Decriminalize Marijuana For The Good Of America

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Bureau of
Narcotics and author of Marijuana: Assassin of Youth (Goldman 88). In his book,
Anslinger portrayed images of Mexican and Negro criminals, as well as young boys,
who became killers while under the influence of marijuana. With the added
public pressure, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the
Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. This law made the use and dale of marijuana federal
offenses. At this point marijuana was removed from the public eye, and heavy
users included poor Negroes, migrant Mexicans, and Jazz Musicians (Himmelstein
3).
Marijuana reappeared in the mid 1960's with the emergence of the
"Hippie." Widespread objection to the use of marijuana remained because of the
set of valued and lifestyles associated with it, but use appeared in colleges
and among middle-class youths in the suburbs (Himmelstein 103). Marijuana
became a symbol of a counter-culture, and youthful rebellion. As a consequence,
marijuana use rose for the next ten years. ...

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I believe it will show that the benefits far outweigh the detriments.
The three general areas where people are opposed to legalization of
marijuana center their arguments on: health care, increased crime, and social
aspects. Marijuana is more dangerous than cigarette smoking. Two Marijuana
joints create more airway impairment than do an entire pack of cigarette (Miner
44). One joint contains three times more tar than do cigarettes and is
considered four times more dangerous (Courtwright 54). It dramatically
increases the pulse rate and blood pressure during use. If marijuana is
legalized, many project that lung cancer will increase as the amount of
marijuana use increases ...

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