I had to do a persuasive speech for my public speech class. here it is.....

*walk into classroom, start in a gadda da vida in the background*
Man, what a day…..
*sit down*
At least now I get to sit back and relax
*pull out joint*
The penalty for being caught with as little a one joint’s worth or marijuana is up to 1 year in jail, and a $1000 fine by Maryland and federal law.
*pretend to light joint, take hit, exhale, stand up, hand joint to assistant*
(to assistant) You wanna hit this?
As President Jimmy Carter once said, “Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself, and where they are they should be changed" and I agree. Some states have started the change by decimalizing small amounts of marijuana, but it is still illegal by federal standards. I would like you to share my viewpoint in thinking that marijuana should be more than just decimalized, but legalized. Now, I am now saying that I think everyone should go out and smoke up after class, but rather that if you wish to, it should not be a crime.

Before we consider legalizing marijuana, I think we should first look at why it was originally made illegal. Throughout my research, I found that marijuana was made illegal primarily because of racism and propaganda. marijuana became assocated with minorities in the 1920’s. Any crime by these groups was blamed on marijuana use.
For example, some quotes from harry J anslinger, the main man in making marijuana illegal

“Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.”

“…the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races.”

In 1936 the popular film Reefer Madness was released. One year later in 1937, the marijuana tax act in enacted. In 1969, this was fought in the Supreme Court, and it was declared unconstitutional. The next year, the controlled substances act of 1970 was put into law and marijuana was classified as a schedule 1, it has no currently accepted medical.
This is one place that really shows that there is a problem with our marijuana laws. Today, according to NORML, the National Organization for the Reform of marijuana Laws, 14 states have accepted medical marijuana. There are many conditions for which marijuana is prescribed, the most common of which being to help treat nausea and lack of appetite, as shown in chemotherapy patients. If marijuana is legalized, more research can be done, and possibly more medical uses can be found.

Another reason I feel it should be legalized, is its safety for use. It is almost impossible to overdose and there have been no recorded deaths caused by marijuana according to erowid.org. Also, marijuana is not physically addictive. These 2 factors alone make it less dangerous than alcohol, aspirin, or even water. By legalizing marijuana, it can be made even safer than it is today. Companies could produce and sell marijuana as cigarettes are sold today. You can be sure it isn’t mixed with any more dangerous chemicals. If companies are making and selling marijuana, then the government can tax it, making more money. The government will not only make money by legalizing marijuana, but also save a lot of money. First off they can save some money on the drug war. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), in 2003 the federal government spent over $19 billion on the drug war, with half of that being spent on domestic law enforcement. 42% of drug arrests made in 2007 were for possession of marijuana. It costs about $68 a day to keep an inmate in state prison. If each offender served only one day, that alone is over 50 million dollars, and as I stated in the intro, first time possession can get you up to 1 year.

marijuana is an intoxicant and needs to be treated and regulated as such. If it were to be legalized, it should be regulated as alcohol is today. Firstly, there should be an age limit to purchase or use the drug, preferably between 18 and 21. There should also be rules concerning drugged driving. There are blood and salvia test that can be done to measure how much THC is in your system and could be used such as BAC is today. In the end, responsible use of marijuana should lie with the user, not the government. Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves. - Ronald Reagan

There is some significant progress in legalizing marijuana. First off, as I mentioned before, 14 states have accepted medical marijuana. 12 states have decimalized marijuana, which means there is only a fine and no jail time for small amounts, usually an ounce or less. Between MMJ and decimalization, 19 states allow some form of MJ use. 23 stated have conditional release, which allows first time offenders to choose probation, as opposed to jail time. This makes up for a total of 35 states whose penalties are less than federal penalties. I think this says that people want something done for the change of marijuana laws, and I hope you are one of these people.
(to assistant)you gonna pass that thing already?
*take joint, take hit*


in the evaluation, my teacher said that in a gadda da vida is one of his favorite albums of all time. He said once he played it backwards and saw Jesus on the ceiling, so i had up the joint and asked, "Are you sure you didn't have some help from this?" the entire class busted out laughing. I can't wait to see my grade on this assignment!

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First Grow

good job dude

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The noblest pleasure is the joy of understanding- Leonardo

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