Should Recreational Marijuana be Legal? According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), marijuana is proven to be the most commonly used drug in the United States. Despite this known fact, the drug is legal for recreational uses in only nine states. The legalization of recreational marijuana is a controversial topic that has been debated by the government countless of times weighing its benefits versus its risks. Marijuana, also known as weed, originated in Asia 500 B.C as an herbal medicine; however, in the early 1900s, it began to be used for recreational purposes. In 1937, a federal law called Marijuana Tax Act was passed, which effectively criminalized sale, possession, and transfer of the plant excluding industrial uses. It wasn’t until 1970 that Marijuana was considered a “Schedule 1 Drug,” where it was grouped in the same category as LSD, heroin, and ecstasy. In 1996, several states passed a law that allowed marijuana to be used for limited medical purposes in order to treat patients with certain health issues. In 2014, Colorado became the first state to legalize the recreational use of weed. The effects of marijuana both physically and mentally are only partly responsible for the dispute of its legal status as the government has to also take into consideration its effect on the economy and youth. In this essay, I will be discussing the pros and cons of the legalization of marijuana. Although studies show that marijuana is the least harmful recreational