Marijuana Federalism Essay

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Marijuana has been an increasing issue since its production was discovered in the 1600s from the hemp plant. Marijuana is made out of the dried flowers and leaves from the hemp plant. Since the 1600s, many states have been torn between the idea of marijuana being just a plant and harmless, and marijuana being a drug that causes substance abuse and is linked to many crimes. Some of the first federal laws against drugs were 1952 Boggs Act and 1956 Narcotics Acts which enforced that if a person was caught with marijuana in their possession they could be sentenced for a minimum of 2 – 10 years and a fine of $20,000. In 1996 California became the first state to legalize marijuana for medicinal use for patients who suffer from illnesses such as AIDS, …show more content…
This shows federalism because the states keep a sense of independence even under the government. The Obama Administration as well as many other administrations that came before him do not believe in legalizing marijuana because they look at it as a drug that continues to increase the rate of people suffering from substance abuse. Many people look at marijuana as not being a serious drug because it comes from a plant and plants have nutrients in it so it must be good for you, no one can overdose on it, it can be used as a sleep aid, medicinal reasons, and if you look at society today it is celebrated and everyone is doing it. President Obama even admitted that he smoked marijuana in high school and college, so if the President can do it surely it is not that serious right? Singer Rihanna is very well known for advocating the use of marijuana through her countless pictures on Instagram, singing about getting high in her music, and even showing videos on snap chat of her rolling up. I believe that society today is becoming more and more accepting of the use of marijuana, so prohibition is decreasing by the year. It is obvious that even if the federal government votes against it, if half or more than half votes to legalize it they have no choice but to pass a law to

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