With all the hype about marijuana and the countless benefits the herb offers, it really does make one wonder why it and its relative, hemp, are illicit. The herb is even difficult to study as it was placed as a controlled substance in 1970. It was also added into the most restrictive category and said to have no medicinal value. According to Popular Science it was even said that the herb had a high potential for abuse (another reason it was placed in category Schedule 1). These claims about the herb sound as though they conform to the rules, that they are a conclusion about the plant and its capabilities, right? Not necessarily. Although it takes the obtaining of many licenses and permits to study the herb, we have learned a great deal about marijuana.

To gain a little more understanding of marijuana I took a brief look at its history. I wanted to discover why it was so harshly judged when it was said to have such great benefits and had already even delivered them in a multitude of cases. Could such a plant that keeps on giving really have a history that gives right to deem the herb invaluable? Not really, according to PBS and attn.org, hemp was a plant that the government encouraged farmers to grow through the 1600s and on into the late 1800s. In 1619, the Virginia Assembly had decided to require farmers to grow hemp. Things were looking up for the two cannabis species. They were being seen for their true potential. But this all changed around 1910, the time of the Mexican revolution. As things heated up, many Mexican immigrants fled into the southern United States.

With them, the Mexicans brought a form of cannabis that they had their own use for. They called it “marihuana” and smoked it recreationally. This was venturing into uncharted territory for white Americans and they started to become concerned about this herb that was oh so different to them. The Americans didn’t smoke marijuana recreationally like the Mexicans did. Not long after the arrival of immigrants, the Americans in the south became concerned with the growing population of Mexicans. Headlines were starting to read “Mexican Menaces” and refer to the race as going crazy on marijuana. The further decline of the herb’s reputation was in 1915 when the Texas city, El Paso, banned the plant. They even deported those Mexicans that chose to continue smoking it. Doctors had even begun to make up stories and claims saying things like “it kills children and will make them insane for the rest of their lives”. These claims and the stories about the now infamous marijuana began to build momentum and a campaign against the plant. In 1937 a film called “Reefer Madness,” and a few others, had come out based on the plant and its negative effects seemingly causing 46 states out of 48 to ban the use of marijuana. Before its ban, it seemed as though marijuana was a reflection of the Mexican race: something new and threatening. Its ban may have resulted from the association with the Mexican people, basing its ban almost entirely on racist ideologies.

From then on, the negative thoughts and associations mounted and the plant even began to be referred to as a drug. Laws and restrictions surrounded the plant and its use. Hemp had even been banned along with marijuana. However, there is large possibility that politics aided in the unjustly banning of hemp because of its threat to businesses, as the plant has many uses and could replace trees and other materials. I will point out the many uses and benefits of Hemp and marijuana, but we will skip the details regarding the political aspect of the illegalizing of the plants.

What we all should know about these two seemingly magical plants is first, starting with their roots, hemp and marijuana can be grown in pretty much any soil and require little to no pesticides. Hemp, the plant that could save millions of trees, can be used to make paper, plastic, clothes and more. And all of these things are non-toxic! It would take a tree 20 to 30 years before it could be used commercially whereas hemp can be used in about four months. Wow! This fact is amazing, shining a light on the question: Why is hemp illegal? Allowing its legalization could aid environmental decline and reduce pollution.

I could go on, but I would like to change focus to marijuana, the plant that also gives. Medical marijuana's long list of its gifts goes something like, the plant is said to cure cancer, decrease anxiety, help with PTSD, slow Alzheimer’s, and much more. It is also widely used recreationally, as the Mexicans were said to do first, and is considered to be much safer than alcohol. These are only a few of the things the plants do for us, but I am confident that there are many undiscovered benefits yet to be uncovered. But if we don’t want to look at the medicinal and environmental benefits, then look at the money aspect of it. Colorado legalized marijuana in 2012 and made $996 million in the year 2015. I’m sure the state is happy with the taxes collected from those sales. For other states to follow suit would be to everyone’s benefit. Why not let this wonderful plant grow in the states again? Who or what can it hurt? We really don't know yet (since we are limited when it comes to studying it.)