Marijuana

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Term Paper Title	Marijuana
# of Words	626
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	2.5

Marijuana

Marijuana

Throughout history marijuana has been used to serve various purposes in many
different cultures.  The purposes have changed over time to fit in with the
current lifestyles. This pattern is also true in American history. The use of
marijuana has adapted to the social climate of the time.

Marijuana, whose scientific name is cannibis sativa, was mentioned in historical
manuscripts as early as 2700 B. C. in China. (Grolier Electronic Encyclopedia,
1995).  The cultivation of the marijuana plant began as far back as the
Jamestown settlers, around 1611, who used hemp produced from the marijuana
plant's fibers to make rope and canvas.  It was also used in making clothing
because of it's durability.  These uses fit in with the social climate of the
time, because the main focus was on survival rather than for psychoactive
purposes.

During the prohibition, marijuana was widely used because of the scarcity of
alcohol.  Prohibition was repealed after just thirteen years while the
prohibition against marijuana lasted for more than seventy five years. This
double standard may have resulted from the wishes of those in power. Alcohol
prohibition struck directly at tens of millions of Americans of all ages,
including many of societies most powerful members.  Marijuana prohibition
threatened far fewer Americans, and they had relatively little influence in the
districts of power.  Only the prohibition of marijuana, which some sixty million
Americans have violated since 1965 has come close to approximating the
prohibition experience, but marijuana smokers consist mostly of young and
relatively powerless Americans (American Heritage, pg 47). Alcohol prohibition
was repealed and marijuana prohibition was retained, not because scientists had
proved that alcohol was the less dangerous of the various psychoactive drugs,
but because of the prejudices and preferences of most Americans (American
Heritage, pg 47).

In 1937 the government issued the Marijuana Tax Act, which levied a dollar an
ounce tax on marijuana, coupled with fines of $2,000 for drug posession and jail
sentences for evasion of the tax.  For this reason marijuana use in the United
States appears to have gone ...

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