From my own knowledge, I know marijuana has no addictive properties. If legalized, only a very small amount of people would become heavy smokers. This brings to mind two drugs sold in the US that are huge parts of our economy, tobacco and alcohol. Both are physically addictive and kill hundreds of thousands of people every year. The greatest known fact about marijuana is in its 10,000 years of use not one single person has ever died from its effects. Alcohol is abused more than any other drug and produces violent behavior in intoxicated people. Alcohol causes neurological damage as well as damage to our organs. Thinking about these aspects of alcohol makes it look worse then marijuana, yet it is legal.

I searched the Internet for an article on the neurological effects of marijuana, because I think a person's brain is the most important part of the body. I found a real good article of a study on the long-term effects of chronic marijuana smokers. The study examined people who had smoked marijuana almost everyday for 30 years in Costa Rica. They tested each individual on numerous mental tasks like memory and abstract thinking. The results were astonishing. They scored a very small amount lower then non-pot smokers after being intoxicated for 30 years. The difference in scores was so small that they are undetectable in performing everyday tasks. The significance of this study is huge

Some common words found in the essay are:
Costa Rica, War Drugs, Eventually China, Marijuana Netherlands, Legalization Marijuana, China Britain, heavy smokers, marijuana causes, marijuana everyday, harmful effects, searched internet article, reason marijuana illegal, chronic marijuana smokers, marijuana smokers, effects alcohol, chronic marijuana, people heavy smokers, effects marijuana, reason marijuana, marijuana illegal,
Approximate Word count = 938
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)