Marijuana: Unregulated, Undocumented, and Uncontrollable Essay

Marijuana has been around for a long time and its use has become wide spread in America. So much so, that an underground culture and economy have formed around it like a protective shroud. For most people, a supply of marijuana is only a phone call away (ICSDP.) Yet it has been illegal to possess, use, grow, or distribute since the thirties. Despite the possibility of becoming addicted to marijuana, many use it recreationally, while others rely on the medicinal effects of marijuana to alleviate a variety of diseases. Thirteen states have enacted medical marijuana laws and programs despite federal prohibition policies against the use of marijuana. Twelve more states are in the process of following this trend and if they are successful in passing these impending measures, fifty-four percent of the United States will have broken federal laws regarding its use. The federal government maintains that marijuana is illegal, while the state governments assert that it is legal to use from a me dical standpoint. From a public standpoint, marijuana has a semi-legal status and the problems stemming from this legal ambiguity are many. The state and federal agencies that make our laws do not agree on the legal status of marijuana, and in the wake of the creation of the medical marijuana programs, many Americans wonder who will assume the responsibility for its supervision. If our government refuses to be accountable for the supervision of marijuana, how can they expect the American citizens to accept accountability for its use? We must work together as a nation to create and implement a strict, mandatory supervision system for the regulation of marijuana in order to prevent the exploitation of the marijuana laws. What is the truth about mariju... ...rnment's Compassionate IND program?† General Reference 9/9/2010. ProCon.org. Web. 6 Mar 2011. http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org. ProCon.org is a nonprofit public charity that has no government affiliations of any kind. Their purpose is to provide resources for critical thinking and to educate without bias. This article covers information regarding the creation of the Federal Medical Marijuana Program and I will use it to refute the opposition. 15 Legal Medical Marijuana States and D.C. Summary Chart. ProCon.org. Web. 6 Mar 2011. http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org. ProCon.org is a nonprofit public charity that has no government affiliations of any kind. Their purpose is to provide resources for critical thinking and to educate without bias. I will use information from this source to summarize the green state policies regarding the regulation of medical marijuana.