Dirección de Educación Continua y a Distancia

Unidad Académica Profesional Cuautitlán Izcalli

DERECHO INTERNACIONAL

“INGLÉS D2”

ACTIVIDAD

“USED TO BE”

TUTOR: CARMEN VALENCIA ANAYA

ESTUDIANTE: JOSUÉ GUTIÉRREZ PALLARES

CUENTA: 1329407

Dirección de Educación Continua y a Distancia

Unidad Académica Profesional Cuautitlán Izcalli

DRUGS THAT USED TO BE LEGAL BUT NO MORE

Drugs are one of those things that always strike an immediate reaction when they're mentioned. Many people, having been brought up on school programs and anti-drug campaigns, instinctively back away from the subject. Risk-takers, on the other hand, might lean a little closer. In any case, it's a subject that everyone has some kind of opinion about. And most people can at least agree that harmful side effects—addiction, mental issues, and physical health problems—do exist and that there was some reason the government decided banning these drugs would be a good idea. But what about before they were banned? It's pretty rare for something to be created to be something awful, and to get banned immediately upon its first production. So what was it that the illegal drugs we're all familiar with were intended for? And how is it that they all ended up being illegal? Below are 2 drugs you probably didn't know had positive uses up until the government concluded that the negative effects outweighed them.

STEROIDS

The steroids we know didn't exist until the 1900's, but according to steroid.com, the use of pure testosterone as a performance enhancer dates back to the original Olympic Games. Steroids as we know them date back to 1931, when German chemist Adolf Butenant isolated the hormone androstenone from urine. Not long after, another German chemist, Leopold Ruziicka, discovered a way to synthetically make the hormone, and through a combined effort, they came up with a synthetic version of testosterone. In 1939, both of them were given a Nobel Prize for their outstanding work on making the first anabolic steroid. The rest of the story is probably more familiar. These things got mass produced and by the 1960's, anyone who wanted a steroid could go grab one off the shelf. Of course, they became popular with athletes for their performance enhancing effects—the same reason the ancient Greeks took testosterone for the Olympics. In 1972, the International Olympic Committee created the first measure against the use of steroids, requiring all competing athletes to be drug tested. The US in general started cracking down on them in 1988 with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which made them strictly prescription regulated. The 1990 Steroid Control Act made them Schedule III drugs, in the same category as medically prescribed amphetamines, opium, and morphine. They're still used for a variety of medical reasons, but they're completely prohibited outside of that. Of course, that doesn't stop people from still getting their hands on them. But today abuse of steroids could give you years in prison and a fine of $250,000 if this is the individual’s first felony drug offense. If this is the

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Unidad Académica Profesional Cuautitlán Izcallisecond felony drug offense, the maximum period of imprisonment and the maximum fine both double. While the above listed penalties are for federal offenses, individual states have also implemented fines and penalties for illegal use of anabolic steroids.

MARIJUANA

Marijuana tops the list because it's seen so much controversy recently and has actually managed to become re-legalized in a couple of states. And like everything else on this list, it was legal once before. According to Narconon, the first record of marijuana use dates back to a medical handbook from China in 2737 B.C. It spread across Asia and Africa and reached Europe around 500 A.D. Throughout its spread, it was used medicinally to treat gout, rheumatism, malaria, and absent-mindedness. It became popular as an alternative to alcohol for recreational use in the Muslim world because alcohol was forbidden by the Quran. It was introduced to America in 1545 by Spanish settlers, and it became an important cash crop for English settlers because of hemp's ability to produce fiber that could be used in manufacturing various materials. Until 1942, it was prescribed as a medicine for labor pains, nausea and rheumatism. Of course, recreational use was also widespread. In the 1930's, the US Federal Bureau of Narcotics started looking at it as a gateway drug that would lead people to serious addictions. By the 1960's, it was popular with college students and hippies as proof of their rebellion against authority. By 1970, it had been classified as a Schedule I drug along with heroin and LSD. Illegal use fell away for a while, but began an upswing again in the 1990's. Today, marijuana walks a fine line between legal and illegal, with some states allowing its use for cancer treatment purposes. Other states have finally allowed it to be decriminalized, with more considering this path with each new legislative session. Still others claim to disallow it while turning a blind eye to desperately sick patients who cannot find pain relief or solace in any other drug. But today If you have been arrested for possession of marijuana, the key factors that will affect the outcome of your case are as follows: State or federal jurisdiction. Were you arrested by federal or state law enforcement officials? If you were arrested for possession by state law enforcement, you will need to review your state’s laws. If you were arrested by federal law enforcement, most likely you were targeted for arrest because your possession was in connection with other violations such as drug trafficking, large scale grow operations, ties to criminal enterprises, or violent activities or unlawful possession of firearms. Under federal law, possession by itself is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and up to $1,000 fine for a first offense. When possession is tied with sale or other criminal enterprises, federal penalties are much harsher and categorized as felonies. Federal prosecutors may also prosecute as marijuana crimes conduct that is legal under a

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Unidad Académica Profesional Cuautitlán Izcallistate’s law. This is not common, but the rise in medical marijuana laws has prompted the federal government to periodically reevaluate its enforcement policies.

AS WE CAN SEE THOSE DRUGS USED TO BE LEGAL BUT NO MORE TODAY.