Cannabis in the UK: De-Penalisation, Decriminalisation, or Legalisation?
In October of 2015, the Parliament of the United Kingdom was forced to debate whether the current prohibition on cannabis should end in some way. "Forced" is the correct word here, because Parliament seems otherwise unwilling to address the issue, but in this case it was obliged by its own policy, whereby any petition signed by at least one hundred thousand people must necessarily trigger a parliamentary debate. In the case of the issue of ending the prohibition on cannabis, the petition requesting that Parliament address the issue received well over the required number of signatures; it was, in the words of Smith (2015), "a petition signed by 220,000 people - the third most popular on Parliament's website." Therefore on 12 October 2015, Parliament was obliged to take up the matter for debate. Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb ultimately took up the central…...
mlaReferences
Abel, EA. (1980) Marihuana: The first twelve thousand years. New York: Springer.
Adda, J, McConnell, B, Rasul, I. (2014). Crime and the depenalisation of cannabis possession: Evidence from a policing experiment. Journal of Political Economy 122:5.
Aoyagi, MT. (2006). Beyond punitive prohibition: Liberalizing the dialogue on international drug policy. International Law and Politics 37:3.
Atuesta-Becerra, LH. (2014) Internally displaced populations in Columbia and Mexico. In Quah, D, Collins, J, et al. (2014) Ending the drug wars: Report of the LSE Expert Group on the economics of drug policy. London: London School of Economics.
Cannabis in ancient history: From no courage necessary to the courage to explore the mind.
Cannabis cultivated in ancient China as hemp for fiber and cannabis for medicine.
Cannabis spread to India, where it is used as a religious sacrament as well as a medicinal herb.
Cannabis spread to Europe with the Scythians, who used it also as a mind-altering substance.
By the end of the Hellenistic and oman eras, cannabis use becomes widespread, and issues like conflict and greed have yet to come into the picture.
Cannabis in Europe: The beginnings of conflict and greed.
Cannabis is used medicinally and mentioned in scientific texts.
The Age of Enlightenment gives rise to the exploration of the herb.
Cultivation of hemp as a cash crop begins during the Age of Colonization, planting the first seeds of conflict.
D. As a cash crop, cannabis presents a potential for greed.
The Modern Era: Courage, Conflict, and Greed Convene
A. Culture clashes and European hegemony…...
mlaReferences
"10,000-year History of Marijuana use in the World." Advanced Holistic Health. Retrieved online: http://www.advancedholistichealth.org/history.html
Gumbiner, Jann. "History of Cannabis in Ancient China." Psychology Today. May 10, 2011. Retrieved online: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-teenage-mind/201105/history-cannabis-in-ancient-china
Head, Tom. "Marijuana in Ancient History." About.com. Retrieved online: http://civilliberty.about.com/od/drugpolicy/tp/Ancient-History-of-Marijuana.htm
"Marijuana Since the Beginning of Time." Marijuana Today. Retrieved online: http://marijuanatoday.com/marijuanahistory.php
Cannabis for Pain
The status and use of marijuana in the United States has taken some rather circuitous and different paths. For many years, the dealing or possession of cannabis in any form has been a ticket or a trip to jail for many people. To this very day, marijuana and cannabis remain Schedule I drugs, meaning that they have "no medical use" and thus should never be possessed or used by anyone. However, the legalization of cannabis in many states, sometimes even for recreational uses, and the corresponding permissiveness from the federal government as well as medical trials and tests relating to cannabis have shown that the tide is starting to turn when it comes to the perceptions and reactions to cannabis and legitimate uses that may exist. One such use is for pain.
