Introduction: What is Cannabis and How Did it Get Outlawed?
Cannabis is used for medical and recreational purposes. It has been outlawed since the early 1900s when it was seen as a drug that was used by immigrants and other minority groups.
Cannabis is a plant that contains high levels of THC. It is a schedule I drug in the United States, meaning that it has no accepted medical use and has a high potential for addiction. The first documented use of cannabis was in China around 1000 BCE where it was used to treat rheumatism, gout, malaria, constipation, and absent-mindedness.
The first time cannabis became illegal in the United States was when Congress passed The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 which imposed prohibitive taxes on anyone who dealt commercially in cannabis. Cannabis became illegal with the passage of The Controlled Substances Act.
How Has Cannabis Changed over the Past 75 Years?
Cannabis has been used for centuries in various cultures. The plant was first grown in China, but the use of cannabis spread to India and Africa. In the United States, cannabis was grown by George Washington on his farm at Mount Vernon.
In 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act made it illegal to grow or sell marijuana in the United States without a license from the Treasury Department. Cannabis became illegal to import into the United States in 1961 when it was classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act.
The use of medical marijuana began with California's Compassionate Use Act of 1996, which allows people with certain qualifying conditions to grow and use marijuana for medical purposes if recommended by a doctor.
What are the Economic and Environmental Benefits of Legalisation?
Legalisation of cannabis has a number of economic and environmental benefits.
There are many economic benefits to legalising cannabis. It would create new jobs and generate revenue for the government. The legalisation would also decrease the amount of illegal activities, such as drug trafficking, and make it easier for law enforcement to catch those who break the law. Legalising cannabis would also reduce the amount of resources spent on enforcing prohibition laws, which could be used elsewhere in the economy.
Environmental benefits to legalisation include reducing carbon emissions from automobiles by replacing them with bicycles or public transportation; decreasing deforestation by using hemp for paper production instead of trees; and decreasing pollution from coal-powered plants because hemp can be used as a fuel source.
What Happens Next For Cannabis Illegalization in Countries Throughout The World?
It is clear that the legalization of cannabis has been a trend over the past few years. While there are some countries that have legalized weed, there are many more that are still in the process of legalizing it.
In Canada, weed is legal for recreational use and can be purchased from licensed dispensaries. However, in some states in America, weed is only legal for medicinal use and not recreational use. In Australia, weed is illegal but it can be used for medical purposes with a prescription from a doctor.
It will be interesting to see how this trend continues to change over time as more countries legalize cannabis for medicinal or recreational purposes.
Comments