Tales of Pot

This research shall explore the debate around the legalization of addictive drugs such as marijuana.
The term marijuana, originally spelled marihuana, originated in Mexican Spanish but its exact etymology is unknown. In 1930s H. Anslinger spread the etymology of the word to be from the Nahuatl mallihuan, meaning “prisoner”, with no semantic basis, while he was campaigning against the drug in the U.S.
Marijuana is also known as cannabis and several other synonyms and it refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, intended for use as a psychoactive drug or medicine.
The effects of cannabis are mainly caused by cannabinoids such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Marijuana can be assumed by smoking, vaporisation, within food or as an extract. It has various effects on the human body, both psychological and physiological.
While recreational use stays illegal in many parts of the world, medical use is now almost completely legal in many European countries.
In the United States the current situation is peculiar because to sell and to buy cannabis for any reason is a federal crime although it is legal to cultivate cannabis for personal use in twenty different states. Right now the number of states that legalized marijuana for medical or adult recreational use is continously growing.
Arguments about either the prohibition of cannabis or its liberalization are subjects of considerable controversy. At the same time the perception of marijuana is controversial as well. In this research the debate is explored in its profusion online and through the lenses of music.