"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance. It is a species of intemperance within itself, for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man's appetite by legislation, and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A Prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded." (36123)

His opinions were the same as some Americans feel today over the prohibition of drugs. The criminalization of marijuana, and other substances, has violated the people?s rights. Legalizing marijuana would vastly improve society today.

Possessing marijuana was criminalized when Congress passed the Marijuana Tax Act, in 1937. (Marijuana Legalization) It has done little to prevent people from using the herb. Currently marijuana is the most commonly used illegal substance in America. In 1998, 76.5million people had browsed the Internet and 71 million had smoked marijuana. (Bonsor)

Marijuana is the dried buds and leaves of the female Cannabis sativa plant. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, THC, the main psychoactive chemical, is one of 400 found in the plant. THC affects t

In 1996, voters in California approved a law that relaxes regulations on medical marijuana. The federal government cannot take action against California doctors who recommend marijuana to their patients. Since then Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Alaska, Maine, and Nevada have passed similar laws. In the recent 2002 election Nevada had Question 9. Question 9 if passed would allow adults to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana for personal use. This has been the closest to decriminalizing marijuana the United States has seen since the herb was criminalized. (Stein 58)

Marijuana has become a major factor in the American ?Drug War.? By legalizing marijuana it will reduce the violence that is being caused by the ?Drug War.? Former Mayor of Baltimore Kurt Schmoke is a strong believer in legalizing marijuana and all other drugs. In the article, The War on Drugs Is Lost he says,

Mr. Schmoke also states, that by legalizing marijuana, the crime rate will decrease in the United States. The streets of America will automatically become much safer. The drug dealers would be put out of business, and the shootouts over drug related crimes would end. Nadelman states, ?One year after [Drug] prohibition is repealed, 1,600 innocent people who would have died at the hands of drug criminals would be alive.? Instead of drug addicts shoplifting, mugging, breaking into homes, and stealing from others to pay outrageous prices for marijuana from dealers they could support their habit by simply holding an honest, decent paying job. (Unanswered)

Opponents claim marijuana is a gateway drug. They say that by doing marijuana you are more likely to move towards ?hard drugs.? These hard drugs are substances like heroin, cocaine, and LSD. If a person starts to use marijuana that over time they will get bored with the ?marijuana high? and move to the ?hard stuff? to get a better and more intense high. Commercials will show parents who tell stories of their child stating out using pot and moving to become crack addicts. There is no doubt that this has happened but there have been no studies that have been conclusive enough to prove or disprove that marijuana causes this. It is just a theory that some hold as fact.

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