Marijuana should be legalized for medicinal purposes - Essay Example

States and other foreign countries have relaxed policies on prohibition of this plant. A large number of the U.S. population clamors for its legalization because of their need for the medical plant. 3) Economic benefits will be derived by the government in its implementation The use of marijuana was declared illegal under Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. The historical account on “Why Marijuana is illegal” showed the reasons to be “racism, fear, and protection of corporate profits, yellow journalism, ignorant, incompetent, and/or corrupt legislators, personal career advancement and greed”.

(Pete Warrant) Mathre, Marlyn who completed a study on the medicinal value of marijuana, referred to same reasons for 1937 Act. The events that took place are told below. Nothing has been mentioned that marijuana was illegal because of some dangerous effects found by the medical science and prohibition was made to protect the citizens. The plant was considered an important crop during 1600s because it was used as rope, food, incense, cloth and for other economic uses. Planting of the crop was encouraged at that time.

Racism was the primary reason it was prohibited in California when in 1900s, Black Americans and traveling Mormons were found using it for smoke. Other states just followed this prohibition. Ignorance could also be stated as one of the reasons here that even without proper justification, a Senator made a generalized statement saying “that all Mexicans are crazy because of smoking marijuana”. Another ground was “Yellow Journalism” that spread exaggerated and fearful stories on Black Americans using the stuff to benefit readership of their newspapers; like saying that marijuana was linked to brutal behavior of users.

William Randolf Hearst, the owner of the newspapers just hated Mexicans which was due to racism, plus the fact that he saw the hemp as a fierce competition to his timber plantation. Personal career and advancement were also the