Essay - Domestic Marijuana Production and Regulation Background and History: Marijuana Leaf...

DOMESTIC MARIJUANA PRODUCTION AND REGULATION

***** and History:

Marijuana leaf or "cannabis" is a cultivatable herb capable of producing a euphoric psychologic*****l change in users, roughly comparable in its degree (if not ***** its specific effects) to the effects of drinking alcohol (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2005). It alters various aspects ***** mood and focus and has been used for thousands of years in cultural and religious rituals throughout ***** world (Brecher, 1972). The recreational use of marijuana is currently illegal in the United States, although California ***** authorized its use for certain medical purposes; several o*****r states have decriminalized its ***** use without going so far as legalizing it.

Critics ***** contemporary U.S. law pertaining to marijuana ***** suggest that there ***** no logical basis for treating marijuana sale and use any differently from ***** associated with other substances consumed recreationally for their *****-altering effects, such as ***** ***** **********. According to that view, marijuana should be produced, regulated, and taxed in the exact same manner as alcohol ***** tobacco. Proponents of crim*****al sanctions for marijuana use and possession maintain that it is a d*****ngerous "gateway" drug that dramatically increases the likelihood of progression to more harmful drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, methamphetamine, ***** heroin, mainly because most users of hard drugs smoked ***** first (Dershow*****z, 2002).

Legal Issues:

Marijuana has been designated a controlled substance since 1970 and its possession, sale, ***** use are subject to criminal penalties in various degrees in every U.S. state. In the 1930s, the federal government ********** a public aw*****ness campaign designed ***** *****ize the supposed dangers of marijuana but its depiction was so exaggerated ***** the film ***** for that purpose, Reefer Madness, eventually became a cult cl*****ssic watched by marijuana users for ***** comedic ra*****r than its informational value (Macionis, 2003).

Criminal ***** differ ***** state to state and range from sub-misdemeanor violations in some states for use or ***** of small amounts to felony charges for ***** amount, with m*****atory jail sentences, even for first-time offenders (DPA, 2008; SPS, *****; Zalman, 2008). Under federal law, marijuana possession and use is strictly prohibited, which conflicts with many state laws, particularly those in Cali*****nia which ***** recognized a medicin*****l value of the drug ***** currently licenses ***** distributors to sell it to patients with prescriptions provided by licensed physicians.

***** ***** times, federal law enforcement agencies have shut down state- (authorized ***** and prosecuted individuals involved in marijuana distribution, despite *****ir full compliance ***** applicable state and local ***** and regula*****ry authorities Dershowitz, ********** DPA, *****). Even states that have authorized or decriminalized simple possession strictly prohibit cultivation of the ***** plant by private individuals as well ***** ***** sale (or transfer) of any quantity of marijuana, whether or ***** for profit (Schmalleger, 2008).

Government Paternalism ***** Prohibition:

***** principle, all anti-drug legislation and efforts of governmental authorities to prohibit the recreational consumption ***** drugs is an exerc*****e of governmental paternalism intended to protect citizens ***** the consequences of their own decisions