Legalization Of Marijuana Essays (5383 words) - Biofuels, Hemp

Legalization Of Marijuana Several pressing issues have arose throughout time, such as abortion and capitol punishment. The controversies have been addressed and decisions have been made. A new topic has emerged l states (1986, Congress), (Buchsbaum, 8). This crowds court rooms and jail cells, often times forcing judges to release violent offenders. In 1994 alone, 1.35 million people were incarcerated because of possession and use of marijuana (Buckley, 70). Even though only an estimates ten million Americans use marijuana on a monthly basis, about seventy million have at some time tried it. The current laws would justify putting all seventy million citizens in jail (Buckley, 70). Several pressing issues have arose throughout time, such as abortion and capitol punishment. The controversies have been addressed and decisions have been made. A new topic has emerged and demands recognition. It is the legalization of marijuana. Legalizing marijuana has become a widely discussed topic in the United States and the world for several reasons, including its role in industry and in recreation. Over the centuries, marijuana has been used to make such things as rope, sails, paper, cloth, oil, birdseed, and other various products. It was a major cash crop in the United States until 1937 when the Marijuana Tax Act was enacted by Congress. Harry Aslinger is responsible for leading the nation in an anti-marijuana movement. He initiated the uproar by publishing false stories of people in Mexico dying and going insane due to the use of hemp, or marijuana, products. Aslinger created a myth of the killer reefer and the assassin of youth, in which he depicted marijuana as the plant of evilness. The public naively presumed his stories were true, and avidly protested the growth of marijuana. The government had no choice but to act on the issue, outlawing the production of marijuana in an effort to satisfy the public's demand. Today, however, there is a growing number of marijuana activists. In 1994 alone, there was twenty-five million dollars worth of products created from hemp (Barry, 22). China, France, the United Kingdom, and Spain are large suppliers of hemp products which the United States imports. Such companies as Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Adidas, and Disney offer hemp commodities to the public. Popular Mechanics has listed over 25,000 products which marijuana could be used to make. Daily uses include: clothes, soaps, hair products, flour, candles, oil, paper, motor and fiberboard for building, hemp chips for horse bedding, textiles, and machine lubricants. The list is endless. If marijuana was used to make oil, it would reduce gasoline consumption by one half. Likewise, it would cut back deforestation by one half if the pulp was excreted to create paper. The United States Department of Agriculture has calculated that, over twenty years, one acre of hemp would yield as much pulp for paper as 4.1 acres of trees. (Barry, 22) Perhaps one of the best arguments for marijuana activists is that the marijuana plants are actually environmentally-friendly. The crop can be produces with little or no fertilizers or pesticides, which could help save the planet from chemical doom. (Barry, 23). Cotton, presently one of the largest cash crops in the south, is a chemical dependent crop and requires large quantities of water, which, in most cases, must be supplied by artificial means. Not only would marijuana eliminate a large amount of chemicals that are being pumped into our environment daily, but it would also remove heavy metals from the soil and replenish the ozone. The legalization of industrial marijuana is under consideration in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Missouri, Washington, and Kentucky, which was the largest producer of hemp when outlawed by the Marijuana Prohibitive Act of 1937 (Elvin, 17). Struggling Vermont farmers are supporters of revitalizing this miracle plant, and rightfully so. A majority of the Vermont farmers presently produce milk, which has a gross income of three hundred million dollars annually. Just and acre of hemp would have a nine hundred dollar commercial value. The legalization of industrial hemp would undoubtedly improve Vermont's economy. (Elvin, 17) There are two major oppositions to industrial hemp legalization, the law enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The law enforcement argues that it would be difficult to differentiate between a farmer growing marijuana