'Marijuana Tax Act\r'

'Marijuana was declared an iniquitous dose in the USA with the passing(a) of the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937 under dubious circumstances. 1 Since that age numerous studies have ushern that the drug is less(prenominal) ruinous than tobacco and alcohol. Despite the useable evidence and the enormous salute of enforcing the marihuana ban, it is hard to understand why this relatively harmless drug continues to remain punishable in the United States. This essay argues why cannabis should be decriminalized without further delay. Opponents of legalizing marihuana contend that it is a dangerous drug; this is far from the truth.\r\nFor example, there has not been a single recorded case of shoemakers last due to marijuana overdose. On the opposite hand, a legal intoxicant standardised alcohol results in the death of some 5,000 persons every year due to overdose. The originator for this is that the ratio of cannabinoids2 necessary for intoxication is 40,000:1 while that for alcoho l is generally surrounded by 4:1 and 10:1. (â€Å"Answers To… ,” 2005) As such(prenominal)(prenominal) marijuana is one of the least(prenominal) toxic substances and would have to be consumed in physically impossible quantities to prove fatal.\r\nAs for the health effects of marijuana, a introduction Health Organization (WHO) Study, which was scheduled to be published in December 1997 merely was suppressed by its top worry due to political pressure, had reported that halter fared better than alcohol and nicotine in 5 out of seven comparisons of long-term equipment casualty to health. (Concar, 1998) In terms of addictiveness too, most studies show that marijuana was less addictive than alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. (Quoted in â€Å"Study Compares… ,” 1994) A common novel about marijuana is that it acts as a ‘gate flair drug, i. . , marijuana use leads to use of harder drugs such as heroin or cocaine. This supposition is disproved by the fac t that after the legalizing of marijuana in Holland in the 1970s, heroin and cocaine use declined markedly, despite a smooth increase in marijuana use. If the ‘gateway theory were true, the use of hard drugs should have done for(p) up rather than down. (â€Å"Answers to… ” 2005) Other charges against marijuana, ground mainly on prejudiced and treacherous studies, are that it contri just nowes to an escalation in crime and is trustworthy for increased driving accidents.\r\nThe linkage betwixt marijuana and crime is absolutely incorrect because, if anything, marijuana actually lessens aggressiveness in the user. Only â€Å"driving under the cast of marijuana” could be hazardous but it is far less problematic as drunken driving. (Ibid. ) Enforcing the ban against marijuana in the US costs the tax payers as much as $ 12 gazillion annually; it also diverts the energies of the justice enforcing agencies that would be better served in fighting the whorled crime rates in the domains cities.\r\nThis is reflected in the fact that there have been around 6. 5 million marijuana arrests in the United States since 1993,3 far exceeding the gibe number of arrests for all uncivilised crimes combined, including murder, rape, robbery, and aggravate assault. (â€Å"Marijuana Prohibition Facts,” 2004) Apart from the ‘direct estimated cost of $ 12 billion that would be rescue by legalizing marijuana, the government would also be able to collect a broad amount of money by way of taxes.\r\nMoreover, de-criminalizing of the drug would eliminate much of the subsurface criminal network in the country that gives rise to numerous social problems such as spreading corruption and imbed among the law enforcing agencies. It is unfortunate that policy makers and law enforcers have failed to learn the lessons of Prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s when a same ban against alcohol had escalated crime to astronomical levels and deprived the government of much essential tax revenue.\r\nIt would, therefore, not be amiss(p) to conclude that the rationale behind the act criminalization of marijuana is based on false premises and difficult to defend. closely scientific studies have conclusively shown that marijuana is a far less harmful drug than alcohol and tobacco. The cost of enforcing the animated harsh laws against marijuana possession is unnecessary and diverts the attention of the American justice system, which would be better served in fighting violent crime and terrorism. As such, there is no reason why marijuana should not be legalized forthwith.\r\n'