Marijuana Case

To this day state laws and federal laws are still butting heads on the legalization of marijuana. Recently several states such as Colorado and Washington have decriminalized the use of marijuana for recreational use. Many disagree with these decisions. I personally think marijuana should be decriminalized.

On November 1996 the Act legalizing medical marijuana in the state of California began. It has been a battle with the state laws and the federal laws since then. There are currently eighteen states in the United States that have legalized medical cannabis use. Although it is legal in the state, it is federally against the law. Legalizing cannabis would be beneficial to many people in medical need.

Medical marijuana laws vary by state. The federal law has criminalized the use of marijuana completely. In the state of Colorado you must be 21 years of age or older and not have more than an ounce in your possession. In the state of Alaska you are able to have up to 2 ounces for in-home personal use only under Ravin vs. State in 1975. In 2002 the state of Nevada allows up to 3 ounces of cannabis per person at age 21 or older. In 2006, South Dakota legalized medical marijuana then in 2008 Massachusetts followed, and again the same year Michigan became the thirteenth state to legalize medical cannabis (Wikepedia 2010)

As a nation, marijuana is frowned upon. Many people have a misunderstanding or were brought up to look at marijuana as a terrible drug that leads to a negative lifestyle. Common national worries about legalizing marijuana are the rise in crime. According to United States Bureau Justice Statistics marijuana is the highest rate of drug related arrests. In 2008 over 754,000 people were charged with possession in the United States. Legalizing is a civil rights issue and Proposition 19 has been in effect since November 2009 to make it a conventional use in California. Discrimination has been an issue with putting a label on cannabis users. According to the United States Health and Human Services there are more white people rather than black-Americans that use marijuana. According to the world wide known news CNN, it was mentioned that the California state conference is trying to simply eliminate racial prejudice wherever it may be. "If members of our own community are able to see this as not just a drug issue, but a civil rights issue. I think individuals across the nation will reconsider their views on the marijuana legislation." Shelby says. On ABC national news a gentleman by the name of Lee from the Oaksterdan University was interviewed about his booming marijuana business and asked his opinion about the future generation. "To legalize marijuana with our kids, we are going to see more dropouts, we are going to see more crime, we are going to see more thefts, and we are going to see our kids just hanging out on the corner," From my personal opinion I am going to have to