Cannabis sativa or marijuana, as it is commonly known around the world, is a hard drug with unwanted side effects for users. This is why it is an illegal drug in most parts of the world. However, according to research statistics, this illegality still leads to a sharp increase in the number of users as well as those who initiate this practice every year, with the United Nations placing it at the top of the list of widely used illicit substances in the world. (UNODC 198). Having previously worked in a number of juvenile delinquency and correctional facilities in California, I have observed and participated in the many means, methods and tactics employed by the government to reduce the use of cannabis sativa with little success. Instead, the number of crimes related to drug use was increasing, as were those who used them. It then occurred to me that making marijuana use illegal was not a good solution to its negative causes, which also include the negative reputation associated with its use. It would therefore have been preferable to legalize its use, thus reducing the rate of its use and therefore the rates of physical and mental disorders associated with it. Therefore, on this subject, I will provide the reasons why I advocate for its legalization in most countries where its use is not permitted, against those provided by anti-cannabis activists. Due to the psychoactive and physiological effects that the drug possesses when consumed just a small amount is recommended to achieve these effects. Other effects associated with the use of the drug include common short-term effects, both physical and neurological. They include increased heart rate, low blood pressure, impaired short-term or working memory in addition...... middle of paper ...... eaten and at the recommended level as well as a reduction in the number of people arrested due to its possession. This adds to the good news that with proper counseling one can quit smoking marijuana. Works Cited Connelly, J. “The Real Reefer Madness: Medical Marijuana Regulation.” Seattle PI May 1, 2011:Par 4-8.Gerber, R. “Marijuana Legalization: Drug Policy Reform and the Politics of Prohibition.” » Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004. Print. Kaufman, M. “Study Finds No Link Between Cancer and Marijuana.” Washington Post May 26, 2006: Par 1-7. Torabi, M, W Bailey and M Majd-Jabbari. "Smoking as a predictor of alcohol and other drug use by children and adolescents: evidence for the 'drug gateway effect'." The Journal of School Health (1993): 63 (7): 302-306.UNODC. “World Drug Report 2010”. United Nations publication (2010): 198.