Did you know that marijuana is the third most popular drug and has been used by over 100 million Americans? According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH), marijuana is a greenish-gray mixture of dried and shredded leaves, stems, seeds and flowers of Cannabis sativa. Many people know someone who has experimented with marijuana or is currently using it recreationally. In recent years, marijuana has become one of the most popular civil liberties issues. Should it be used only for medical reasons or banned altogether? Marijuana should be used for medicinal purposes because it is beneficial to human health and the economy. Marijuana was used as early as 2737 BC in China, where marijuana was used as a treatment in the form of tea. It treated many illnesses such as gout, malaria, rheumatism and poor memory according to Emperor Shen Neng of China. When its usefulness was revealed, it quickly spread to regions such as Asia, the Middle East, parts of Africa, and even India, which used it for religious purposes. Marijuana was a well-known medicine that doctors often prescribed. They prescribed it for just about everything, from earaches to childbirth. In the late 18th century, American medical journals claimed that hemp seeds and roots could treat many illnesses, including skin inflammations and venereal diseases. Irish physician, William O'Shaughnessy was the first doctor to make medical marijuana famous. He also discovered that it was useful for nausea, rabies, cholera, etc. The positive nature of marijuana changed in the late 19th century, when approximately 3.5% of the American population became addicted to morphine. In 1906, the government implemented the Pure Fo...... middle of paper ...... Every year. HuffingtonPost. April 20, 2013. the web. November 19, 2013. Freeman, Shanna. "Well-being." Discovery Fit and Health Np, Web. November 19, 2013Joffe, Alain and W. Samuel Yancy. “Legalization of marijuana: potential impact on young people”. Pediatrics 113.6 (2004): e632-e638. Premier Academic Research. Internet. November 14, 2013.Johnson, Albert T. Medical Marijuana and Marijuana Use. New York, NY: Nova Science, 2009. “Marijuana Legalization” Print. Legalize Marijuana Legal Marijuana Weed Facts. Np, and Web. November 14, 2013. .Ruschmann, Paul. Legalize marijuana. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2004. Print.Stack, Patrick and Suddath, Claire. “Medical Marijuana”. Time. October 21, 2009. The web. November 19, 2013. “WeGrow Store.” Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. August 25, 2013. Web. November 21, 2013. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WeGrow_Store