Final

Cannabis has been used for thousands of years for medical, spiritual, and recreational purposes. The medicinal benefits and uses of marijuana are finally being researched by scientists, as the U.S. is starting to legalize medical and recreational marijuana. For my final project I have created a piece of art that not only signifies the need for a prison reform based on people who are currently incarcerated for Marijuana related charges, but also to raise awareness of the medicinal benefits. 

My sculpture will be of a marijuana plant locked in a jail cell behind bars, however I will have all the major Cannabis companies like Cookies, n2 Packaging, Space Monkey Meds, etc. plastered around the cell. I have this idea because I would like for it to represent that these are companies that are becoming household name brands in the marijuana industry all while there are still people suffering in jail for something that is now legal in more than half the United States. I dont know if its just me but I find that to be extremely wrong that something is now becoming very accepted in society but there have been people in jail for it for decades. Marijuana is currently classified as a schedule 1 illegal substance, meaning that it is on the same level as heroin. This to me is with a lack of better words, completely insane. 
Until it is classified as a Schedule II drug there are many barriers stopping researchers from testing its potential medical benefits of CBD. I think that if safety is a top priority for the public then marijuana needs to be legalized. When legalizing marijuana, it will reduce drug violation charges, ensure quality products, and enable a safer environment for drug distribution through dispensaries that are safe and reliable.Legalizing marijuana needs to happen, its medical benefits alone are crucial. The amount of revenue it may generate could be the saving grace this country needs to remedy years of national difficulties. Legislation's are put into power to protect the public, and this ongoing drug war is not the solution. 
People are pointlessly dying to the aftermath of drug related violent crimes that could easily be avoided. Marijuana has lived throughout history as a medical miracle, yet only in recent years has it been misrepresented as a lethal substance. Studies have shown that 84% of the American public thinks that the drug should be legal for medical uses, and even recreational pot usage has been less controversial then records ever show with a staggering 61% of Americans in support of legalizing marijuana for recreational uses as well. The fact Is that there are many Benefits of consuming the drug marijuana.

My only question is why are there so many people in jail for using it when the government is now making billions off of the drug legally selling it? It’s a waste of taxpayers money to keep Marijuana Users in jail when the money could be spent on reforming prisons or other things that are needed. For my project I will be showing how the government manipulates the public, and the people suffering for it in jail while the government makes money off of us. If it’s going to be legalized then I believe all the people in jail for It should be freed.