Essay on Proposition 19

You could start with the prohabition act that legalized alcohol. That will most likely be the same format they used to tax and regulate weed

 

Draw the parallels between the Mexican cartels and the violence on the US/Mexico border to Al Capone and other mobsters and the rum smugglers on the US/Canadian border during Prohibition, and all the violence that occurred then.

 

Cannabis Research Library

Jack Herer - Chapters

ProCon.org - Pros and Cons of Controversial Issues

 

Dont forget the medical aspect of it where its stops the growth of 5 cancers too

 

The 10th Amendment would be a great arguing point. Question the legality of the US government to dictate powers not explicitly granted by the consitution.

 

California’s Prop 19: A Word-for-Word Analysis | NORML Blog, Marijuana Law Reform

 

It depends on what kind of essay your are writing. Is it a persuasive essay or simply and informative essay? If its persuasive then what are you trying to persuade your audience to believe? If its informative then a thesis may not be necessary, just a good introduction that grabs the readers attention.

 

Post it on GrassCity when you're finished too.

 

Send it to your local newspapers. Send it to your senators. Send it to your representatives, your governor, your pastors, your teachers, everyone that needs to hear our message.

It's frightening now to expose ourselves as marijuana supporters but after Prop 19 passes, after Marijuana is removed from Schedule I, after it's legalized nationally, we'll look back and laugh at the fear. We'll laugh at the struggle. Why? Because the fact that this is something we HAVE to fight for is ridiculous! The fact that a small segment of the population can lie and cheat their way into dictating our way of life, is ridiculous.

Speak up my fellow stoners!

 

I believe adults are supposed to have equal rights, so wouldn't the 21 thing for the use be against it?

 

I can understand not wanting to 'expose' yourself as a stoner to your teacher but I think that limiting your essay to the potential tax revenue we can gain from legalization will prevent your essay from being as persuasive as it possible can be. The money to be made by taxing and regulating the marijuana market is certainly a good point that should be included in your essay but it is only one of many. I could list out a number of things you can use to persuade your readers but instead I am going to be lazy and copy and paste an email response I wrote to opinion article I read online about a month ago. I hope it will provide you with the ammo you need to construct a strong essay and get a good grade. So without further ado...



I recently read the article you published in the Kansas State Collegian titled "Legalizing Marijuana Creates More Problems Than Solutions" and I wanted to take a moment to discuss some of the statements you made in the article. I can understand the concerns you have when it comes to the legalization of cannabis but I believe that most of your concerns are founded on incorrect or overly exaggerated facts. I hope that you will take a few minutes to read this email with an open mind and perhaps spend a little bit more time educating yourself about the subject the next time you decide to write an article on the issue. In order to make this email as coherent as possible I am going to provide excerpts of the pieces of you article I believe to be misleading or untrue and then provide you with the reasons why I believe this below them.

"In 1988, a University of Alaska study showed that the teenagers in Alaska used marijuana at more than twice the national average for their peers. Marijuana use had moved past the experimental stage and became an integral part of their lives. Having had enough of this failed experiment with legalization, Alaskans voted to re-criminalize the drug in 1990."

Let me begin with the last part of this statement first. Stating that Alaskans voted to re-criminalize marijuana in 1990 only provides the reader with a small part of the story and is misleading at best. In order to understand what happened in Alaska in 1990 some context is required. While an initiative was voted on in Alaska in 1990 to re-criminalize marijuana it was not simply because Alaskans had "had enough of this failed experiment with legalization," as you put it. First, marijuana was never legalized in the first place, it was simply decriminalized by the 1975 Ravin court case. Secondly, the reason the initiative appeared on the ballot was not to due to some grassroots movement of Alaskan citizens that were fed up with rampant marijuana use but instead it was because of the US 'drug czar' William Bennett who was acting under a Congressionally approved charter to actively oppose cannabis law reform efforts. Bennett used federal tax dollars to create an emotional campaign of anti-marijuana propaganda in order to stir up fear among the population in hopes of creating a national backlash against cannabis reform laws in the states that had passed decriminalization laws in the 1970s. While the campaign worked and Alaskan voters passed the initiative by a narrow margin the ACLU sued to have the initiative overturned as it violated the state's constitution. The Alaskan Supreme Court ruled in favor of the ACLU and upheld the original decision of the 1975 case. Following this debacle, in 1998, Alaskans voted to allow the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Clearly they weren't that concerned with cannabis use.
As for the use of cannabis by teens, numerous studies have shown that decriminalization or legalization of medical marijuana is NOT associated with an increase in use. Here are just a few of the many studies available to back up this claim, along with a few quotes:

"In sum, there is little evidence that decriminalization of marijuana use necessarily leads to a substantial increase in marijuana use." - National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine (IOM). 1999. Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. National Academy Press: Washington, D.C., 102.

"The available evidence indicates that the decriminalization of marijuana possession had little or no impact on rates of use.Although rates of marijuana use increased in those U.S. states [that] reduced maximum penalties for possession to a fine, the prevalence of use increased at similar or higher rates in those states [that] retained more severe penalties. There were also no discernible impacts on the health care systems. On the other hand, the so-called 'decriminalization' measures did result in substantial savings in the criminal justice system."
- E. Single. 1989. The Impact of Marijuana Decriminalization: An Update. Journal of Public Health 10: 456-466.