Statement of the Problem
One significant reason why the studying of cannabis for pain management has come to…...
mlaWilsey, B., Marcotte, T. D., Deutsch, R., Zhao, H., Prasad, H., & Phan, A. (2016). An exploratory human laboratory experiment evaluating vaporized cannabis in the treatment of neuropathic pain from spinal cord injury and disease. The Journal of Pain, 17(9), 982-1000. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2016.05.010
Wilsey, B., Marcotte, T., Deutsch, R., Gouaux, B., Sakai, S., & Donaghe, H. (2013). Low-dose vaporized Cannabis significantly improves neuropathic pain. The Journal of Pain, 14(2), 136-148. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2012.10.009
Zajicek, J. P., Hobart, J. C., Slade, A., Barnes, D., & Mattison, P. G. (2012, November). Multiple Sclerosis and extract of cannabis: Results of the MUSEC trial. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 83, 1125-1132. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/jnnp-2012-302468
Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii have already moved to decriminalize marijuana and several are set to do so within the next several years. The legalization movement began with awareness about the health benefits of medical cannabis, which can be used to alleviate the symptoms of a number of medical conditions. Since then, a movement to legalize cannabis has been built on the grounds of human rights, civil liberties, and public health and safety. The "war on drugs" mentality has been fading into the unfortunate background of American history, leading to more intelligent and enlightened discourse on the matter. What is clear is that criminalization has not worked to reduce drug-related problems, and in fact, criminalization has actually caused more problems than it is purported to solve. Criminalization proliferates organized crime, makes drugs less safe, and creates human rights abuses and gross injustices ranging from mass incarceration to the…...
mlaReferences
Armentano, Paul. "Study: Medical Marijuana Laws Associated with Decreased Obesity/" NORML. Retrieved online: http://blog.norml.org/2015/12/01/study-medical-marijuana-laws-associated-with-decreased-obesity/
Balko, Radley. "Since Marijuana Legalization, Highway Fatalities in Colorado are at Near-Historic Lows." The Washington Post. Aug 5, 2014. Retrieved online: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2014/08/05/since-marijuana-legalization-highway-fatalities-in-colorado-are-at-near-historic-lows/
Keefe, Patrick Radden. "Buzzkill." The New Yorker. 18 Nov, 2013. Retrieved online:
NORML. "Legalization." Retrieved online: http://norml.org/
10). In this particular study, the effects of smoked cannabis as compared wit the results of patients who received and smoked placebos was significant, and showed a 34% reduction in daily pain amongst those patients receiving the cannabis, versus 17% amongst those patients receiving the placebo.
The outcome of the studies conducted would suggest that medical use of marijuana for pain is recommended. The study concluded that there is an absence of pain relieving analgesics available to patients in the classifications studied. The findings as they relate to the efficacy of cannabis for the treatment of spasticity in MS indicate that medicinal marijuana for that purpose is an avenue of treatment for this very difficult to manage condition and the pain associated with the disease (p. 16).
The future of medicinal cannabis as a therapeutic approach to difficult to manage conditions like Parkinson's Disease, MS, and other conditions that have high…...
mlaReference List
Grant, I., Atkinson, J.H., Mattison, A., and Coates, T. Report to the Legislature and Governor of the State of California Presenting the Findings of Pursuant to SB847 Which Created the CMCR and Provided State Funding. University California, San Diego, Health Sciences, CMCR, February 11, 2010.
Canada boasts one of the highest cannabis usage rates in the world in spite of prohibition (Fischer, Kuganesan, & oom, 2015). Cannabis is also the most widely used illegal drug in the country by a wide margin (Hajidazeh, 2016). The complete decriminalization of cannabis in Canada would be unlikely to have any appreciable effect on raising rates of usage except potentially an initial spark of interest subsequent to the lifting of prohibition. Unfortunately, a dearth of literature exists on the actual effects of decriminalization given that the phenomenon has yet to occur, and given the fact that there are few case studies from other countries. The only country in the world to have outright legalized marijuana has been Uruguay; several other countries have relatively relaxed policies toward the drug but Canada's proposal to fully legalize would be revolutionary. This research can potentially contribute to the growing understanding of what consequences…...
mlaReferences
Fischer, B., Kuganesen, S. & Room, R. (2015). Medical Marijuana programs: Implications for cannabis control policy -- Observations from Canada. International Journal of Drug Policy 26(1): 15-19.
