Jean Paul Balzac Ms. Seijo English 10 4 February 2014 Marijuana In 1919, alcohol was made illegal across the United States with the goal to better people’s lives and make society safer. During the fourteen years that the prohibition lasted, crime rate nearly doubled, unemployment rose, and tax revenue decreased. Eventually the ban on alcohol was repealed because of its negative impact on the economy and society. Now fast forward to the year 2015, where a common substance known as marijuana is illegal. It was made illegal in the 1930’s for the same reasons as alcohol, because it was believed that it was going to do harm to society. As years have gone by, it is obvious that a mistake was made. The fact that marijuana was made illegal has created numerous problems for the United States that on the long run could have been easily avoided. Countries in different parts of the world and some states within the United States have already legalized marijuana and they have all shown positive outcomes out of their decisions. Although marijuana is illegal in majority of the states, legalizing marijuana for recreational use would bring about social and economical reforms that would help deter crime in the country, increase the amount of money the government makes, and also help people that are medically in need of the drug. Cannabis, also known as marijuana, is a depressant drug that affects the central nervous system. There are around 500 chemicals within natural marijuana but