Introduction Marijuana is a psychoactive drug made from the dried leaves and flowering parts of the hem plant (Dudley, 1999). Marijuana contains an active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, known as THC. It is one of the most strictly classified illegal drugs in the United States. Marijuana is a schedule I substance. Schedule I means that marijuana has a high potential for abuse. It is illegal to buy, sell, grow, or possess marijuana in the United States. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. Marijuana is derived from the plant Cannabis.
War on Drugs Marijuana prohibition comprises a large part of the federal government’s War on Drug’s. Law enforcement officials made 600,000 marijuana-related arrests in 1995 (Gerdes, 2002). The criminal prohibition of marijuana, this represents an extraordinary degree of government intrusion into the private, personal lives of those adults who choose to use it. People convicted of marijuana offenses face penalties ranging from probation to life imprisonment, plus fines and forfeiture of property. The government spends millions of dollars annually on preventative programs such as Dare Abuse Resistance Education (DARE), in which local police officers visit schools to teach young people to refrain from trying marijuana and other drugs.
Marijuana Medical Uses Despite federal laws prohibiting marijuana in 1996, California and Arizona passed state initiatives legalizing marijuana for medical use by patients suffering from serious illness (Frater, 2005). Arizona’s referendum was invalidated five months later. Short-term health effects of the drug include memory loss, distorted perception, problems with learning and coordination, an increased heart rate and anxiety attacks. Long-term effects include increased risk of lung cancer for chronic marijuana smokers and possible damage to the immune and reproductive systems. Supporters of the California and Arizona initiatives maintain that marijuana is effective in alleviating the symptoms of medical conditions such as AIDS, glaucoma, and multiple sclerosis (Frater, 2005). Anecdotal evidence of marijuana’s efficacy, advocates claim, comes from AIDS patients who have used marijuana to restore appetite and cancer patients who have smoked it to combat nausea caused by chemotherapy treatments- often as a last resort when legally prescribed medicines have failed (Dudley, 1999).
Psychological Effects The psychological of THC and similar cannabinoids pose three issues for the therapeutic use of cannabinoid drugs. First, for some patients – particularly older patients with no previous marijuana experience – the psychological effects are disturbing (Frater, 2005). These patients reporting experiencing unpleasant feelings and disorientation after being treated with THC generally move severe for oral THC than for smoked marijuana. Second, for conditions such as movement disorders or nausea, in which anxiety exacerbates the symptoms, the anti-anxiety effects of cannabinoid drugs can influence symptoms indirectly. Third, for cases in which symptoms are multifaceted, the combination of THC effects might provide a form of adjunctive therapy; for example, AIDS wasting patients would likely benefit from a medication that simultaneously reduces anxiety, pain, and nausea while stimulating appetite.
Physiological Risks Marijuana is not a completely benign substance. It is a powerful drug with a variety of effects. The harmful effects to individuals from the perspective of possible medical use of marijuana are not necessarily the same as the harmful physical effects of drug abuse. Most people that smoke marijuana, one effect they experience diminished psychomotor performance. It is, therefore, inadvisable to operate any vehicle or potentially dangerous equipment while under the influence of marijuana. The chronic effects of marijuana are of greater concern for medical use and fall into two categories: the effects of the chronic smoking and the effects of THC (Bryson, 2001). Marijuana smoking is associated with abnormalities of cells lining the human respiratory tract (Gerdes, 2002). Marijuana smoke is an important risk factor for the development of respiratory cancer, proof that habitual marijuana smoking does or does not because cancer awaits the results of well-designed studies (Bryson, 2001).
Arguments for the legalization of marijuana
According to Stroup, “Marijuana can be harmful when abused, and its use by minors should be discouraged. However, when used responsibly and in moderation, marijuana is far less harmful than tobacco or alcohol. Its continued criminal prohibition by the government is a wasteful and destructive social policy that results in the needless arrests of thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens. Marijuana should be legalized or decriminalized! At the very least, it should be made available by medical prescription for patients who need it to alleviate suffering.”
Some believe that the government is wasting law enforcement’s resources that should be focused on truly serious crime, and it has a terribly destructive impact on the lives, careers, and families of those Americans who are arrested and jailed. Supporters think that they believe the moderate marijuana use is relatively harmless—far less harmful to the user than either tobacco or alcohol, for example—and that any risk presented by marijuana smoking falls well within the ambit of choice they permit the individual in a free society (Dudley, 1999).
Marijuana smokers have a responsibility to behave appropriately just like alcohol drinkers, and to assure that their recreational drug use is conducted in a responsible manner. Neither marijuana smoking nor alcohol consumption is ever an excuse for misconduct of any kind, and both smokers and drinkers must be held to the same standard as all Americans.
Many believe that if marijuana was legalized it would keep the prisons and jails from being overpopulated. Over 650,000 suspects are locked up every year because of drug charges. If marijuana was legalized taxpayers money could go to better things such as education and health care instead of taking care of prisoners and paying to keep them warm and night. Taxpayers would rather help the homeless and give them somewhere to stay than taking care of men and women who already have roofs over their heads and food on the table.
Arguments for maintaining the war on drugs
Mark Souder stated, “Proponents of marijuana legalization are attempting to con voters with deceptive referenda on medical marijuana. But marijuana should not be smoked as medicine because it is a harmful and addictive substance that can cause respiratory disease, mental disorders, and other health problems. Marijuana can also lead to abuse of other drugs. The government should keep marijuana illegal and strengthen its efforts to prohibit it”.
According to public-opinion polls, legalization of marijuana is not supported by the American people (Gerdes, 2002). This explains why the drug lobby carefully steers away from using the term “legalization,” preferring cryptic terms such as harm reduction, decriminalization and medication.
Laws against Drugs
The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs was created March 8, 1968, by President Johnson’s Reorganization Plan No. 1. It merged the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Narcotics and the Food and Drug Administration’s Bureau of Drug Abuse Control, transferring the functions of the two agencies to the Department of Justice. The Bureau follows three concepts: understanding, prevention, and enforcement. The Controlled Substance Act establishes five schedules of classification for controlled dangerous substances on the basis of a drug’s potential for abuse, potential for physical and psychological dependence, and medical value.
Schedule I. Schedule I drugs are deemed to have a potential for abuse, have no currency accepted medical use in the United States, and/or lack accepted safety for use in treatment under medical supervision. Marijuana is a schedule I drug.
Schedule II. Schedule II drugs have a high potential for abuse, a currently accepted medical use or a medical use with severe restrictions, and a potential for severe psychological or physical dependence.
Schedule III. Schedule III drugs have less potential for abuse than those in Schedule I and II, a currently accepted medical use in the United States, and a potential for low or moderate physical dependence or high psychological dependence.
Schedule IV. Schedule IV drugs have a low potential for abuse relative to schedule II drugs and have a current medical use in the United States; their abuse may lead to limited dependence relative to schedule III drugs.
Schedule V. Schedule V drugs must show low abuse potential, have medical use in United States, and have less potential for producing dependence than schedule IV drugs.
The criminal penalties for unauthorized manufacture, sale, or possession of controlled dangerous substances are related to the schedules as well. The most severe penalties are associated with drugs listed in schedule I and II. Drugs in schedule such as marijuana, first offense is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine of up to $1 million for an individual or up to $5 million for other than individuals.

References
Bryson, B. (2001). College Student Marijuana Use. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 41(1)351-372
Dudley, W. (1999). Marijuana. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc.
Frater, E. (2005) Marijuana and Medical Uses. The Controversy over Medical Marijuana, 82-91.
Gerdes, L. (2002). Marijuana. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc.