Since the 1960s the plant species Cannabis sativa L., also known as marijuana, has been the topic of much controversy, being illegal, in its medicinal and recreational implementations. The reasons for its illegality, however, are just not sound enough, when they are compared to the potential positive outcomes of legalization. As an illegal substance, all the positive properties, locked in the psychoactive cannibinoid delta-9-THC, are not available to people who may want or need them. If all the negative side effects of marijuana are listed, it would be apparent they are similar to the characteristics of negative side effects of alcohol, legal opiates and cigarettes (all legal), which makes it hypocritical to condemn one substance, but endorse and tax the others when they are equally destructive. Legalization isn't just motivated by the, "that's not fair" notion, it is, also, motivated by the fact that legalization could improve so many other aspects of society, if implemented properly. .
Though there are obvious serious medical uses for marijuana, they will not be addressed, since, in Canada, marijuana can be prescribed. Unfortunately marijuana is not used for certain milder medical applications because of its illegal status. Marijuana is a drug that on a very regular basis will put you into a sleepy state, thus, when someone is stressed to the point they cannot sleep, instead of taking Nyquil, a costly alcohol-related product which can make users reliant, the stressed subject could smoke, or even ingest some marijuana with, more or less, the same results. Victims of injuries could save themselves from becoming reliant on Tylenols and Advils (whose active drugs acetaminophen, codeine, or anti-inflammatory agents could be nearly replaced by THC) by choosing marijuana. Anorexia, should the victim choose, could be eliminated by, "the munchies," where the user's appetite substantially increases and more foods seem desirable.