Legalization of marijuana is a highly debated issue in today's society. While some would believe that the law should remain unchanged, many would disagree and say that it is time for a change. Marijuana is a very misunderstood drug that is thought of as dangerous and gateway when in fact it is in anything but. Because of most people in America's ignorance of marijuana it has become illegal for all the wrong reasons and should highly be reconsidered for legalization. Many people don't understand that for centuries, marijuana has been used by different nationalities of people for religious, recreational, and medical use. So why is the legalization of marijuana in the United States such a big problem for people today? Considering many see marijuana as a gateway drug and the recreational use, marijuana has developed a negative reputation. However, many people are chronic users and believe that this drug is no more harmful than smoking cigarettes. Marijuana has been used by mi!.
llion of people for many, many years and has been proven to be safe for medical uses. Despite its useful medical effects for relieving pain and nausea, marijuana is a psychedelic drug that will be looked down upon because of false claims about it. The value of helping the medical world would far out weight its potential to be abused. Even though marijuana was illegal, its use continued in the United States. Ernest L. Abel, author of the book Marihuana states, "In 1972, the National Commission on Marihuana estimated that about twenty-four million Americans over the age of eleven had tried marijuana, at least eight million were still using it, and about half a million were using it every day" (Abel, 259). Thought to have just been a fad, the use of marijuana use still is strong in today's society. On November 27, 2001 a National Household Survey stated, "34 percent of all Americans 12 and older have tried Marijuana today" (Marijuana Remains European Illicit Drug of Choice).