A Nation’s War on Marijuana
English 109
July 4, 2008
English 109
July 4, 2008
A Nation’s War on Marijuana
For many years, the use of marijuana has been a highly debated subject amongst Americans. Maybe it is because people have their own views on the subject. Many people feel that marijuana is a drug that proves to be very harmful to our youth, and many other people believe that marijuana can have many therapeutic values, especially to people who have been diagnosed with diseases such as glaucoma, epilepsy, asthma, and even multiple sclerosis. There are many proven facts to back up both sides of this war, but there have also been many lies spread about marijuana. That is why I strongly believe that research is the key for separating fact from fiction.
So how did marijuana even get brought into this country? Well, Dr. David Musto believes that marijuana first started to makes its way into the U.S. back in the 1920’s, along with Mexican immigrants. At least that is what he exclaimed in an interview with a PBS reporter back in the winter of 1997-1998. Dr. Musto works at Yale University and has spent many years studying the history of U.S. drug policies and attitudes towards marijuana. He is also the author of “The American Diseases: Origins of Narcotics Control.” Dr. Musto also feels that some of the first anti-marijuana laws occurred in
states like Arizona, Colorado, Idaho and California, because there were large amounts of Mexican immigrants in these states. In the 1930’s Mexicans symbolized marijuana, because they were the first to distribute this drug in the United States. Since the early 1900’s, marijuana has become a very popular substance used by people of all ages to stimulate their mind. But the use of marijuana doesn’t have to be a bad thing; it all depends on how the substance is being used.
According to many doctors, such as Beverly Potter who bases her research on the medical qualities of cannabis (marijuana), smoking marijuana...