As tolerances grow for the personal possession and use of marijuana, there is a need for purposeful and well-grounded discussions on the impact the relaxation of criminal sanctions involving marijuana may have. Do laws prohibiting the growing, manufacturing, harvesting, processing, transporting, sale, distribution, possession and/or use of marijuana in any quantity reflect the socio-political values of the community; whether that community is a local town/city, a state, or the nation? Do these laws keep us safe? If prohibitions against marijuana are lifted, what’s next?

For the Final Project the student will compose a three-part position paper addressing the pros and cons of marijuana tolerance.

• Part 1- How are the initial relaxations of the laws against marijuana an indication of a growing tolerance that should be fully adopted? All current restrictions against marijuana should be rescinded.
• Part 2 – How are the initial relaxations of the laws against marijuana compromising the safety, security and “quality of life” in American communities? Prohibitions that have been modified should be re-enacted to their former restrictive level.
• Part 3 – What impact will Part 1 and Part 2 have on the current prohibitions on other controlled dangerous substances (e.g., heroin, cocaine, meth-amphetamines, etc.)?

NOTE: This is not a position paper for the expression of your personal feelings regarding the topic. The paper should objective and identify legitimate and balancedarguments for all sides of the topic.

Format

• Cover page
  • Student’s name
  • Program title
  • Class title and number
  • Date of submission
• A minimum of eight (8) narrative pages (maximum of 12 pages)
  • 12 font, double spaces, 1 inch margins
  • APA formatted citations for quoted materials in the narrative
• References Page(s)
  • Citations for all quoted (non-original) materials in APA format
  • Minimum 4 outside sources
  • The course materials must be cited and referenced in the body of the paper