"The Dutch experience, together with those of a few other countries with more modest policy changes, provides a moderately good empirical case that removal of criminal prohibitions on cannabis possession (decriminalization) will not increase the prevalence of marijuana or any other illicit drug; the argument for decriminalization is thus strong."
- R. MacCoun and P. Reuter. 2001. Evaluating alternative cannabis regimes. British Journal of Psychiatry 178: 123-128.

"Obviously, legalization has yet to work perfectly as expected. This is mostly due to the addictiveness of marijuana. While there is some disagreement as to how addictive marijuana really is, the THC in marijuana has shown to be very addictive... Touching on whether or not marijuana is addictive, Harvard psychiatrist and researcher Harrison Pope has recently conducted a study looking at the symptoms of people when they stop using marijuana. According to his study, there are clear withdrawal symptoms associated with quitting marijuana. The only way to explain these symptoms is to recognize that marijuana must be addictive."

Again this is a misleading statement at best, in fact to state that THC is "very addictive" is extremely inaccurate. If THC is very addictive then then alcohol must be considered very very addictive and nicotine considered extremely addictive. Now, I am not saying that marijuana is a completely benign substance but the facts show that while marijuana may be addictive to some the withdrawal symptoms are minor at best, especially when being compared to both tobacco and alcohol. I can only assume you left this information out of the article in order to mislead the readers once again. Here are the facts:

IMAGE HERE

Source: Jack E. Henningfield, PhD for NIDA, Reported by Philip J. Hilts, New York Times, Aug. 2, 1994 "Is Nicotine Addictive? It Depends on Whose Criteria You Use."
The authors of this article even go on to state that marijuana's potential for addiction is no greater than caffeine's.


IMAGE HERE

Source: The Lancet. Development of a rational scale to assess the harm of drugs of potential misuse.
Development of a rational scale to assess the harm of drugs of potential misuse : The Lancet


Fewer than 10 percent of those who try cannabis ever meet the clinical criteria for a diagnosis of “drug dependence” (based on DSM-III-R criteria). By contrast, investigators reported that 32 percent of tobacco users, 23 percent of heroin users, 17 percent of cocaine users, and 15 percent of alcohol users meet the criteria for “drug dependence.” (summary taken from the book "Marijuana is Safer: So Why are we Driving People to Drink?")
-National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine (IOM). 1999. Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. National Academy Press: Washington, D.C., 102.

"Marijuana has been shown to be a gateway drug for its users. According to a report published by the American Medical Association, 300 twins were studied and the “marijuana-using twins were four times more likely to use cocaine and five times more likely to use hallucinogens like LSD.” It's hard to argue that marijuana is not a gateway drug when even the AMA says it is."

I am assuming you are referring to the study done by Dr. Michael Lynskey titled, "Escalation of Drug Use in Early-Onset Cannabis Users vs Co-twin Controls" though I can not be sure since you failed to cite any sources in your article. Perhaps you should have read the whole article as you would have realized that this is in fact a reason to legalize marijuana rather than continue to criminalize its use. Lets look at the conclusion of the article:

Conclusions - Associations between early cannabis use and later drug use and abuse/dependence cannot solely be explained by common predisposing genetic or shared environmental factors. The association may arise from the effects of the peer and social context within which cannabis is used and obtained. In particular,early access to and use of cannabis may reduce perceived barriers against the use of other illegal drugs and provide access to these drugs.

In other words, it appears that the reason some early cannabis users go on to use other harder drugs is not because of marijuana itself (as scientists know there are no pharmacological properties of marijuana that would drive the user to use other drugs) but rather because of the environment one must put themselves in, in order to obtain and consume marijuana. If, however, marijuana were to be removed from the black market and separated from the other, harder drugs that many drug dealers may push on those who are buying marijuana from them, the cannabis users would not be nearly as likely to try other drugs. As another study states:

"As for a possible switch from cannabis to hard drugs, it is clear that the pharmacological properties of cannabis are irrelevant in this respect. There is no physically determined tendency towards switching from marijuana to harder substances. Social factors, however, do appear to play a role. The more users become integrated in an environment (“subculture”) where, apart from cannabis, hard drugs can also be obtained, the greater the chance that they may switch to hard drugs. Separation of the drug markets is therefore essential."
-Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, Cannabis Policy: An Update. (Utrecht: Trimbos Institute, 1997).

"The final problem with marijuana is that it is so widely used, there is no way it could all be regulated. As a registered Libertarian, I am not a fan of big government. We have several agencies currently trying to stem the flow of all drugs, why create another agency to regulate the flow of marijuana? That will create more government spending which is seldom the answer to budget problems. You cannot help a broke economy by throwing more money at the problem."

