Marijuana

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Marijuana
Hemp is the plant called "cannabis sativa" which is more commonly called marijuana.
Marijuana has been illegal in the U.S.. ever since the Great Depression. The question we
must ask ourselves is "why?" Why is a drug that has so many beneficial uses illegal? Is it
because its poisoning the youth of today? Is it because it leads to harder drugs, the health
problems, the addictiveness, the short-term memory impairment, the auto accidents, or is
it simply because politicians tell us it is for "our own good?" We have grown up learning
that marijuana is a terrible drug, and that using it gives us brain damage, kill all of our
brain cells, and makes us lose our memory. The fact is though, that marijuana does not
effect us in any of the ways listed above. The idea that marijuana impairs short-term
memory is true, but misleading. Any signs of short-term memory impairment vanish once
the user is no longer intoxicated. Mainly the reason we think marijuana is bad is because
that is what the Partnership for a Drug-Free America wants us to believe. They tell us that
marijuana will cause brain damage and memory impairment, it will kill brain cells, and
lead to more crime. But what they forget to mention is all the benefits we can receive
from legalizing marijuana. For example, the medicinal uses, and the textile and
construction uses. It is very likely that legalizing marijuana would decrease the crime
rate, and by legalizing marijuana we will save a lot of money because we won't have to
spend it on fighting marijuana as part of the War on Drugs. There are many habits much
worse than marijuana, one example being cigarette smoking. "Tobacco smoking kills
more people each year than AIDS, heroin, crack, cocaine, alcohol, car accidents, fire and
murder combined. Tobacco smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the
US. Tobacco smokers have 10 times the lung cancer of nonsmokers, twice the...