In recent news, Polner writes "Linden Corrica lost his freedom and his life in New York over $10 worth of marijuana." Corrica is an immigrant who lived in New York with his wife and kids. He was one day caught with a small ten dollar bag of marijuana, and pleaded guilty. He spent 20 days in jail, which wasn't terrible. However, when he got out, he was sent to the immigration center and was to be deported away from his family. Corrica is not the only one to lose so much over so little. People are constantly being arrested, fined and reported for using marijuana. This is because of the current war on drugs. There is a strong anti-marijuana stigma, which dates back to the early 1900s. The stigma is backed by twisted statistics, faulty scientific evidence and propaganda. The anti-drug war is fueled efficiently in this way. The drug is not yet legal because it would create competition for large businesses and it is still considered dangerous. Marijuana and Hemp, the plant from which it is derived, should be legalized because it is a relatively harmless drug, an effective medication and would be beneficial to the economy.
[...] Thus, Anslinger fought a problem that he created, and profited from it. Because of Anslinger's propaganda, the public developed a negative, biased and largely inaccurate view of marijuana, which set them up for future prejudice. Due to his success, others followed in his footsteps and continued to use propaganda to fuel a war on marijuana. Anslinger was the first of the Drug Czars. After him, the war on marijuana continued, and the anti-marijuana sentiment grew. Today, the government is constantly arresting people for possession and is trying to blockade imports. [...]
[...] is no evidence showing that marijuana impairs cognition, or other forms of memory. Zimmer also describes that vast majority of marijuana users do not commit crimes other than the crime of possessing marijuana” Thus, contrary to popular belief, marijuana is not an addictive substance and it is minimally detrimental to one's health. To prevent this information from making the public believe marijuana is relatively harmless, the government slurs the truth and puts influential information in commercials and on the internet to shape the public's beliefs. [...]
[...] Of course, he is similar to Anslinger because Anslinger was the first to use these methods, and others followed suit when they recognized the benefits. One should also take note that Sabet and many others against marijuana are very biased sources. They get their information from a deceptive government, and eat it up as if it were the truth. Sabet mentions that one of his friends was killed by a marijuana- intoxicated driver. There is no scientific correlation between marijuana intoxication and accident rates.Thus, he has little or no reason to believe that marijuana is what caused the driver to kill his friend. [...]
[...] In essence, the government is subsidizing the marijuana producers when it intervenes (Warner). Instead of subsidizing the very criminals they condemn, the government should legalize the drug and reap the profits it will invariably produce. The demand for the drug is so high, the profits that the government can gain from legalizing it are limitless. Nevertheless, the drug agency follows the example of Anslinger by refusing to give up their own profits, even if they would benefit the people as a whole. [...]
[...] One might wonder why marijuana, a drug much less dangerous than alcohol would be illegal (Goode, 71). Grinspoon writes, “Relative to other psychoactive drugs, it [marijuana] is remarkably safe” (347). Both tobacco and alcohol are very addictive substances. Marijuana is not addictive at all. Tobacco is smoked in large quantities as a result of addiction and alcohol greatly distorts judgment. These are commonly known facts, but the fact that marijuana is neither smoked in large quantities nor does it greatly distort judgment is known by far too few. [...]
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