Government of Canada (n.d.). "Toward the Legalization, Regulation, and Restriction of Access to Marijuana," Discussion Paper. Retrieved online: http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/health-system-systeme-sante/consultations/legalization-marijuana-legalisation/alt/legalization-marijuana-legalisation-eng.pdf
Hajizadeh, M. (2016). Legalizing and Regulating Marijuana in Canada: Review of Potential Economic, Social, and Health Impacts. International Journal of Health Policy Management 5(8): 453-456.
Hall, W. & Lynskey, M. (2016). Why it is probably too soon to assess the public health effects of legalisation of recreational cannabis use in the USA. The Lancet Psychiatry 3(3): 900-906.
Informed Consent and DebriefingThe purpose of this paper is to create an informed consent form and a debriefing form that explain the nature and true purpose of a proposed clinical study concerning the use of legal, edible cannabis products to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among American male combat veterans of all ages and branches of military service. Cannabis products are currently legal in more than half of U.S. states and the recreational use of these products has been legalized by numerous others. There is also movement in the U.S. Congress to legalize cannabis products at the federal level, opening the way for veterans to receive them as part of their health care regimen (Hill, Loughlin, Nichter et al., 2021).Although younger veterans tend to report significantly higher usage rates of cannabis products compared to their older counterparts, the research to date confirms that overall usage of cannabis among veterans has…...
mlaReferencesDebriefing form sample. (2021). University of Florida Institutional Review Board. Retrieved from M. L., Loflin, M., Nichter, B., Norman, S. B., & Pietrzak, R. H. (2021). Prevalence of cannabis use, disorder, and medical card possession in U.S. military veterans: Results from the 2019-2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. Addictive Behaviors, 120, 10-16.Loflin, M., Earleywine, M., & Bonn-Miller, M. (2017). Medicinal versus recreational cannabis use: Patterns of cannabis use, alcohol use, and cued-arousal among veterans who screen positive for PTSD. Addictive Behaviors, 68, 18–23.Medical marijuana consent form. (2020). U.S. federal government. Retrieved from https://flboardofmedicine.gov/forms/medical-marijuana-consent-form.pdf .PR Newswire. (2021, February 24). First Observational Study to Determine Efficacy of Cannabis for Veterans Gains Approval. PR Newswire US.https://irb.ufl.edu/irb02/irb-02-forms/debriefing-form-sample.html .Hill,
Future of Marijuana in America:
Marijuana or cannabis was first identified by the Chinese in c. 2737 BCE and has since been used for medicinal purposes for millennia. The introduction or arrival of medicinal cannabis in America was characterized with an amazingly colorful and checkered history. Medicinal cannabis was characterized with initial robust use in the United States, which faded after the development of aspirin and opioids. The decreased used culminated in the criminalization of cannabis in America in 1937 despite of the contradictory advice of the American Medical Association, which was submitted on record to Congress. However, the use of marijuana has emerged as a major issue in the past few decades because of the renewed interest in medicinal cannabis. Actually, several stakeholders in the health care sector including the American College of Physicians, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Institutes of Health have supported further research and…...
mlaReferences:
Aggarwal et. al. (2009, June). Medicinal Use of Cannabis in the United States: Historical
Perspectives, Current Trends, and Future Directions. Journal of Opioid Management, 5(3), 153-68.
Cardinale, A. (2014, January 14). A Brief History of How Marijuana Became Illegal in the U.S.
