Marijuana was brought to America in 1910 by the thousands of Mexican immigrants who came to America because of the revolution in that part of the world. For centuries they were using marijuana for recreational use. It was then called “marijuana” because racists wanted to show a link between the drug and Mexicans and was in fact intended to arouse hatred against the Mexican immigrants. Therefore Marijuana became the dividing line between the Caucasians and the Mexicans which became associated with “African Americans” prostitutes, jazz musicians and whites were involved in criminal activities. Even during the “Great Depression” of 1929, people thought that the use of marijuana would provoke violence and criminal tendencies.
People also had the concept that the users of marijuana would eventually become insane start to commit sex crimes. By 1931, government policymakers were sure that marijuana was the cause of most violent crimes which were usually committed by those who were ‘racially inferior’ or people who belonged to the lowest social class. This led to the immediate banning of the drug, and in 1932, marijuana control was passed from the federal government to respective state governments. This abolishing of marijuana was made in association with the mass media, and films were used to portray drug culture from a certain perspective.
Marijuana
With the passing of time and progression in research, the policies of the use of marijuana have been considerably relaxed. This is a paradox in itself because medical and recreational marijuana is legal in several states, but still a criminal offense under the federal law due to the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 because the law states that the substance has a very high capability of misuse and being unsafe without medical regulation. On the positive side there are several medical benefits in using marijuana. Marijuana is a very effective sedative and helps to ease pain caused by many serious diseases.
Doctors also prescribe and recommend the use of medical marijuana for several other ailments which include: Relaxant for seizures, serious bowel disease, Loss of appetite caused by illnesses such as HIV or nerve pain, nausea caused by cancer chemotherapy and spasms which have been caused by multiple sclerosis among other things. Discounting all possibilities including double standards, the subject of marijuana in America is quite contentious. The ban on the drug trade has made the growing and selling of marijuana a multi trillion dollar business.