The marijuana plant comes in many different forms and names. It's sometimes referred to as grass, hemp, pot, ganja, and cannabis sativa. The active ingredient, what produces the high, in marijuana is THC (tetrahydrocannabinal). As of now, marijuana is considered a schedule I drug by the federal government. Having marijuana cate

In our national efforts to conserve trees that are hundreds of years old, this multi-purpose plant is an excellent alternative material. Hemp produces more pulp per acre than timber on a sustainable basis (one acre of hemp equals an entire four acres of forest), and can be used for every quality of paper (USDA 1). Hemp paper manufacturing can reduce waste-water contamination and it's low lignin content reduces the need for acids used in pulping, and its creamy color lends itself to environmentally friendly bleaching instead of harsh chlorine compounds. Less bleaching results in less dioxin and fewer chemical by-products. It can also be recycled more times. In addition, hemp fiberboard produced by Washington State University was found to be twice as strong as wood-based fiberboard. Another benefit is hemp fiber paper resists decomposition, and does not yellow with age when an acid-free process is used.

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The third quality that marijuana is said to possess, as a schedule I, is also the most ludicrous. The DEA states, "There is a lack of accepted safety for use of the drug under medical supervision." This one is a joke. Persons under the effects of marijuana are most often calm, sluggish, and responsive to commands. What's so unsafe about a passive, giggling person that's preoccupied with getting something to eat? An individual high on cannabis not a danger to themselves or others. There is sense and there is nonsense. The claim that marijuana is unsafe under medical supervision is nonsense.

Dr. Robert Hepler, neuro-opthalmologist with the Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA, published a major study (Journal of the American Medical Association 217) in 1971 demonstrating that cannabis lowers intraocular pressure in the eyes. Glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness, is a condition in which intraocular pressures build up causing optical damage. Cannabis has been proven to reduce these pressures far better than legal drugs, allowing glaucoma patients to keep their vision so long as they use cannabis regularly.

Perhaps the most common myth about smoking marijuana is that it kills brain-cells. When in fact, it has the exact opposite effect on cells. THC is a neuroprotective antioxidant that extends brain-cell life span (A. J. Hampson 1). See, I bet you would have never thought. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. There has been an enormous amount of negative propaganda spread around through the years, and that's exactly what it is, propaganda.

The paramount reason that marijuana should be legalized is for recreational use. This part of the issue of legalization is the primary goal of most pro-marijuana activists. Why should you and the rest of America care about this issue? First and foremost, because it is wrong in principle for the government to criminalize such personal behavior. A government that cannot make it a crime for an individual to drink a martini should, for the same reasons, not be permitted to make it a crime to smoke marijuana. John Stuart Mill said it perfectly back in 1857 in his famous essay, On Liberty: "Over himself," he wrote, "over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign." And Americans certainly behave as if they believe that. As I stated earlier, marijuana is the third most popular drug in America after alcohol and nicotine with approxima

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