Retrieved July 16, 2014, from http://mic.com/articles/78685/a-brief-history-of-how-marijuana-became-illegal-in-the-u-s
Drug Profile
Drug addiction is a human issue that cultivates biological, psychological, and social consequences, among others. The manifestation of addiction itself is characterized by physical dependence, and is defined by the uncontrollable, compulsive urge to seek and use drugs despite harmful repercussions (Fernandez, odriguez & Villa, 2011). Philologically, drug use affects the reward center, where dopamine receptors are over-stimulated. Ultimately, the repetition of drug use is encouraged to achieve the same, heightened, pleasure response (U.S. DHHS, 2007). Psychological responses to drug use may reflect motivations caused by positive pleasure, anxiety, or protection. The bodily effects of drugs often reflect the drug's class: stimulants, depressants, narcotics, hallucinogen, and cannabis. Each class represents various drugs and causes distinct biochemical responses. In addition to illicit drugs, prescription drugs are also highly abused and are categorized within the drug classes. Drug addiction does not discriminate between gender, race, sexual orientation or creed, and its…...
mlaReferences
Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (CDMHAS). (n.d.). Drugs with addictive potential. Retrieved 08 March 2012 from: http://www.ctclearinghouse.org/topics/customer-files/Drugs-with-Addictive-Potential-071105.pdf
Coon, D., & Mitterer, J. (2009). Psychology: A journey. (1st ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Fernandez, G., Rodriguez, O., & Villa, R. (2011). Neuropsychology and drug addiction. Papeles del Psicologo, 32(2), 159-165.
Hyman, S., & Malenka, R. (2001). Addiction and the brain: The neurobiology of compulsion and its persistence. Neuroscience, 2, 695-703.
Legalize
Marijuana, also known as cannabis, is the most widely used illegal drug worldwide (Caulkins et al.). However, the legal status of marijuana is slowly changing. Uruguay recently became the first nation in the world to fully decriminalize and federally regulate marijuana. Several other countries in estern Europe have liberal laws related to marijuana that amount to practical decriminalization. The United States, which until fairly recently remained stuck to its "war on drugs" policy, has finally begun to understand that not only is marijuana safe, but it is also a valuable medical resource. Thus, several states in the union have started to allow for the prescription of cannabis for medical use. Given the fact that decriminalization also presents several net benefits to society including reducing prison overpopulation and reducing the stranglehold organized crime holds over some communities, a few states have begun to decriminalize the drug entirely. Colorado and ashington State…...
mlaWorks Cited
Becker, Sam. "7 States Ready to Legalize Marijuana." Politics Cheat Sheet. 28 Mar, 2015. Retrieved online: http://www.cheatsheet.com/politics/5-states-and-one-city-ready-to-legalize-marijuana.html/?a=viewall
Caulkins, Jonathan P., et al. Marijuana Legalization. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.
Drug Policy Alliance. "Marijuana legalization and regulation." Retrieved online: http://www.drugpolicy.org/marijuana-legalization-and-regulation
Khatapoush, Shereen and Halifors, Denise. "Sending the Wrong Message.'" Journal of Drug Issues. Vol. 34, No. 4, pp. 751-770.
, and otjak, C. (2006). Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Mediates Fear Extinction via Habituation-Like Processes. The Journal of Neuroscience 26(25): 6677-6686.
Kim, S., on, S., Mao, X., Ledent, C., Jin, K. And Greenberg, D. (2006). Role for Neuronal Nitric-Oxide Synthase in Cannabinoid-Induced Neurogenesis. J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., October 1, 2006; 319(1): 150-154
Kogan, N., Blazquez, C., Alvarex, L., Gallily, R., Schlesinger, M., Guzman, A., and Mechoulam, R. (2006). A Cannabinoid Quinone Inhibits Angiogenesis by Targeting Vascular Endothelial Cells. Mol Pharmacol 70:51-59.
Lundqvist, T. (2005). Cognitive Consequences of Cannabis Use: Comparison with use of Stimulants and heroin with regard to attention, memory and executive functions. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior. 81: 319-330.
