1. Marijuana Legalization
A Report Presented By:
David Nystrom

2. History
Largest agricultural crop in the world
Hemp: Fabric, Medicines, Lighting Oil, Paper
Fun Fact: First 2 copies of the Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper
Early 20th century yellow journalism surfaced (Reefer Madness)
Depicted blacks and Mexicans as beasts who smoked Marijuana and played devils music
Lead to 1937 Marijuana Tax Act
3. History/1937 Marijuana Tax Act
Banned: Marijuana, Hemp, and Cannabis Medicine
This and Reefer Madness lead to the downfall of Marijuana
Popular Mechanics Magazine, was even coming out with an article entitled (New Billion Dollar Crop)
If you wanted to buy Marijuana, you needed a stamp
4. History Cont
In WWII was legalized, then illegalized afterwards
Questioned later on by Congress
Illegal for wrong reason
Not violent but passive
Made it illegal for opposite reason as before
5. Big Business and Prohibition
B.C. Marijuana brings in $7 billion alone annually
85% of that sold to U.S.
Prohibition has never worked Senator Larry Campbell Former member of RCMP Drug Squad
Tree of Knowledge
6. Myths
Dangers of Marijuana
Kills Brain Cells
Cancer
Pathway Drug
O.D.
7. Dr. Heath/Tulane Study 1974
Ronald Regan says the most reliable scientific sources proves it kills brain cells
Monkeys pumped with Marijuana 30 joints/day started to die after 90 days
6 Years of requests for the study specifics
30 joints/day for 1 year Vs. 63 columbian joints through a gas mask within 5 minutes over 3 months (Suffocated)
8. Dr. Heath Study Cont
2005 suggested that it stimulated brain cell growth(Xia Zhang University of Saskatchewan)
Didnt receive any attention
9. Marijuana and Cancer
Government funded program May or Should
Not one case of lung cancer from Marijuana
Moderate use, can paralyze cilia, non radioactive
Inhaling smoke
Hasnt been around that long
Recently found, no cancer
10. Deaths by Substances
Cigarettes killed more people than
AIDS
Heroine
Crack
Cocaine
Alcohol
Car Accidents
Fire
Murder
COMBINED
11. Death by Substances Cont
Cigarettes kill ~480,000 people/year
Government subsidies
Grown with radioactive fertilizer
More people die from caffeine and aspirin O.D.
Not ONE death from Marijuana alone Dr. Lest Grinspoon, MD (Professor Emeritus, Harvard Medical School)
15,000 joints in 20 minutes to O.D. Good Luck
12. Marijuana and Addiction
More kids in rehab for addiction
Taken to court and asked Rehab or Jail
Rehab they consider you addicted
DEA says look at all these kids
3% of people in rehab are their voluntarily
No addiction but can be habitual
13. Gateway Drug
Never found anything in Marijuana that makes you want more - John Conroy, QC (Criminal Defense Lawyer)
1/104 marijuana users use cocaine >1 use heroine. >1%
14. Useless to Society
50 million smoke Marijuana in U.S.
Steve Jobs (Apple) smoked Marijuana when making the computer
Ted Turner (CNN) developed CNN while using
Musicians
BILL CLINTON
Virtually every presidential candidate admitted to trying it at least once
15. Crime and Violence
Norm Stamper, PhD (Seattle Chief of Police, 1994-2000) Ample evidence of the harm of Alcohol but none for Marijuana
Domestic Violence, Theft, etc
Where is a good exampleAlcohol Prohibition
16. Alcohol Prohibition and Marijuana
Everything got worse
Gave birth to organized crime (Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, Lucky Luciano)
Alcohol poisoning went up 600% during prohibition
More violence with marijuana, criminal to sell it
Marijuana oz. for oz. worth more than gold
17. Marijuana Prohibition
Growers dont want it legalizedhmmmm
Hurts their business
Growers and Government
But why
Oh, thats right
18. So What Can We Do?
Very Simple Solutions
Regulate
Tax
Control
19. Outcome
Lower crime rates
Billions of dollars to be put into the government
Less money spent on jails (1/6 in federal system for marijuana) ~5 Billion spent/year
All I see are positives
20. Details
Government should decide tax amount
License, hard to get and easy to lose
No driving while high, work, etc
Money for schools, highways, hospitals, etc