Shouldmarijuana be legalized on governmental level?Introduction tomarijuanaMarijuana is the most commonly used illicit drugwith an estimated 120 million engrossing it in some form or the other. In India,marijuana has been historically bound to piety and mysticism .It is called adrug that helps to achieve “elatedness in the real sense of the word”.
In everycorner of this nation people consume and celebrate with charas (hash), alcoholand weed. People in India consume bhang which is also used to attain”elatedness in the real sense of the word” on religious festivals. Anywayspeople are consuming these drugs then why not legitimate the use of marijuanawhich has at least many pros unlike others. People of today’s generation have forgotten thehealing properties of marijuana. It was widely used for analgesia, antibiotic medicines, and low toxicmedicines, when O’Shaughnessy introduced marijuana in the western world.HistoryMost peoplerefer to marijuana as weed.
It is a product of a plant knows as “cannabissativa”. Generally people refer tocannabis sativa as cannabis hemp. There are many plants which are known as hempbut cannabis hemp is the most useful of them just because it produces the threemost useful products viz. seed, medicine and pulp. Cannabis sativa do notrequire any special climatic condition to grow, it can be planted in thevariety of climatic conditions.
Originof Cannabis and usage in IndiaCannabisproduct was first mentioned in the writings of the Chinese emperor Shen Nung.He mainly focused on themedication power of cannabis. Intoxicating properties were also mentioned butmedicinal value was considered more important. Talking about history ofmarijuana in India, people have been using it for enjoyment purpose.
People usedweed legally before 1986 but when brassbound narcotic laws came into effect, itwas next to impossible to use weed legally even for medical purpose. These lawsmade sale, transportation and consumption of marijuana illicit.Author’s viewsOveruse of anything is not good. No drug isperfectly safe to use if one is overusing it. Every psychoactive drug canbecome a problem after limited use.
It was obviously an overreaction from thepart of government. The act which forced us to stop the use of marijuana is Narcotic Drugs and PsychotropicSubstances Act (1985) and the Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in NarcoticDrugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (1985). As it has been amendedthree times – 1988, 2001 and 2014. Federal government of America accused marijuana tobe a gateway drug, dramatically more impotent today and is more addictive inits own rights.
But in 1988,Drug enforcement administration’s own administrative law judge quoted that “marijuanain its natural form is one of the safest therapeutically active substancesknown to man.”