Maccarrone, M., Lorenzon, T., Bari, M., Melino, G., and Finazzi-Agro, A. (2000). Anandamide Induces Apoptosis in Human Cells via Vanilloid Receptors
Evidence For A Protective Role Of Cannabinoid Receptors. J. Biol. Chem., 275 (41): 31938-31945.
Massi, P., Vaccani, A., Ceruti, S., Colombo, S., Abbracchio, M., and Parolaro,…...
mlaWorks Cited
Bolla, K., Brown, K., Eldreth, D., Tate, B., and Cadet, J. (2002). Dose-related neurocognitive effects of marijuana use. Neurology 59:1337-1343.
Farthing, G. (1992) The Psychology of Consciousness. Prentice Hall
Gazzaniga, M., Ivry R., and Mangun, G. (1998) Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind W.W. Norton & Company.
Grant, I., Gonzalez, R., Carey, C., Natatajan, L., and Wolfson, T. (2003). Non-acute (residual) neurocognitive effects of cannabis use: A meta-analytic study.
Legalization of Marijuana
Marijuana or Cannabis is actually a plant, which has the scientific name 'cannabis sativa' and was originally used for ordinary purposes such as for fabric making and cloth weaving. Some are of the view that it was also used as sails when shipping industry had not become technologically sophisticated. The plant was also once used for the treatment of psychiatric conditions but after it was banned in the country, marijuana was forced to vanish from the medical field too.
Marijuana became a problem when people started using it as a drug in the form of powder. This is because marijuana affects chemical processes in the brain and puts a person in a state of elation. But all this is temporary and a person becomes so addicted to this drug that he cannot stay away from it. The dangerous impact on marijuana on the brain is also evident from the…...
mlaReferences
Cannabis" Accessed online 27 April 2004: http://www.cannabis.net
Richard Rudgley, The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive substances, Little, Brown and Company (1998),
Marinol
Medicine is designed to treat the sick and the injured. Its function is to either treat a condition or to better severe symptoms from a medical or physical condition. Some medicines, when first introduced, are controversial because of the ingredients that are used. In the modern era, Marinol has become the subject of heated debate over whether or not it should be provided to patients. Despite the fact that it has been proven to help people when other medications have failed, there are still some places where the medication cannot be gotten simply because it contains a synthetic form of a substance which is illegal in most states. Marinol is not made from an illegal material, but a synthetic version which replicates the effects of that illegal substance. The drug Marinol is a brand name of a medication which is a synthetic form of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC which is dissolved…...
mlaWorks Cited:
Armentano, P. (2005). Marinol vs. natural plant. NORML.
Institute of Medicine (2002). Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. National Academy Press: Washington, D.C.
Loughlin, K. & Generali, J. (2006). The Guide to Off-Label Prescription Drugs. The Philip Lief
Group: Princeton, NJ.
Vovkun
Depression
This midterm is top ranking in comparison to the others. The outline is very detailed and on the first page, making it easier for me to see what the paper is aout and where the writer wants to go through each section. The different sections are also very convincing in their claims such as writer oriented depression. I liked how he used two well-known writers and their outs of depression and linked them together to where you can see directly and indirectly how depression fueled their career and vice versa. I also liked the use of religion as means of helping people who suffer from depression.
The quotes work very well with each suject. The progression from nature of depression to how depression affects different areas such as religion and literature is well thought out. The iliography is long and varied with sources from texts, journals. Most of the sources are…...
mlabibliography was weak in that most of the sources were from online. He needs to find better sources. The outline was okay but there was one section: "Opposition. None that I can find. You can not get high in any way from hemp products. I have yet to discover a negative impact to the environment or society" that is not true. There is plenty opposition and some research has shown growing marijuana has led to a negative impact on the environment through supplies pollution. People growing marijuana throw away their used up supplies in ways that pollute the environment.
