Marijuana has been used as an agent to achieve euphoria since ancient times (Narconon International, p. 1, par. 1). It was used in ancient Chinese culture as a medical component as early as 2737 BC (Narconon International, p. 1, par. 1). Its use began to spread in Pacific culture and finally ended up in Europe around 500 AD (Narconon International, p. 1). In this primitive culture it was believed to have medical effects that helped with rheumatism, gout, malaria and even absent-mindedness. It was only when the drug reached Indian culture that it began to be used as a recreational drug due to the intense euphoria it caused (Narconon International, p. 1, par 1). However, it was the Muslims who made the drug widespread and popular in Persia and North Africa. In 1545 the Spanish introduced the drug into European culture which eventually brought the drug to America and it has since become a staple in American culture as we see it today. It wasn't until the Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified marijuana along with heroin and LSD as a Schedule I drug (Narconon International, p.1, paragraph 5). In America today, marijuana is one of the most controversial issues in Congress. Leaders are using their views on legalization as part of their advertising campaigns. On June 23, 2011, DC lawmakers introduced a bill to Congress to officially legalize the use of marijuana in the United States. Nearly eight hundred thousand arrests are made on marijuana charges each year (Congress to Legalize Marijuana, 2011). The idea that the War on Drugs campaign started by Nixon when he was in office was perceived as a failure. With this, though, in 1979 marijuana use was at 13.9% and in 2008 that figure dropped... to the middle of the paper... as crime, violence and drug use increased , legalizing marijuana today would be a senseless and senseless bill to pass. In the 1960s, marijuana was a common plant grown naturally and mostly free of the chemical additives that make the drug so dangerous today. Marijuana is one of the easiest drugs to combine and add other drugs that intensify the high in those who smoke it today compared to those who smoked it fifty years ago. It has had no proven medical benefits in humans and remains a harmful and addictive drug for those who use it. “Pot”, “grass”, “herb”, “weed”, “Mary Jane”, “reefer”, “skunk”, “boom”, “gangster”, “kif”, “chronic” and “ganja” are some of the common street names of drugs that everyone still knows, most people couldn't tell you the name of all the US presidents from the country where they were born and raised.