Mano, K. D. (1990, May 14). Marijuana. National Review v42.

Monroe, Judy. (1998, March). Marijuana a mind-altering drug. Current Health 2 v24 16-24.

Musto, David F. (1991, July). History of Marijuana use. Scientific American v265. 40-48.

To be or not to be: The History, Future, and Sociological View of Marijuana.

Marijuana is a drug that has been around for quite some time now. It has gone from being legal to grow and smoke to being outlawed and illegal to cultivate. The only way someone is able to use marijuana legally is by prescription from a doctor. Medicinal Marijuana is now legal in the United States and there are a few people who say it should be legal all together and not just in medical situations and then there are those whom say it should stay illegal. There are arguments on both sides, most Americans would like to see it legal for medical purposes and for nothing else, then there are those who would like to see marijuana legalized for personal use and as a recreational drug.

To be or not to be: The History, Future, and Sociological View of Marijuana.

An example of exaggeration is an article in the American Journal of Nursing which warned that a marijuana user "will suddenly turn with murderous violence upon whomever is nearest to him. He will run amuck with knife, axe, gun, or anything else that is close at hand, and will kill or maim without reason" (Musto 1991). A goal of this well-meaning exaggeration was to describe drugs so repulsively that anyone reading or hearing of them would not be tempted to experiment with any of the substances. During the time of the Depression this was the cheapest and most effective mode of anti-drug campaigning, instead of telling people the truth and letting them decide for themselves whether or not they supported or opposed it.

The first response to this was to urge adoption of a uniform state anti-narcotics law, instead, the government began to tax marijuana with the marijuana transfer tax of 1937 (Musto 1991). "The bill became law, and until the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Act of 1970, marijuana was legally controlled through a transfer tax for which no stamps or licenses were available to private citizens" (Musto 1991).

The practice of smoking marijuana came to the U.S. with Mexican immigrants, who had come north during the 1920's to work in agriculture, and it soon extended to white and black jazz musicians (Musto 1991). With the arrival of the Great Depression during the 1930's these immigrants became unwelcome, as they were linked with violence and with the growing and smoking of marijuana.

One good reason for legalizing marijuana is that it is actually safer than alcohol, which is also a drug, but is legal to buy. "Marijuana is not some manufactured substance put together by geek pharmocologists in a crack loft, and it hasn't been distilled and set out to age like alcohol. Instead, marijuana is organic to the Earth and grows just about everywhere in nature, just like corn or wheat (Mano 19990). Marijuana also does not cause cirrhosis of the liver and ulcers, users do not get hangovers, nor do they get bad breath as they may with alcohol. Yet, "alcohol is legal, but you can go to jail for pot" (Mano 1990). Along with the perks of marijuana, ther

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