Marijuana, also known as hemp, pot, grass, weed, hash, chronic, as well as many other slang terms, has been around since 3750 B.C (Brief 1). It was a drug used in ancient times to get a feeling of euphoria. Even in the early 1900's, marijuana was a socially acceptable drug. However, a man named William Randolph, a popular journalist in America around 1930, began to write articles about "lazy Mexican marijuana smokers raping women and children after smoking the drug" (brief). Since most of the population in prison at the time was minorities, he began to gain the public's interest about why people were attacking citizens. Randolph was saying it was due to the drug. The public began to believe that if you smoked marijuana, you would perform unspeakable crimes against others as well. .
As word spread about this evil drug, Harry J. Ainslinger became aware of the publics fear about it. Since he was the new head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (known today as the Drug Enforcement Agency) and a good friend of William Randolph, he decided to put an end to the publics fear and make his friend look like a good reporter (Brief 2). This would give him a good public perception early in his career as well. On April 14, 1937 marijuana became a schedule one narcotic substance, meaning it was a drug with no medical value and it was so dangerous that it "must be suppressed" (Brief). This drug was banned even though there was not sufficient evidence to do so. As the years went on, many studies would prove that marijuana was not as harmful as once believed. By the 1960's, marijuana use was back in full swing. Many people in society today believe that marijuana is indeed a dangerous drug and should never be legalized; however, it is the most widely used illegal drug in the United States and many believe that legalization would help solve many problems similar to what we faced with alcohol prohibition.
People who are against marijuana being legalized say it is in fact a dangerous drug for many reasons.