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Legislation Of Marijuana

For many years, the United States government has prohibited some drugs, such as Marijuana, from being sold in the marketplace. Yet, even with prohibition, Marijuana use has only decreased minimally. Because of its illegality, only the bad aspects of Marijuana use have been made known. But there are many positive aspects of Marijuana legalization, including its application concerning to medical cures. As of today, in most of the states, Marijuana is classified as an illegal drug. Due to its proven medicinal purposes though, the drug should be made available for people to use.
Marijuana is a mixture of leaves, stems, and flowering tops of the Indian hemp plant, which is called in Latin "Cannabis sativa". Cannabis is a genus containing a coarse, tall, hairy annual herb that provides fiber from its stems, oil from its seeds, and drugs from its leaves and flowers. The only species of Cannabis, also called hemp or India hemp, is a native of Central Asia but is widely cultivated and found as a weed throughout North America (Encarta). Marijuana can be taken by smoking or eating it for its hallucinogenic and pleasure-giving effects. The psychoactive ingredient of Marijuana, Tetrahydrocannabinol also known as "THC", is concentrated in the flowering tops of the plant. Hashish, a drug prepared from the plant resin, has about eight times more THC than Marijuana. Known in Central Asia and China as early as 3000 BC, Marijuana was already used as a folk medicine. China played an important part in Marijuana's history. The first known record of marijuana use for medical purposes was in 2737 B.C. by a Chinese emperor by the name of Chen-Nung. He recommended it for the treatment of malaria, constipation, rheumatic pains, absent-mindedness, and female disorders. After Chen-Nung discoveries, many cultures acquired the emperor's knowledge and accepted the therapeutic benefits of the medicinal plant. For example, in India, "Cannabis has been recommended to quicken the mind, lower...