Legalizing Marijuana in the U.S.
Running head: LEGALIZATION OF
Legalization of Marijuana: A hot topic
Tonie J. Moutra
GEN 499
Dr. Curt Sobolewski
November 26, 2012
The legalization of marijuana for recreational usage could may be a new trend in America but the Federal government will likely oppose usage through the end of time. The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) stance is that marijuana is an illegal drug and that using this drug whether for medicinal or recreational purposes is illegal. I chose this topic to research because of awareness bright to light prior to the recent elections. Until researching this topic, I was unaware that marijuana usage is legal in some states and that other states were pushing legislation to get similar passage in their states. My mission here is to research this topic by means of academic sources as well as through other public sources to attempt to determine biases in information, usefulness and content, and critical thinking skills. In the recent national election, legalization of marijuana usage for recreational purposes was on the ballots of three states. Those states were Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. The voters of Washington and Colorado were able to out-vote those opposed and the passage of this law was made loud and clear by citizens of those states. The states of Massachusetts and Arkansas were pushing to pass a noted law that would legalize marijuana for medical usage on the same November 6 ballots. The voters of Massachusetts were able to get the law passed but those in Arkansas were not. Today there are 19 of the 50 states in the U.S that have passed laws to legalize marijuana usage in one form or another. Refer to Exhibit 1 for a list of the 19 states. There are four states with pending legislation to legalize marijuana. Those states are Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. This information is according to a website that I found while during research called ProCon.org. ProCon.org is a 501c3 nonprofit
Legalization of Marijuana: A hot topic
Tonie J. Moutra
GEN 499
Dr. Curt Sobolewski
November 26, 2012
The legalization of marijuana for recreational usage could may be a new trend in America but the Federal government will likely oppose usage through the end of time. The Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) stance is that marijuana is an illegal drug and that using this drug whether for medicinal or recreational purposes is illegal. I chose this topic to research because of awareness bright to light prior to the recent elections. Until researching this topic, I was unaware that marijuana usage is legal in some states and that other states were pushing legislation to get similar passage in their states. My mission here is to research this topic by means of academic sources as well as through other public sources to attempt to determine biases in information, usefulness and content, and critical thinking skills. In the recent national election, legalization of marijuana usage for recreational purposes was on the ballots of three states. Those states were Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. The voters of Washington and Colorado were able to out-vote those opposed and the passage of this law was made loud and clear by citizens of those states. The states of Massachusetts and Arkansas were pushing to pass a noted law that would legalize marijuana for medical usage on the same November 6 ballots. The voters of Massachusetts were able to get the law passed but those in Arkansas were not. Today there are 19 of the 50 states in the U.S that have passed laws to legalize marijuana usage in one form or another. Refer to Exhibit 1 for a list of the 19 states. There are four states with pending legislation to legalize marijuana. Those states are Illinois, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. This information is according to a website that I found while during research called ProCon.org. ProCon.org is a 501c3 nonprofit
References: 18 Legal Medical Marijuana States and DC. (2012, November 16). Retrieved November 26, 2012, from ProCon.org: http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000881 Dubner, S. J. (2007, October 30). On the Legalization - or Not - of Marijuana. Retrieved November 26, 2012, from Freakonomics.com: http://www.freakonomics.com/2007/10/30/on-the-legalization-or-not-of-marijuana/ Medical marijuana advocates seek reclassification of drug. (2012, October). Retrieved Nov 25, 2012, from infoweb.newsbank.com: http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/Static?p_product=Issues&f_location=issues&p_theme=current&p_action=doc&p_nbid=R66Q58QMMTM1MzkwNTEzMy41NDgzODoxOjg6cmYtMTc5NzI&f_docnum=142656D4BA74A538&f_topic=10&f_prod=STL2&f_type=&d_refprod=SPECIALREPORTS Smith, A. (2012, November 8). Marijuana legalization passes in Colorado, Washington. Retrieved November 26, 2012, from CNN Money.com: http://money.cnn.com/2012/11/07/news/economy/marijuana-legalization-washington-colorado/index.html Taskforce of Active Citizenship. (n.d.). Ten Guiding Principles of Active Citizenship. Retrieved November 26, 2012, from Docstoc.com: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/21492431/Ten-Guiding-Principles-for-Active-Citizenship The Star Ledger. (2012, Nov 6). Grass-roots drive over marijuana use goes before voters in 6 states. Retrieved Nov 25, 2012, from infoweb.newsbank.com: http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/Static?p_product=Issues&f_location=issues&p_theme=current&p_action=doc&p_nbid=R66Q58QMMTM1MzkwNTEzMy41NDgzODoxOjg6cmYtMTc5NzI&f_docnum=142656D4BA74A538&f_topic=10&f_prod=STL2&f_type=&d_refprod=SPECIALREPORTS