Legalization of cannabisName:Course:Professor Name:(December, 2012).Table of contents TOC o "1-3" h z u  HYPERLINK l "_Toc343185895"
Introduction  PAGEREF _Toc343185895 h
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History of the topic  PAGEREF _Toc343185896 h
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Problems rising within the topic  PAGEREF _Toc343185897 h
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Arguments pro and con on legalization  PAGEREF _Toc343185898 h
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The current state of debate  PAGEREF _Toc343185899 h
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Conclusion  PAGEREF _Toc343185900 h
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References  PAGEREF _Toc343185901 h
11IntroductionThe issue of legalization of cannabis has been a great issue to the Americans and has featured in the media greatly. The impact of marijuana has remained a serious topic on the media too. The recent trend of the American states proposals that focus on the changing the law that governs the use of marijuana is alarming. First targets were to legalize its use on medical grounds but now some are thinking of legalizing its use for the adults. The public perception on its use has changed dramatically as many Americans now support legalization. This paper aims at addressing the ethics of the legalization of cannabis; touching on its history, the problems arising on the topic, the arguments for and against, the current state of events and finally providing a personal view of the debate. History of the topicThe issue of marijuana started long time ago in America`s history. In 1914 the drug use was defined as a crime under the Harrison law says Inciardi. To get around states` rights issues, the act used a tax to regulate opium- and coca-derived drugs: it levied a tax on nonmedical uses of the drugs that was much higher than the cost of the drugs themselves, and punished anyone using the drugs without paying the tax. In 1937 more than 20 states had prohibited its use and on same year the federal government passed the marihuana Tax act. This act prohibited the use of marijuana other than on medical terms only. Only the birdseed industry was exempted on grounds that they use it for the bird`s feathers beauty. Another exception was in Second World War when the government planted huge hectares of the plant to sustain the demand for naval rope needs (Inciardi, 1999).Inciardi continues to say, in 1950 the congress passed the Boggs Act and the Narcotics control Act. This Acts specified the punishment for the drug offenders which included marijuana possessors and distributors. Reagan administration come and strengthened its laws. Since then, there has been a trend of relaxation on the drug use. Several states have been following the California`s trend of legalizing marijuana on medical grounds in 1996. However, some people are to the view that its legalization on medical grounds has sparked the country culture on its use other than medical...