While I understand that this is simply your opinion I want to offer you some ideas from a different school of thought. To begin with, you state you are a Libertarian which is perfectly fine and acceptable. However this article is a complete contradiction of the ideology of the Libertarian Party. You are right in stating that Libertarians want smaller government but they also want more personal freedoms. If you are indeed Libertarian then would you not be for the personal freedom of each citizen to put in their own body whatever they choose as long as they are not harming others in the process? Regardless, that is not an issue and you certainly don't have to agree with each issue of the Libertarian Party. However, I do not think you have completely thought through the idea of legalization. By saying that marijuana's use is so widely used that it couldn't possibly be regulated you are implying that the regulation of both alcohol and tobacco are also failures, yet I don't see you recommending we outlaw both of these drugs also. Instead, it is my opinion that the regulation of alcohol and tobacco, while not perfect, provides a very example of how we should go about regulating marijuana. The system is already in place, we simply have to apply it to the market of marijuana. You also make the argument that by legalizing marijuana we would be expanding the government and increase federal spending but I again must disagree with you. If we legalize, tax and regulate marijuana we will drastically reduce federal spending because we no long have to use taxpayer's money to fund the "war on drugs", which most will tell you is primarily a war on marijuana. Aside from saving roughly $14 billion annually by ending the war on drugs we will also save taxpayers money by eliminating the cost of prosecuting and incarcerating marijuana offenders. All of this will not only save money but it will free up law enforcement officers and the judicial system and allow them to focus on more violent crimes. A study presented in the book "Marijuana is Safer: So why are we Driving People to Drink?" illustrates this very point. It states:

One notable study by Florida State University economists Bruce Benson and David Rasmussen determined that serious crimes, such as robbery and assault, increase proportionally when police focus their attention on drug law enforcement, particularly marijuana prohibition. Analyzing Florida state crime statistics, they reported that every 1 percent increase in drug arrests leads to a 0.18 percent increase in serious crimes.
-Benson et al., “The Impact of Drug Enforcement on Crime: An Investigation of the Opportunity Cost of Police Resources,” Journal of Drug Issues 31 (2001): 989–1006.

So not only will legalization reduce our spending and free up the police and judicial system, but it will also provide a source of revenue for the government by legitimizing the marijuana market and opening it up to taxation. Along with this comes and increase in jobs both in the agriculture and service industries. I know that many prohibitionists argue the point that legalizing marijuana will have a greater cost on society than the money brought in by this new industry but once again I must disagree. According to a report published in the British Columbia Mental Health and Addictions Journal the authors state:

"In terms of [health-related] costs per user: tobacco-related health costs are over $800 per user, alcohol-related health costs are much lower at $165 per user, and cannabis-related health costs are the lowest at $20 per user."
Cannabis, Tobacco and Alcohol Use in Canada | Here to Help, A BC Information Resource for Individuals and Families Managing Mental Health or Substance Use Problems


"Even the argument of it having medicinal uses is bogus. The FDA, who must approve all drugs for public use, has yet to approve marijuana for any condition or disease."

You conclude your article with the biggest lie of all. I only have one thing to say about this before I provide you with a few links to prove my point. If marijuana does not have any medicinal purposes then why has the FDA approved a drug called Marinol which is a pill of 100% synthetic THC?

Not Just A High - Science News

Pot Shrinks Tumors; Government Knew in '74 | | AlterNet

Recent Research on Medical Marijuana - NORML

Featured Articles - - Granny Storm Crow's List - International Cannagraphic Magazine
-This is a list of hundreds upon hundreds of links to scientific articles discussing/studying the medical benefits of marijuana

I know that it may be hard to believe these studies because the mainstream media constantly fails to report on almost all studies that show marijuana's medical efficacy but it is in fact true as anyone will discover simply by taking a little time to review the scientific literature. Along these same lines, if there is no medicinal value to marijuana then why has the AMA recently requested that the US Government lower marijuana from a Schedule 1 drug so that it may be more easily studied?

That's all I've got for you. If you have read this far then I sincerely thank you for taking the time to do so. I truly appreciate it! It is my hope that I have been able to provide you with a little more information, and that perhaps you will rethink your stance on the issue. There are many more reasons I could provide you with to argue for the legalization of marijuana but in order to keep this email (relatively) short I will not. However, if you would like more information or have anything you would like to say to me do not hesitate to contact me at anytime at this email address. Once again, thank you for your time, and best of luck in your future endeavors.





There were a few images I had sent with that email that didn't copy over but you can find them by following the source links.

Another issue I didn't discuss in this email is the civil rights issues involved but you can easily find that information by googling California NAACP and Prop 19 etc.

Also, if you want more information I highly recommend searching around NORML's website for more info.

I hope this helps and best of luck with your essay!

 

just an idea for thesis i'd do something like:

"Marijuana has been grown and cultivated since the beginning of time, and we're required to be grown by our founding fathers, yet today in our society marijuana is illegal with harsh punishments. Is marijuana really the devils drug?"

Just an idea, thesis aren't suppose to be that long but you can shorten it up and take out fluff.

I kinda want to write an essay just for the fuck of it

 

Don't ever knock yourself down ahead of time again in your life? Understand? Now toke a little and become inspired. Music always helps me write.