My World: Legalize Marijuana

Marijuana needs to be legalized. It has been used medicinally and recreationally for thousands of years, yet the U.S government made it federally illegal in the 1970s. The government tried prohibition against alcohol, which we all know failed miserably, and in fact was the birthplace of organized crime. So why keep marijuana illegal? In this piece I will disprove common misconceptions and myths about marijuana and then highlight the health benefits that it provides.
Marijuana does not kill brain cells. Even the government acknowledges that. The myth that cannabis kills brain cells came from a hand full of animal experiments in which structural changes (not actual cell death, as is often alleged) were observed in brain cells of animals exposed to high doses of pot. This work was never replicated and has since been discredited by a pair of much larger studies. Neither study found any evidence of physical alteration in the brains of monkeys exposed to daily doses of pot for up to a year.
Marijuana is not a gateway drug. There is no scientific evidence for the theory that marijuana is a "gateway" drug. The cannabis-using cultures in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America show no aptness for other drugs. The gateway theory took hold in the 1960's, when marijuana became the leading new recreational drug. It was refuted by events in the eighties, when cocaine abuse exploded at the same time marijuana use declined.
Cannabis is actually extremely healthy and beneficial to humans; we have THC receptors in our brains. In fact, cannabis is being looked at as a possible cure for cancer. In May of 2012, comedian Tommy Chong was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He chose to treat his cancer solely with hemp oil, a form of marijuana. Four months later, Mr. Chong was 99 percent cancer free. His story isn't the only one; there are countless stories just like his. Marijuana has also been proven to fight stress and depression, glaucoma, seizures, Alzheimer's, Tourette's syndrome, ADD and ADHD, pre-menstrual syndrome, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and arthritis.
Marijuana needs to be legalized. Approximately 100,000 Americans die a year from prescription drugs. Marijuana has never killed anybody. In a recent online poll conducted by Huffington Post, 56 percent of Americans want marijuana to be legalized. If this is what the people want, why then is the government keeping it from us? If you are against marijuana, I implore you to do your own research into it. In today's world, you really have to do your own digging if you want to find the truth.