Criminalisation, legalization and the mixed blessing of medicalisation in the U.S.A." einarman discusses the issues related to the use of Marihuana. Marijuana or Marihuana has long been used to in America for recreational and medicinal purposes. As Manderson stated, "Debates on the reasons and rationalizations behind drug laws, their cost-effectiveness and their possible moral justification, have for a long time and will continue to rage" (Manderson, 1995, p. 800). Even with the recent mainstream shift towards legalizing of marijuana use from California to Colorado, many still attach negative connotations to marijuana, maintaining the image of marijuana as a deviant and immoral behavior. Keeping this in mind, one must understand the origins of marijuana use in America to see why it was deemed a deviant and illegal activity.
Marihuana was first introduced into America on a substantial scale during the 1910's by migrant Mexican workhands in the Southwest. During this time,…...
mlaReferences
Bulman-Pozen, J. (2013). Unbundling Federalism: Colorado's Legalization of Marijuana and Federalism's Many Forms. University of Colorado Law Review, 85(4), 1-14. Retrieved from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2366388
Fraser, S., & Moore, D. (2011). Cannabis in cultural and legal limbo: Criminalisation, legalisation and the mixed blessing of medicalization in the U.S.A. In The drug effect: Health, crime, and society (pp. 171-184). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
HALL, W.D., & LYNSKEY, M. (2005). Is cannabis a gateway drug? Testing hypotheses about the relationship between cannabis use and the use of other illicit drugs. Drug and Alcohol Review, 24, 39-48.
Himmelstein, J.L. (1983). Contemporary Crises Crime law social policy. Elsevier Scientific Publishing Company, 7, 13-38.
Thesis statement: The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019, also known as the MORE Act of 2019, is a pivotal step towards rectifying the unjust consequences of marijuana criminalization, promoting social equity, and establishing a responsible regulatory framework for marijuana legalization. Crafting a strong thesis statement on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 or the MORE Act of 2019 involves highlighting its potential to address the historical disparities in marijuana enforcement, provide economic opportunities for marginalized communities, and pave the way for a more equitable and sustainable approach to cannabis legalization. By focusing on these key....
Crafting an Impactful Thesis Statement on the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019
Introduction
The Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act of 2019 (MORE Act) is a landmark piece of legislation that addresses various aspects of cannabis legalization, decriminalization, and restorative justice. Crafting an impactful thesis statement on this complex topic requires a thorough understanding of the Act's provisions and its implications for individuals and society as a whole.
Understanding the MORE Act
The MORE Act encompasses a wide range of provisions, including:
Decriminalization: Removal of federal criminal penalties for possessing, using, or distributing marijuana.
Expungement: Automatic expungement of federal marijuana convictions....
1. The Debate on Marijuana Legalization: Weighing the Pros and Cons
2. A Comprehensive Analysis of Marijuana Legalization: Socioeconomic Perspectives
3. Exploring the Legalization of Marijuana: Historical Context and Future Implications
4. Public Opinion and Policy Change: Marijuana Legalization in the 21st Century
5. Marijuana Legalization and Criminal Justice Reform: A Step Towards a Fairer System
6. Understanding the Health Benefits of Marijuana: An Argument for Legalization
7. Marijuana Legalization and Taxation: The Economic Potential of Cannabis Industries
8. Social Equity and Marijuana Legalization: Addressing Racial Disparities
9. Marijuana Legalization: Balancing Individual Rights and Public Health Concerns
10. Regulating the Cannabis Market: Lessons from Other Legalized States and Nations
11.....
I. Introduction
- Briefly introduce the topic of drugs
- State your thesis statement on the impact and consequences of drugs
II. Definition and classification of drugs
- Provide a clear definition of drugs and the different types available
- Classify drugs into legal and illegal categories
III. The purposes and effects of drugs
- Discuss the various purposes people have for using drugs, such as medicinal, recreational, or self-medication
- Explore the effects drugs can have on individuals, both positive and negative
IV. Short-term and long-term consequences
- Discuss the immediate or short-term consequences of drug use, such as altered mental state, impaired judgment, and potential accidents or injuries
-....
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