Marijuana, also known as Cannabis, is a very controversial drug. With the American public being more informed regarding health, strong opinions on both sides of the marijuana argument have developed in regards to why the Government and other establishments are so opposed to re-evaluating the use of marijuana, whether for recreation or medical use. Marijuana has been researched, analyzed, studied, and proven to have positive impacts on the American society. A couple of these impacts are a boost to the economy (additional taxes) and health care (medical benefits). It is going to take society becoming more educated and with up-to-date scientific data to prove or disprove previous misconceptions about the drug and finally remove the bad reputation that this drug has garnered. During the late 19th century through the early 1920’s, marijuana was legal and a widely used ingredient for medicinal purposes and even sold at local pharmacies. In 1937, the US passed a law that ultimately ended up prohibiting sales and use of the drug in the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 in an effort to control the Mexican immigrant population in the Southwest. The Act, after being deemed unlawful, was replaced by the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970. The federal government lists marijuana as a Schedule 1 narcotic which defines it as “narcotic drugs with no known acceptable medical use, that carry a high abuse potential” (Drug Enforcement Agency [DEA]). Regardless of the barriers in place by the government, marijuana health benefits are being found at an extraordinary rate. According to the late Dr. Tod Mikuriya, a former director for the National Institute of Mental Health Center for Narcotics and Drug Abuse Studies, he stated “After dealing with about 10,000 patents in the last 15 years, I'd say about 200 different medical conditions respond favorably to cannabis."