by Nicholas Ferreira

Created on: November 29, 2010

Marijuana, also known as pot, weed, or chronic, is the dried flowers, leaves, or stems of the cannabis sativa plant. Though users usually smoke marijuana, it can also be eaten, brewed into a tea, or rolled into a blunt (hollowed out cigar). People smoke marijuana because it relaxes them and elevates their mood. Most people who smoke marijuana are unaware of its potential dangers and feel that marijuana should be a legal drug. Marijuana is in fact a very dangerous drug that can leave its users with serious short term and long term consequences.

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is the most frequently used illicit drug in the United States. During the year 2006, there were an estimated 2,000,000 state and local arrests for drug abuse violations. Of the estimated 2,000,000, 4.8% were for marijuana manufacturing and 39.1% were for marijuana possession (“Marijuana: Facts”). According to the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), about 97.8 million Americans aged 12 or older tried marijuana at least once in their lifetimes (“Marijuana,” Drug Facts). That represents about 40% of the U.S. population in that age group. Marijuana, however, is used by adults just as much as it is used by teenagers. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), approximately 29% of youths reported that a few, most, or all of the adults they knew used marijuana (“Obtaining Marijuana Easy for Youths”).  Teenagers are especially attracted to marijuana because it is inexpensive and claimed to be safer than cocaine or heroin.

Most of the marijuana found in the United States is illegally grown inside a home, apartment or dormitory. According to the Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program, over 5,000,000 marijuana plants were seized in the U.S. during 2006 (“Marijuana,” Drug Facts). Marijuana is also smuggled in from Mexico. Marijuana cultivation rates are very high in Mexico and most of the marijuana produced there is destined for the United States. Drug traffickers make meeting points at various spots along the U.S.-Mexico border. According to the Office of National Drug Control, 1, 115,710 kilograms of marijuana were seized along the southwest border in 2006 (“Marijuana,” Drug Facts). Even if drug traffickers are caught at the U.S.-Mexico border it is very easy for them to flee into Mexico where they are free from U.S. laws and enforcement. There is not much

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