Good Creative Writing On Marijuana Politics & Power

Marijuana is a drug that has different application perspectives from its supporters and opposers. It is a major issue in the current political avenues of the United States. According to Moe Spencer, the politics surrounding marijuana traverses from the first president of United States until presently. Most of the presidents used the marijuana politics to make it in their political career. However, none of them would like to enforce marijuana as a legal drug since it will create a weakness in most political paths. In the lecture, Moe Spencer talks in depth about the history surrounding marijuana, the twist, and turns around it as well as an overview of how the politics surrounding marijuana will evolve.
Moe Spencer is a marijuana attorney based in Seattle. He represents farmers who grow marijuana and sell it legally in their states such as Washington as well as the licensing process. The session was in two parts: the history of marijuana and licensing in Washington State. He starts off by telling a real story about a young man, Randall, who leaves his friend’s house and lights a roll of Marijuana. The story took place in on one night May 1973. Randall is 23 years old and suffers from glaucoma, which could make him blind in a few years to come. He begins his walk home while observing the street lamps that make him stop for a moment to gaze at the light. However, his eyes begin to focus despite the several times he was looking at his joint and the light. The discovery he made that day is that marijuana treated him from the disease and for the next two years, he began growing Marijuana in his house. In 1975, police saw his farm accidentally and charged him for planting marijuana illegally. In his defense, Randall stood by the claim of medical necessity that he had to use for treatment.
In a twist of events, Randall receives information about a research facility in UCLA that was looking into marijuana and its medicinal value. He boards a plane to UCLA and stays there for ten days observing everything. He comes back to court and petitions the United States government to allow him to plant marijuana for personal use, as he cannot live without it. The government cannot deny the existence of their marijuana farm since UCLA receives all of its samples from the federal government in Mississippi. The case turned in the favor of Randall, and he became the first person to receive federal marijuana with its prescription. However, over the years, more people came forward to lay claim to the discovery, and it took five years before the government shut down its facility.
Despite the negative feedback for marijuana, its medicinal value makes it more user-friendly than alcohol. The borderline between alcohol and marijuana is quite thin despite the good side of marijuana. The question is whether people should legalize it for medical use or not. Penicillin has diverse negative effects such as nausea, vomiting, or even death, yet it continues to be a legal drug. Journalism played a role in the racial links of Marijuana. It brought out the African Americans and Mexicans as the most users, terming them as unsafe towards white people. Richard Nixon created the Controlled Substance Act, a federal law on marijuana and drugs, created a schedule that would identify drugs as per their external harms.
Through the schedules, Nixon brought out a conflict among its supporters and the government. Marijuana was on schedule three, which meant it was an illegal drug with medicinal value. However, after the killing of three students during a protest, he had no option but to change it to schedule one. His idea was to hold on to it until after the election since it would ruin his political career. He marked the first time when a politician used the issues surrounding marijuana in his campaigns. The black community became another excuse in the political avenues when it came to marijuana. The young people became the center of attention since it affects them more than the elderly people. Apart from that, their numbers determine the fate of a candidate. Hence, there was a commission set in place to discuss the matter after the elections. The final report stated that it is legal for one to possess marijuana but on a personal basis such as medicinal purposes. The criminal law at the time was too harsh which meant more people went to prison for little offenses. It would be inappropriate to continue with such measures if the government seeks to control marijuana use. Hence, the commission’s main aim was to make it a lesser offense if one is found using it for personal reasons.
However, the law did not come into place as legislators were not for the idea of legalizing the drug in the U.S. As from 1970, the number of young offenders going to prison due to marijuana cases continued to grow. They each received several years in prison, increasing the population. The current situation in most state prisons is that they have higher populations of less violent criminals such as marijuana users. The population increase has a toll on the capacity of these prisons, with most of them looking into different ways that will make their institutions more hospitable. Moe Spencer does not see any future in making Marijuana legal in all the states. The different borderlines between states make it hard for legislators to come up with a combined move towards the issues. However, the legal states continue to improve their marijuana laws, especially towards the producers. In conclusion, marijuana stands out as a drug that holds greater use towards the medical institutions and personal lives. Despite its benefits, legalization will bring out worse case scenarios around the drug, unlike the current times.