Marijuana is not a drugHow do we define a drug? Who makes a drug illegal and why do we make it illegal? Marijuana is considered a drug; but why is it considered a drug? In this essay, I hope to convince you that marijuana does not deserve the label it has been given. I'm going to use several different examples that will prove to you that marijuana is not as harmful as people make it out to be. This is a discussion we've had in the past, when our culture was trying to prove that alcohol wasn't as bad as our government was trying to portray it. I hope that after reading this essay you will understand why people are pushing for the legalization of marijuana. The first example is that our brains are flooded with natural forms of this drug. The form of the drug I'm talking about is cannabis, which is another form of marijuana. Cannabis or marijuana has many health benefits: blocks pain, erases memories and triggers hunger. Some new studies show that they also regulate the immune system, help with reproduction, and protect the brain against stroke and trauma. Another scientific study showed that marijuana contained certain ingredients that could counteract nausea, another benefit for cancer or AIDS patients. Marijuana has been a part of our society for as long as humans can remember. Five thousand years ago, Chinese doctors used the marijuana plant to treat malaria, absent-mindedness, and female disorders. How can marijuana be illegal when the IOM Institute of Medicine has stated that marijuana is not addictive and does not appear to be a gateway drug? Being a gateway drug has been the biggest barrier to marijuana use. People say that if you use marijuana, you are more than likely to use cocaine or heroin. Now, middle of paper, this is short term memory loss. No study has ever proven that marijuana causes short-term memory loss. You can also say that acholol causes short-term memory loss, when consumed in sufficient quantities. I can also use the argument that I know people who have been using marijuana since the sixties and have six figure jobs. Many people think that marijuana is a horrible addictive drug. I hope that after reading this essay you understand marijuana better. Marijuana is a natural herb that makes you feel different when smoked. I think if we also legalized marijuana, we would be doing society a favor. Any time you can help AIDS patients or cancer patients and also contribute to the economy, it has to be a positive thing. Society considers drugs bad and illegal because our government has called marijuana a bad drug..