1. What entity besides; our survival necessities (Water, Food, Fire, Shelter), has been around
since the onset of humanity, has stayed with man infinitely through out time without fail, and
has been used by and innovated by every culture to grace this beautiful earth?
CANNABIS.
Ever since I can recall, I’ve always been one to expand my mind, with or without any
use of drugs or alcohol. But something that was introduced into my life at an early age has
always been with me till today. First it Was told to me and my friends to be negative, but as
soon as we found out more we learned that this thing could benefit you in so many ways you
can’t count them. You've heard it talked about in music, you've been told not to do it, and
Jimmy Hendrix even made a song about this! Do you know what I am talking about? Im
talking about a green plant about two feet tall that causes a handful of controversy throughout
the world; marijuana.
I decided I want to write my research paper on marijuana because of one main reason,
and its not just because I love to smoke marijuana. America has so many issues to deal with
such as, poverty, homelessness, and sanitation of the earth. With all these issues on hand, why
does America insist on spending nearly 300 million dollars on anti-marijuana commercials?
Cant they use this money to help lower-class teens go to college, or give that money to shelters
across America? By researching marijuana, I want to find out if that 300 million dollars used
to tell people not to smoke, was really worth it. I want to know the history of marijuana, and
find out why it is an illegal drug. Also, what are the effects that marijuana has on your body,
and brain? I will also be discussing the positive effects that marijuana has on your body and
brain. I will tell you the highs of marijuana, and of course, the lows of marijuana.
Lastly, I am going to dissect and study my information about marijuana, and give my
opinion on whether marijuana should be legalized or not. Marijuana is something Ive been
told to stay away from all my life, without even knowing specifically why to avoid it. With this
research, I want to find all the answers that ever pondered my mind.
Marijuana, which is more commonly known as weed, pot
or hash, first appeared in 2700 B.C in a Chinese manuscript,
and was first discovered by explorers in 1545. Marijuana was
considered to be a very useful crop and that the Jamestown

2. settlers in 1607 began its cultivation. Later, Virginia, farmers were actually fined for not
growing marijuana. From the 1700s to the mid 20th century, marijuana was considered a
household drug used from treating headaches, menstrual cramps, and toothaches.
Between the years 1919-1938 a stronger plant was born by American drug companies
it was called Cannabis Americana. In those times, Mexicans were the main users of marijuana,
and used it to relieve stress after a long day of work. One evening in El Paso, a Mexican who
was supposedly high on killer weed, attacked a bunch of white men, which lead the
government of El Paso to create the El Paso ordinance of 1914, which banned the possession
of marijuana in El Paso.
Soon after, the government assigned the treasury department in charge of all drug
related laws, and the treasury department created the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. The first
commissioner, who influenced the negative image of marijuana in the eyes of Americans for
many years to come, was Harry J. Anslinger. Anslinger tried hard to get other states to make
marijuana illegal, but only nine states agreed to his proposal. Marijuana would enter the
country through New Orleans, which also happened to be where most musicians lived.
Musicians used marijuana publicly since it made music sound better. With marijuana being
displayed in movies and sang about in songs, it was becoming increasingly popular in
America. Harry Anslinger then had the great idea to portray marijuana as a deadly drug that
would make you insane. His idea worked well through TV and radio media, and caused the
1937 State Narcotic Act.
The propaganda campaign was successful beyond
Anslingers wildest dreams, and all 50 states signed on to his
narcotic act. Since the public now wanted more action against
marijuana, the government had to do something. Then, without
any scientific inquiry, public debate or political objection,
Roosevelt passed the Marijuana tax act on June 14th, 1937.
This prohibited the possession of marijuana without a taxed
stamp, and the government didn't give out any stamps, making
marijuana illegal. Just like that, a new breed of criminals was
born.
A judge during that time period even said he considered
marijuana the worst narcotics out there, and it turns men into
beasts. It seemed all of America was against marijuana until
Fiorella La Guardia was voted mayor of New York. La Guardia
was not convinced that marijuana was the cause of murders,
insanity and suicides, and conducted a research on marijuana by
31 impartial scientists in New York. After six years of physical and mental research, the La
Guardia commission found that marijuana did not lead to violent or anti social behavior, it
didn't cause uncontrollable sexual urges, it did not alter a persons basic personality structure.
