legalization would lead to a strong decrease in crime, arrests, and justice costs. In addition to the economic and crime-deterring benefits, marijuana can also be used medically. Medical use is perhaps one of the strongest arguments in favor of legalization. Cancer is one of, if not THE most prevalent diseases today; chances are, every single one of you could name someone who has had it. Imagine waking up every day knowing you could die any time. There is constant fatigue, weight loss, fevers, and increasing weakness and bed rest. And pain. You are in pain constantly and can do almost nothing to stop it. Medicalmarijuanaprocon.org states that, according to Dr. Miles Herkenham of the National Institute of Mental Health, the drug has been proven to suppress the neurotransmission of pain signals. This means that it prevents the body from feeling the pain it is actually going through, like listening to your iPod: there are sounds all around you but you cant hear them because you are listening to music. Now, Im sure weve all heard of the munchies, medically, this can be a good thing. Drugwarfacts.org references the 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine, which said that marijuana can be used as an appetite stimulant. It also helps to curb nausea, which is a common side effect in the treatment of some diseases. The Common Sense for Drug Policys website also refers to the IOMs report, which stated that cannabinoid drugs can provide relief to chemotherapy and AIDS patients in the form of pain relief, appetite stimulation and nausea and vomiting suppression. Now that you have heard reasons in favor of ending prohibition, lets take a step back to review the whole issue. As you know, the legalization of marijuana is a controversial issue. Todays War on Drugs has many heavyweights. The Drug Enforcement Administration and some government officials are some of those against legalization. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, various economists and some medical organizations are anti-prohibition. The drug is hailed for its medical and possible economic value, while shamed for its health effects and general connotations. This is a debate that will no doubt continue to burn into the future. I have discussed the economic, crime-deterring and medical benefits of marijuana legalization. As you can see, it is a viable option for the improvement of many aspects of life. Heres an example. This picture shows three mice, two of which were treated with medicinal marijuana. The third was not. Would you consider cannabis treatment if it spared you from something like this? Suddenly the idea of a pothead takes on a new forma cancer patient smoking to ease the pain or suppress feelings of sickness. So, pot, weed, whatever you call it, is much more than just a recreational drug.
see the picture i was talking about at
http://americanmarijuana.org/
Random Stina Fact: photographing your own vagina from behind is hard.
There are two sides to every story, and this issue is no different. Rebellious teens and cancer patients. Rap songs and popular movies. What do these all have in common? Drugs; and marijuana to be specific. Marijuana legalization is a viable option for the improvement of many aspects of life. First I will discuss the economic benefits of legalization, followed by its crime-deterring capabilities, potential for medical use and a brief review. As money is a driving force behind much of politics, I will begin by discussing the economic pros to legalizing marijuana. Ending prohibition would cause great monetary improvements. According to Jeffery Miron, professor at Harvard University and author of Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition, the government spends $7.7 billion annually on prohibition. The same report states that legal cannabis sales would generate a whopping $6.2 billion if taxed like alcohol or cigarettes. This extra money could be extremely valuable. My senior year, a referendum failed at my school, and this year students could only take six classes instead of seven. If it hadnt passed this year, our district would have been forced to cut ALL school athletic programs completely. I think its fair to say that at least education could use a couple billion dollars. Scott W. Bates, the Principle Investigator and author of The Economic Implications of Marijuana Legalization in Alaska, found that prohibition costs the state $24 million annually to enforce. He also mentions the possibility of tourism generated by ending prohibition. This is comparable to the large tourist trade in Amsterdam, where marijuana is legal, as we all know from movies such as Eurotrip. As you can see, legalized marijuana would have a large impact on state and federal budgetsnow lets see how else it could affect us. The ending of prohibition would also be able to deter crime. It should be intuitive that, if something illegal is made legal, involvement in that activity will no longer be illegal, and thus, crime will go down. According to drugwar.org, in 2004, there were nearly 1.8 million drug arrests nationwide, with 44.2% of those being related to marijuana. That adds up to 771,000 preventable arrests. Each arrest costs moneyThe National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws says about $10,400 a piece. Thats over $8 billion. Also, have you ever done something or wanted to do something just because its forbidden? The first weekend I was here I dyed my hair because my parents would not allow me to. Im sure all of you have similar stories, as this is the first time we were on our own. However, had they previously allowed me to experiment with my hair color, I would have gotten tired of it early on. By the same token, wouldnt you say that it is a possibility, if marijuana were no longer forbidden, the mystery would be removed and fewer would be prone to heavy use or abuse later? In conclusion, arrests for marijuana are costlyand they make up a very large portion of total drug arrests in this country. Overall, legalization would lead to a strong decrease in crime, arrests, and justice costs. In addition to the economic and crime-deterring benefits, marijuana can also be used medically. Medical use is perhaps one of the strongest arguments in favor of legalization. Cancer is one of, if not THE most prevalent diseases today; chances are, every single one of you could name someone who has had it. Imagine waking up every day knowing you could die any time. There is constant fatigue, weight loss, fevers, and increasing weakness and bed rest. And pain. You are in pain constantly and can do almost nothing to stop it. Medicalmarijuanaprocon.org states that, according to Dr. Miles Herkenham of the National Institute of Mental Health, the drug has been proven to suppress the neurotransmission of pain signals. This means that it prevents the body from feeling the pain it is actually going through, like listening to your iPod: there are sounds all around you but you cant hear them because you are listening to music. Now, Im sure weve all heard of the munchies, medically, this can be a good thing. Drugwarfacts.org references the 1999 report by the Institute of Medicine, which said that marijuana can be used as an appetite stimulant. It also helps to curb nausea, which is a common side effect in the treatment of some diseases. The Common Sense for Drug Policys website also refers to the IOMs report, which stated that cannabinoid drugs can provide relief to chemotherapy and AIDS patients in the form of pain relief, appetite stimulation and nausea and vomiting suppression. Now that you have heard reasons in favor of ending prohibition, lets take a step back to review the whole issue. As you know, the legalization of marijuana is a controversial issue. Todays War on Drugs has many heavyweights. The Drug Enforcement Administration and some government officials are some of those against legalization. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, various economists and some medical organizations are anti-prohibition. The drug is hailed for its medical and possible economic value, while shamed for its health effects and general connotations. This is a debate that will no doubt continue to burn into the future. I have discussed the economic, crime-deterring and medical benefits of marijuana legalization. As you can see, it is a viable option for the improvement of many aspects of life. Heres an example. This picture shows three mice, two of which were treated with medicinal marijuana. The third was not. Would you consider cannabis treatment if it spared you from something like this? Suddenly the idea of a pothead takes on a new forma cancer patient smoking to ease the pain or suppress feelings of sickness. So, pot, weed, whatever you call it, is much more than just a recreational drug.
see the picture i was talking about at
http://americanmarijuana.org/
Random Stina Fact: photographing your own vagina from behind is hard.
VIEW 5 of 5 COMMENTS
osmose:
Good paper. Medical use is huge...a buddy of mine recently had/ having a stem cell transplant at Vanderbuilt...if they detect any weed in his system...his insurance could be cancelled!! On the same tokken...this same weed could make his day to day living much more tolerable. Is that some bullshit or what?
stingray69:
They will never legalize the pot until someone can figure out a way to put a patent on a plant. Until then, the powers that be make too much money off it being illegal. 