Second A.B

Richard Feldman “Marijuana should be treated more like alcohol” Article – Indianapolis Business Journal (Vol. 40, Issue 41) Indianapolis Business Journal Corp. December 6, 2019

     In the article “Marijuana should be treated more like alcohol” by Richard Feldman published on Dec. 6 2019; he explains his reasoning how using marijuana use is not as bad as it is depicted out to be and is proven by decriminalization of the substance by state. The article informs readers that marijuana is slowly gaining acceptance by lawmakers and the public. Even over half of physicians believe that medical marijuana should be legalized. Therapeutic benefits are proven to come from marijuana use for conditions such as chronic pain, nausea, inflammatory bowel disease, and even cancer. There can be risk of psychological addiction, mild physical addiction, emotional disturbance, memory difficulties. However, these side effects are largely reversible. When this article was made thirty three states have legalized medical marijuanna and eleven states have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Although some states like Indiana have not legalized medical marijuana, a poll was taken where seventy percent of Indiana voters favored legalizing medical marijuana. This is evidence that legalization is inevitable but might take some time on the lawmakers behalf. Also, at this time even in states where marijuana is not legal under any circumstance, there is no longer prosecution for small quantities of marijuana. Following this there will be no jail time, arrest or prison time for this. It will be merely as low level as a traffic violation. One of the main points of this article is to prove that there is no evidence marijuana is a gateway drug, any more so than alcohol. Imprisonment and convictions which will lead to being blocked from certain sources like education and loans is immoral. This article is well written and gets straight to the point . Introduces the idea that everything all comes down to the users responsibility at the end of the day. Based on Feldman background being a family physician, author, lecturer and former Indiana State Department of Health commissioner for Governor Frank O’Bannon his information is credible and can be trusted. Feldman’s purpose is to inform readers and give some people a new perspective when they think about marijuana. Also, he might have persuaded some adults to use the drug, especially the people who deal with some kind of condition that the drug is used to help with.

Third A.B

Becky Little. “Why the U.S Made Marijuana Illegal; Fear of mexican immigrants led to the criminalization of marijuana” Blog Post- History Aug. 31st 2018 

    In this post “Why the US Made Marijuana Illegal” by Becky Little published on Aug. 31st 2018 we get an origin story of how the criminalization behind the drug started and racism somehow playing a role in the decision. From what the author wrote it is known that the drug was not always prohibited in America. During the 1830’s Anglo-Americans and Europeans knew about the benefits of marijuana. In the late 19th century cannabis extract could be purchased and doctors offices to treat illness like stomach pain, inflammation, headaches and other ailments. The author emphasizes if something has been good for medical purposes in the past does not mean it is still good to use now. Then proceeds to state that marijuana has been proved by research to have real benefits by modern research. Despite marijuana being medically beneficial, attitudes towards the drug changed. This was partly motivated by Mexican immigration to the U.S around the time of the 1910 Mexican Revolution. Author Eric Schlosser of “Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market” wrote,”The prejudices and fears that greeted these peasant immigrants also extended to their traditional means of intoxication: smoking marijuana”. He also wrote for The Atlantic in 1944 stating,”Police officers in Texas claimed that marijuana incited violent crimes, aroused a ‘lust for blood,’ and gave its users ‘superhuman strength.’ Rumors spread that Mexicans were distributing this ‘killer weed’ to unsuspecting American schoolchildren” .Thus where criminalization of the drug began even though research has shown alcohol to be more dangerous than marijuana. Though marijuana was not proven to arouse violence or give superhuman strength twentynine states outlawed marijuana between 1916 and 1931. The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 banned the drug nationwide despite disputes from the American Medical Association related to cannabis usage. This act was passed a year after the film Reefer Madness warned parents that drug dealers will lure their children to take the drug. This was to instill fear in parents and further put a negative light on marijuana. From this point on the federal government kept increasing punishments on marijuana charges until the late 1960’s, when the law began affecting white upper to middle class college students. The author of this article believes marijuana prohibition came from racism and xenophobia whose principal effect has been to ruin generations of lives.This post was informative and helped me understand the reason marijuana was deemed illegal by the U.S in the first place. Before reading this I would have never thought Mexican immigrants was the reason for making marijuana illegal. Becky Little is a journalist in Washington D.C, Who has written for HISTORY, Smithsonian, National Geographic, The Washington Post and more.The author brings the reader back to the past to help them understand why marijuana became illegal nationwide. The author’s purpose was to show how racism in America is largely what made marijuana illegal. The author is credible because she has written for many companies and uses other sources to support her claims which are the strong points in this post.