Legalization of Cannabis
The legalization of the drug called cannabis has been an ongoing effort that has spanned over the past 80 years. Cannabis has many names such as “marijuana,” “weed,” “pot,” and “bud.” The prohibition of cannabis in the United States began in the mid 1930’s when the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, headed by Harry J. Anslinger, claimed that despite all of cannabis’ useful applications it was a dangerous narcotic that caused people to commit violent crimes (Union). Prohibition for cannabis is still in effect today in every state, with the exception of Colorado and Washington. Many argue that cannabis should be legalized across the nation for medical and recreational use along with its many other practical applications to help maintain environmental resources, but others argue that it has no medical purpose and has harmful effects on the body.
When the prohibition of cannabis was started by Harry Anslinger in the 1930’s, media propaganda and inaccurate studies were conducted in an effort to make society believe that cannabis is harmful. In 1936, director Louis Gasnier made the film Reefer Madness which depicted minorities such as Mexicans and African-Americans who invoked violence and disrespected the white man because they smoked cannabis and played devils music. The minorities in the film would commit crimes such as manslaughter, suicide, attempted rape, and eventually descent into madness. Reefer Madness was later joked about in the 1960’s when the hippie revolution began. Society started to figure out that the side-effects portrayed in the movie were the exact opposite of what cannabis actually does to an individual. Guest star, Joe Rogan in the documentary The Union said, “This is bullshit! We have been lied to over and over again. When I smoke some pot, all I do is laugh, sit around, and eat. I don’t feel the need to hurt people and be violent.”(Union) Rogan’s response is the almost the same as the majority of habitual “pot”...