by Kenneth Torres-Collins

Created on: June 12, 2010

Marijuana, when burned and inhaled, builds up tar in the lungs over time, however, this is the case for burning anything.  One can burn and inhale paper alone and it will coat the lungs with tar eventually. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that marijuana, if consumed in any other way besides smoking, is detrimental in any way.  On the contrary, it has numerous benefits. When evaluating marijuana, it's rather astounding how little people truly know about it and the arguments against it, more often than not, are a direct result of ignorance.

People believe that our society has recently undergone some sort of “enlightenment” regarding marijuana and its true effects. The opposite is true, marijuana has been illegal for less than a century in the US and people are already realizing that there is absolutely no reason for its condemnation; it's decriminalized in half of the US and medically legal in a quarter. So, if anything, the only enlightenment that's been achieved recently is the realization that marijuana shouldn't be illegal, especially not while tobacco and alcohol aren't.

Marijuana is addictive only mentally, yet, so is any substance. Food can be, so can television and the internet; while people point the finger towards marijuana as the potential downfall of American youth, they should perhaps take into account that “the average American now watches more than 151 hours of TV a month” (Los Angeles Times). This could be the “mysterious” reason for America's lack of productivity.

Marijuana, according to a study involving several doctors, is less addictive than caffeine.

Another common superstition is the idea that marijuana is a “gateway” drug, but history and scientific studies prove otherwise. When marijuana was partially legalized in the Netherlands in the 70's, the sales of harder drugs such as “crack” cocaine or heroine decreased significantly. “Marijuana is not a 'gateway' drug that predicts or eventually leads to substance abuse, suggests a 12-year University of Pittsburgh study”. (Science Blog). According to this 12 year study, alcohol and tobacco should be given the “gateway” drug label instead, as people were more likely to move on to harder drugs from first using those than from marijuana.

Marijuana has been a vital part of many indigenous tribe's rituals throughout the history of humanity and its usage has been traced back to as early as 7000

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