The legalization of marijuana has been a hotly debated topic for many years. From the first president to the most recent, our nation's leaders have consumed the plant known as weed. With such influential figures openly using this drug, why is it so frowned upon? Marijuana is considered a gateway drug, a threat to society and mentally harmful to its users. For some people, weed causes a sense of anxiety, dizziness, or unsettling sensations. Like alcohol, tobacco, or any other drug, these chemicals may not respond well to your body. For other people, marijuana brings joy, a sense of relief, and relieves daily stress. For those associated with cannabis, purposes usually range from a relaxant, or commercial crop, to more permissible uses such as medicine and ingredients to produce many other materials. Now we have to see what would change if marijuana were legal. The benefits to the economy and agriculture, health problems and crime rates are three areas worth considering. By discussing the pros and cons of this plant we can better understand marijuana. From there it will be easier to reach a clear consensus on what is best for the nation. Before we can discuss the topic of marijuana we must first understand the subject. Marijuana also known as weed, cannabis or reefer is a green plant that grows practically everywhere. Cannabis that commonly grows up to 8 feet in length can be consumed through digestion or inhalation. The only part of the plant that is consumed is the flower or bud. The stem and leaves of the plant can be broken down to produce other materials. From this plant we could create consumer textiles, industrial textiles, paper, building materials, foods, industrial products and hygiene products... half the paper... just over half of all the drugs apprehended in the United States. The budgetary effects of marijuana prohibition state that prison costs amount to approximately $14 billion per year for taxpayers (Friedman). Marijuana is indeed a menace and the high level of police attention required is eating up taxpayer money. This constant battle known as “The War on Drugs” has been going on for about 75 years now and has only gotten worse in recent years. This drug is not only harmful to society in economic terms, but can also impair vision and reaction times. The researchers found that THC activates microglial cells, which are immune cells in the cerebellum. These microglial cells then induced inflammation in the cerebellum, which resulted in learning and coordination problems (Rettner par.5). Considering that it is almost impossible to test the drug, this poses a control problem.