The title of this essay is the Legalization of Marijuana. Footnotes are included. If using this essay I suggest you find newer sources and add on. This paper is pro legalization.

Legalization of Marijuana

A hot topic in this day and age that has many United States lawmakers, reformists, and citizens alike battling is the issue of legalizing marijuana. There are many benefits in the legalization of marijuana. There are several organizations throughout the United States that support the legalization of marijuana, including NORML, the Reform party, and many citizens as well. In the United States, marijuana is considered to be a Scheduled I controlled substance. This means the marijuana is considered to be a drug that can be easily abused (www.NORML.com). The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, also known as NORML, has made attempts to get the Drug Enforcement Agency to reschedule marijuana, but have been rejected at all attempts.

One of the main reasons marijuana should be legalized is for its many medicinal uses. Marijuana has had a long history of use as a medicine. Many lobbyist groups such as the Cannabis Action Network and Indiana Civil Liberties Union believe that marijuana is a beneficial herb, and not a harmful drug. As of right now, eight states have passed medical marijuana initiatives. Those states are "Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Oregon, Nevada and Washington. Arizona and California voters approved medical marijuana laws in 1996. Voters in Alaska, Oregon and Washington approved laws in 1998. Voters in Maine approved their medical marijuana initiative in 1999. Voters in Colorado and Nevada approved medical marijuana laws in 2000. District of Columbia voters approved an initiative in 1998 with 69 percent of the vote, but Congress later overrode the law (NORML)".

The Medicinal Plant Garden, at the University of Mississippi, is part of the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, has been growing Marijuana for the past four years. The main chemical in marijuana is THC. This chemical shows up in...