Ramifications of Legalizing Recreational Marijuana in the Us

Marijuana. The very word sparks a reaction in anyone who hears it. It is the most controversial and widely used illicit drug in America. Marijuana is a term used to describe the dried flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant. Smoking marijuana releases delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, also known as THC, which is the primary mind-altering ingredient in marijuana that produces the feeling of being “high.”   It has been used both recreationally and medicinally for centuries. There are numerous accounts of its medicinal qualities in multiple historical artifacts. Its use dates back to 2737 B.C. when the Chinese emperor, Shen Nung, used it for medicinal purposes including malaria, gout, poor memory, rheumatism, and analgesia (Aggarwal). Even though it had been around for thousands of years, smoking marijuana recreationally only began to spread in the United States in the 1920s. Racism and misinformation were the main reasons that it was originally criminalized in the early 1930s. The history of marijuana’s criminalization is colorful and detailed, but largely beyond the scope of this paper. Harry J. Anslinger was the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (which is now the DEA). He was racist and a bigot, which was not unusual in those days, but since he was in a position of power, congress assumed he knew what he was talking about when he stated, “Most marijuana smokers are Negroes, Hispanics, jazz musicians, and entertainers. Their satanic music is driven by marijuana, and marijuana smoking by white women makes them want to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and others. It is a drug that causes insanity, criminality, and death — the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind (Gerber 9).” This alone was not enough to criminalize marijuana, but it definitely helped the cause. Many people still believe today that marijuana is “evil” and would definitely vote against its legalization due to preconceived notions such as Anslinger’s. But...