Legalizing Medical Marijuana

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to eventually terminate marijuana production inside the United States.
At the time, the American Medical Association opposed the government�s strong stand on eliminating marijuana. The government fought back by instituting mandatory jail sentences and fines for marijuana possession and distribution in the early 1950s. During the 1970s, the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified marijuana as a Schedule 1 substance, classifying marijuana with harder drugs such as cocaine. The Act caused major uproar and later in the 1970s, the classification of marijuana became less severe. Presidents Reagan and Bush, Senior held strong anti-marijuana positions and implemented harsh penalties for offenders, which still remain in effect today.
Another policy that is in effect today is the fierce debate on the legalization of marijuana for medical reasons. In 1996, California passed Proposition 215, which permitted the use of marijuana for medical purposes with the prescription of a ...

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Pilot Act, would legalize medical cannabis in Illinois. (Gettman, 2009).
If Senate Bill 1381 was to pass, marijuana would be legal for medicinal purposes. The Act would ensure that State Health Department authorized medical marijuana patients would no longer have to fear arrest or prosecution from state law enforcement. As introduced, this measure would allow qualified patients to possess a reasonable 60 day supply of cannabis or 3 mature plants for therapeutic purposes. The Act would allow for a physician to prescribe medical marijuana to a patient suffering from a debilitating medical condition. Its purpose is to provide some comfort to the terminally ill by allowing them ...

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