 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjd74gzMAK
U
History of Marijuana
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfiaC-2K1LM
Health Pros
 Relieves nausea and vomiting
 Relieves spasticity of the muscles
 Helps treat appetite loss associated with HIV/AIDS and certain types
of cancers.
 Relieves pain
 Safe, safer in fact than most other prescribed medications to treat the
same symptoms.
 Smoking marijuana alone does not increase the risk of lung diseases.
 Has been used for centuries as a medicinal agent with good effect.
Health Cons
 Frequent marijuana use can seriously affect your
short-term memory
 Frequent use can impair your cognitive ability
 Can damage your lung tissue
 Carries a risk of abuse and addiction
 Smoked marijuana contains cancer-causing
compounds
Why legalize medicinal
marijuana?
 It is best used to control nausea in cancer’s
chemotherapy or nausea disorders
 Marijuana is one of the safest therapeutically active
substances known.
 In 10,000 years of known use of cannabis, there's
never been a single death attributed to marijuana.
 To get a toxic amount of delta-9
tetrahydrocannibinol (THC), you have to smoke
15,000 joints in 20 minutes.
States where medicinal
marijuana is legalized
Marijuana reform is sweeping the nation, at least at the state level. By
the end of 2012, over 80% of the country could have some type of
reduced penalties for marijuana.
Diseases that Marijuana has been proved
to help:

Cancer: works to slow down tumor growth in the lungs, breasts & brain
considerably.

Seizures: Marijuana is a muscle relaxant & has “antispasmodic” qualities
which have proven to be a very effective treatment of seizures.

Migraines: have been able to treat more than 300,000 cases of migraines that
conventional medicine couldn’t through marijuana.

Glaucoma: there is not a single valid study that exists that disaproves
marijuana’s very powerful & popular effects on glaucoma patients.

Multiple Sclerosis: it works to stop the neurological effects & muscle spasms
that come from the fatal disease

Tourette’s & OCD: the effects slow down the tics in those suffering from
Tourette’s and the obsessive neurological symptoms in people with OCD
Diseases that Marijuana has been proved to help
(cont’d):
 ADD & ADHD: alternative for Ritalin & treats the disorder
without any of the negative side effects of the pharmaceutical
 IBS & Crohn’s: helps with symptoms of the chronic diseases as
it stops nausea, abdominal pain & diarrhea.
 Alzhiemer’s: blocks the deposits in the brain that cause this
disease
 Premenstual Syndrome: used to treat cramps & discomfort
Why is it illegal again?
 Medical marijuana may be beneficial for everyone's health, but it's
not very healthy for the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies.
 Americans in need of a cheap, all-natural alternative medicine, the
pharmaceutical industry is the biggest industry in America with
powerful connections in high places. And they don't like
marijuana.
 Pharmaceutical companies don't want you growing your own
medicine.
 The idea of legalizing a cheap, all-natural medicine that grows out
of the dirt is a threat to the pharmaceutical industry's bottom line.
 Since no company can patent a plant, pharmaceutical industries
are incentivized to keep cannabis and industrial hemp illegal as
they try to recreate the same drug with the same effects.
Legality & other issues

The US spent $8 billion every year on Marijuana Prohibition Enforcement (taxpayer
money)

Prohibition does not work

Marijuana use increased from 2000 to 2012 by 5.2%

853,000 arrests for marijuana violation in 2011

750,000 arrests were for simple possession alone

Marijuana is a 10-12 Billion dollar industry

Marijuana represents 60% of drug cartel and gang revenue

Alcohol related deaths per year: 2.5 million

Tobacco related deaths per year: 500,000
History of Hemp
 In the 18th century, Thomas Jefferson smuggled illegally
obtained Chinese hemp seeds to the colonies.
 George Washington said, “make the most you can of the
Indian hemp seed. Sow it everywhere.”
 Until early 1900s, cannabis hemp was treated like any
other farm crop and its cultivation required no special
regulations or licenses.
 Hundreds of thousands of acres of hemp grew in
Kentucky, Tennessee, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota,
Wisconsin, Minnesota & Michigan
Hemp vs. Marijuana
 Hemp & marijuana come from the same plant –
Cannabis sativa.
 But the plants are not the same. The biological difference
between them is demonstrated by their respective levels
of THC, the plant’s psychoactive ingredient.
 For industrial hemp, the generally accepted THC level is
1% or less.
 For recreational marijuana, the THC level is at least 3%
 Hemp grows lean and tall with flowers on the canopy
marijuana branches widely with resinous buds on all sides.
Reefer Madness (1938)
 Reefer Madness is an exploitation film made in 1938
portraying the tragic events that ensue when high
school students are lured by pushers to try
“marihuana”
 A hit & run accident, manslaughter, suicide,
attempted rape & madness
 “Assassin of Youth”
 After the Prohibition of Alcohol ended in 1929 many
gov’t officials were unemployed & now focused their
attention of marijuana
 This lead to nations first drug was – public vice #1
became cannabis over alcohol
Marijuana vs. other drugs
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_xs63Afe4U
Economy
 It would save the US gov’t $13.7 billion by
eliminating enforcement costs and adding billions
in tax revenue.
 $17.4 billion can be cut from the deficit
 Could decrease unemployment rate because of the
opening of marijuana dispensaries for medical
marijuana.
 Dispensary ads would boost newspaper revenue.
Economy cont’d
 There is some controversy over recent events that
has happened.
Religious Purposes
 Use for religious purposes in the US is prohibited
 Religious use dates back to 2000 BC
 Ancient Chinese
 Scythian people of Central Asia
 Ancient Germanic Paganism
 Hinduism
 Rastafarianism
Public Safety
 Marijuana impairs driving skills
 Keeping marijuana illegal funds drug cartels and
criminals
 It also wastes police resources
 Kids can get it easier illegally
 Marijuana arrests account for more than half of all
drug arrests
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKgY5eOlhEc

"What Are the Pros and Cons of Medical Marijuana?" About.com Death and Dying. N.p., 2012. Web. 28
Oct. 2012. <http://dying.about.com/od/symptommanagement/f/med_mj_procon.htm>.

"'Medical' Marijuana: 10 Health Benefits That Legitimize Legalization." International Business Times. N.p.,
2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. <http://www.ibtimes.com/‘medical’-marijuana-10-health-benefits-legitimizelegalization-742456>.

Bradford, Harry. "4/20: 16 Ways Marijuana Affects The Economy." The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com, 19 Apr. 2012. Web. 28 Oct. 2012.
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/19/420-marijuana-economy_n_1439172.html>.

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
"Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration." The Substance Abuse and Mental Health
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
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2012. <http://www.backslashonline.com/>.

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
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
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