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Issues surrounding the legalization of cannibis Issues Surrounding the Legalization of Cannabis By Jennifer Siegfried Numerous countries have laws concerning the
Submitted by jls21vegas on May 10, 2006
Category: Social Issues
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Issues Surrounding the Legalization of Cannabis
By
Jennifer Siegfried
Numerous countries have laws concerning the possession, cultivation, supply and use of cannabis. Non-psychoactive cannabis products, such as fiber and seed, are legal in several countries, many of which license cultivation for these purposes. Marijuana is considered a controlled substance in most areas, though it's use is often condoned for medicinal purposes. Currently, over seven million cannabis arrests have occurred in the United States since 1993, including 755,186 arrests during 2003; marijuana users are arrested at the rate of 1 every 42 seconds, although 88% of arrests are for possession, not distribution or manufacturing. (2)
Cannabis was criminalized in most parts of the world during the early stages of the 20th century. Although the reasons for and extent of criminalization vary, the most substantial influence has been the drug policies of the United States federal administration. Through agencies such as the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics, founded in 1930, and its successor, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, formed in 1973, the U.S. government has lead a successful lobby both nationally and internationally for the criminalization of cannabis.
The 1937 Marijuana Tax Act was a significant legislation, as it represented a federal culmination of several state laws; some believe that these laws were constructed in response to lobbying by manufacturers of synthetic fibers that competed with hemp, and that such production was merely a convenient target. Other critics of the prohibition have suggested that criminalization was in part due to racial bias, as marijuana was widely known as a popular recreation drug in African-American and Latino communities.
Efforts to decriminalize marijuana occurred after 1969, a landmark period that was categorized by a prevalent use of cannabis as a recreational drug. During this time,...
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