Marijuana is a misunderstood drug that is thought of as dangerous, when in fact it is anything but. The first and most basic reason that marijuana should be legal is that there is no good reason for it not to be legal. Some people ask “Why should marijuana be legalized?” but we should ask “Why should marijuana be illegal?” Although there are many perceived negative effects and misconceptions of marijuana, legalizing the banned drug may bring about positive social change. Such changes would be: improving social misunderstandings of marijuana, many health benefits, promoting economic development, and lowering crime rates due to decriminalization. Marijuana is a very prominent and controversial issue in society today. As a kid growing up, you’re constantly told of the dangers of drugs, and since marijuana is a drug, you believe that it’s dangerous but that’s not necessarily the case. Numerous people believe that marijuana users are these rebellious, dirty, lazy teenagers based on the stereotypes against the typical pot smoker. But you’d be surprised as to how many celebrities use the drug recreationally and still be able to be a role model to thousands around the world. Michael Phelps, one of the most successful and famous Olympic athletes of all time, has admitted to using marijuana. Even after he confessed, he was still able to compete in the next Olympics and he is still an “American hero.” One major argument against marijuana legalization is that if cannabis is made legal, then it will get into the hands of our children. This has been proven untrue; there is even a counter-argument that states it is in fact easier for children to get marijuana than it is for them to obtain alcohol. Many people argue that consuming marijuana greatly increases your chance of doing harder drugs like cocaine and heroin. Just because most people that do hard drugs started with marijuana does not mean that marijuana will cause people to do harder drugs. By this logic, you shouldn’t eat meat because it leads to cannibalism. Also, it’s never reported that cigarettes are a “gateway drug.” How many people do you think tried smoking a cigarette or drinking alcohol before smoking marijuana? By the “gateway drug” theory, it should be cigarettes and alcohol that are leading people to meth and heroin, not marijuana. If marijuana is so negative to your health then why do doctors prescribe it to patients? There has to be some benefits if a socially acceptable figure would prescribe something that is terrible and will negatively impact your health. Using marijuana for medicinal purposes is not a recent discovery. In fact, written references to use medical marijuana date back nearly 5,000 years. Western medicine embraced marijuana’s medical properties in the mid-1800s, and by the beginning of the 20th century, physicians had published more than 100 papers in medical literature recommending its use for a variety of disorders. Today, thousands of patients are able to use marijuana as an effective method of treatment for their ailments. Marijuana can be used as medicine because it helps to stimulate appetite and relieve nausea in cancer and AIDS patients. Marijuana can also help people with glaucoma by reducing their intra-ocular pressure (IOP), help reduce spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients, prevent the formation of deposits in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease, diminish the chances of breast cancer spreading throughout the body, promote the death of brain cancer cells by essentially helping them feed upon themselves in a process called autophagy, eliminate dependence on opiates, and control Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis symptoms. The most addictive drug, even above heroin, is nicotine. After nicotine and heroine comes cocaine, and then alcohol. Below that is caffeine, and at the very bottom of the chart is marijuana. In 2006, alcohol contributed to 85,000 deaths in the United States. In 2000 alone, tobacco contributed to a