Marijuana, Legal or Not
Nina Reno
Ivy Tech Community College
Marijuana, Legal or Not
There is a debate that has been a subject for concern since the early 1900’s in the United States. Marijuana, should it be legalized, is it a “drug,” and what should be done about it? Since 1937 when the law was passed to make it illegal, there has been controversy and efforts to revoke that law. We’ve been told many negative things about it like it is bad for our health and bad for us mentally, kills brain cells also causing them to lack in producing more, it makes us function poorly or inadequately, it is a gateway drug leading to much stronger or dangerous drugs like cocaine or heroin, it can be very addictive leading to a dependency problem, and of course it is federally illegal. There are those out there that assert these statements are true, and there are others that would call marijuana a medical miracle, god provide this naturally to us, a good source for which we can make rope, clothing use in food, and smoke. To understand both sides we must first understand what it is, where it originated or came from, and how it works.
The THC Ministry has linked marijuana to many religions and uses of the plant throughout our history as humans. From the Shintoism religion (Japan) binding together of married couples, the Hinduism religion (India) The God Shiva is said "to have brought Marijuana from the Himalayas for human enjoyment and enlightenment." The Buddhists (Tibet, India, and China) from the 5th Century B.C.E. on ritually used Marijuana; initiation rites and mystical experiences were (are) common in many Chinese Buddhist Sects. There is also the Coptic Christians (Egypt/Ethiopia) some sects believe the sacred "green herb of the field", (4.20 Milestones, n.d.) In the very bible that Christian use for their beliefs it states "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed which is upon the face of all the earth.…To you it will be...