The research proved that every negative thing that Harry Anslinger said about
marijuana to make it illegal was false. After Anslinger found out about this, he used his
influence with the press to have the claims discredited, and destroyed every copy possible, and
by restricting the supply of marijuana, he put a stop to any further research. From 1937 to
1950, America spend 220 million dollars in anti-marijuana commercials, now showing it as a
This image of a US Note is an actual piece of a
federal reserve note; it's from the year 1914. It shows
how farmer's used hemp to create a massive profit
and even pay their TAXES in hemp. Hmmm think
about if we could grow and pay our taxes today with
it? All of the crazy American Taxation's throughout
the states would be obsolete. Enjoy...

3. gateway drug, which leads to doing cocaine and heroin. In the 1950s, Anslinger convinced
president Eisenhower to pass the Boggs Act of 1951, and the narcotic control act of 1956.
The narcotic control act actually put marijuana in the same category as heroin, making
the penalty a lot more severe. Then 1961 came along with the single convention on narcotic
drugs act of 1961, which had the world agreeing to Anslingers view on marijuana.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, more and more white middle-class people were arrested
because of marijuana related convictions. Marijuana was becoming more and more popular
because Americans wanted to feel the effect marijuana had on you; after all, all of America
was talking about it.
By the mid 1970s, not only teenagers, but also many elder folks smoked weed at social
occasions, and as a stress relieve method. Millions of people protested, but the government
didn't budge, marijuana was still illegal. From 1970 to 1977, America spend 72 million dollars
on anti-marijuana advertisements. The war on marijuana from 1980-1998 cost America 214
million dollars. After spending all this money, and wasting all that time, it doesn't seem like
marijuana has been abolished from America. How much more money should America spend
to get rid of marijuana? Million of people have smoked marijuana in the United States; there
must be some reason to why so many people smoke. The effects of marijuana vary with its
strength and dosage. Typically, small doses result in a feeling of well-being. The high lasts two
to three hours, but accompanying effects on motor control last much longer. Intoxication
doses can cause tachycardia, paranoia, and delusions. Although it produces some of the same
effects as hallucinogens like LSD and mescaline such as heightened sensitivity to colors,
shapes, music, and other stimuli and distortion of the sense of time, marijuana differs
chemically and pharmacologically. This feeling of well-being does not occur by just smoking a
plant; there are many chemicals added to the plant as well. The primary active component of
marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), although other cannabinol chemicals are
also thought to be intoxicating. In 1988 scientists discovered receptors that bind THC on the
membranes of nerve cells. They reasoned that the body must make its own THC-like
substance. The substance, named anandamide, was isolated from pig brains in 1992 by an
American pharmacologist, William A. Devane (Hochman, 73).
Marijuana lowers testosterone levels and sperm counts in men and raises testosterone
levels in women. In pregnant women, it affects the fetus and results in developmental
difficulties in the child. There is proof that marijuana affects normal maturation of pre-
adolescent and adolescent users and that it affects short-term memory and comprehension.
Heavy smokers sustain lung damage from the smoke and contaminants. If you smoke
marijuana on a regular basis, you will slowly become dependent. Pot also affects how one
drives. Most people think that it is okay to smoke marijuana and drive, but they are wrong.
After one smokes weed, they loose focus on whatever they are doing, and everything becomes
a joke to them. Other negative side effects of smoking marijuana include, problems with
memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, loss
of coordination, increased heart rate, anxiety, and paranoia and panic attacks. Marijuana has
been illegal for nearly 70 years now, what could be good about it?
Well, marijuana actually has a good number of positive effects, mainly in the medical
field. Marijuana has been known to suppress nausea, relieve eye pressure, decrease muscle
spasms, stimulate appetite, stop convulsions and eliminate menstrual pain. Because of its
therapeutic nature, marijuana has been used in the treatment of several conditions including:
cancer and AIDS to suppress nausea and stimulate appetite, glaucoma, to alleviate eye

4. pressure, epilepsy to stop convulsions, and multiple sclerosis to decrease muscle spasms.
