Marijuana was declared an illegal drug in the USA with the passing of the Marijuana Tax Act in 1937 under dubious circumstances.1 Since that time numerous studies have shown that the drug is less harmful than tobacco and alcohol. Despite the available evidence and the enormous cost of enforcing the marijuana ban, it is hard to understand why this relatively harmless drug continues to remain illegal in the United States. This essay argues why marijuana should be decriminalized without further delay.

             Opponents of legalizing marijuana contend that it is a dangerous drug; this is far from the truth. For example, there has not been a single recorded case of death due to marijuana overdose. On the other hand, a legal intoxicant like alcohol results in the death of about 5,000 persons every year due to overdose. The reason for this is that the ratio of cannabinoids2 necessary for intoxication is 40,000:1 while that for alcohol is generally between 4:1 and 10:1. ("Answers To.," 2005) As such marijuana is one of the least toxic substances and would have to be consumed in physically impossible quantities to prove fatal. .

             As for the health effects of marijuana, a World Health Organization (WHO) Study, which was scheduled to be published in December 1997 but was suppressed by its top management due to political pressure, had reported that Cannabis fared better than alcohol and nicotine in five out of seven comparisons of long-term damage to health. (Concar, 1998) In terms of addictiveness too, most studies show that marijuana was less addictive than alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. (Quoted in "Study Compares.," 1994).

             A common myth about marijuana is that it acts as a 'gateway' drug, i.e., marijuana use leads to use of harder drugs such as heroin or cocaine. This theory is disproved by the fact that after the legalizing of marijuana in Holland in the 1970s, heroin and cocaine use declined markedly, despite a slight increase in marijuana use.