Others believe the negative effects of marijuana usage outweigh the positive.
There are currently nine U.S. states that have legalized marijuana for medical
purposes: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and
Washington. Others think that marijuana is a good substance because it relaxes them. Even
though there is no evidence that marijuana easies the muscles or relaxes the mind, users of
marijuana say it does. The government actually agrees that the chemical found in marijuana,
which is THC, helps out patients with cancer and aids dramatically, but insists on giving a
pill, which contains THC to those patients. Proponents say it is not as effective as the herb
and is more expensive. With the increase in the number of middle-class users in the 1960s and
1970s, there came a greater acceptance of the view that marijuana should not be considered in
the same class as narcotics and that U.S. marijuana laws should be lessened. The Abuse
Prevention act of 1970 eased federal penalties somewhat, and 11 states decriminalized
possession. However, in the late 1980s most states rewrote their drug laws and imposed
stricter penalties. Opponents of asking marijuana laws have asserted that it is an intoxicant
less controllable than alcohol, that our drug-using society does not need another widely used
intoxicant, and that the United States should not act to weaken UN policies, which are
opposed to the use of marijuana for other than possible medical purposes (World Almanac &
Book of Facts; 2002, 72).
I agree that marijuana is a dangerous drug for teenagers, and they should not be able
to use it. But, I think for medical purposes, and the relaxation purpose for people over the age
of 21, marijuana should be legalized. The government has spent billions and billions of dollars
trying to stop people from using marijuana, now they should legalize it, and tax it to make all
those billions back. About 100 million people use marijuana in America every year; why not
tax these people? If we tax the users, the government will make money to get out of debt,
instead of the illegal drug dealers, who pay no tax on the money they make from selling
marijuana. Many Americans still oppose the idea of making marijuana legal because they
think it would be a gateway to making more drugs legal. This is not likely to happen since
marijuana is not a dangerous and doesn't have serve side affects, like other drugs. For 70
years now, America has moved nowhere on their war against marijuana. America keeps
spending money, but the number of marijuana users just keeps increasing.
Marijuana has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years, and it doesn't seem
like its going anywhere. So, why not use marijuana as a economical and financial gain. Not
only will it improve the economy it will create a new and large job sector that this country or
world has never seen before. We will once again become the powerful export nation that we
once were in the days of the Revolution with Cotton and Hemp. It’s starting all around us.
Even a Republican Congressman by the name of Ron Paul is with us. Let’s Start a revolution,
the legalization revolution.
Let’s create peace and harmony and spread the word about how great Cannabis can be
in a culture and a society. We can not do this as one we must come together and help each
other get the message out. We can’t Change the world unless We Change ourselves. The
United Sates can make money from taxing marijuana, and help patients with serious illnesses.
Like Willie Nelson once said, “I think people need to be educated to the fact that marijuana is not a
drug. Marijuana is an herb and a flower. God put it here. If He put it here and He wants it to grow, what
gives the government the right to say that God is wrong?”

5.
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Mr. James Robert Knox
JamesRobertKnox@gmail.com
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Wishing you the reader and our beautiful world nothing but infinite, Health, Wealth,
Peace and Love, Positivity & Prosperity in all of your lives and endeavors.
CITATIONS
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or Menace. Sue Len Quon. Videocassette. Sphinx Production. 2002 Donna Leinwand. Many more treated for meth, pot. USA Today. 26.
April 2006. Wood, Daniel B. California to vote on legalizing `pot’ for medicinal use. Christian Science Monitor. 19. September 1998
Abstinence may reverse marijuana’s effects. Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly. 29. October 2001 Cannabinoid may make new brain cells
grow, reduce depression in rats. Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly. 12. December 2005. Hochman J.S. marijuana. Columbia Encyclopedia.
International edition. 2001. DiConsiglio, John. The high road. Scholastic Choices. April/May 2006 Teenage Marijuana Abuse. Brian Elken.
VHS. EVN Production. 2001