The War on Drugs is a prohibition and military aid movement undertaken by the United States government intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade. In 2010 the US government spent $15 billion on the war on drugs, at a rate of $500 per second. State and local governments also spent another $25 billion. In 2007, $42 billion was spent on marijuana prohibition. That's more money than the drug war spent on all types of drugs three years earlier, when a total of $40 billion was spent. Why does our government focus on a drug that can simply be described as harmless to those who use it? Why is more money spent on this drug than highly addictive and life-threatening drugs? Marijuana is not as dangerous as people might want to make it out to be. Marijuana is a product of Cannabis stavia, a hemp plant, and is usually referred to as the leaves and flowers of the plant. Marijuana has become a popular drug with its recreational use producing a feeling of well-being. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that 21.1 million people were current users of illegal or illicit drugs, and of these people, 75 percent reported using marijuana. Illegal in most countries, this drug has many nicknames such as weed, weed, mary jane, etc. This drug is typically dried, crushed, and smoked into hand-rolled pipes or cigarettes, but can also be consumed in foods and drinks. This drug has both physical and psychological effects (Gale). The article “Is marijuana good for you?” da states that marijuana affects the brain with its key ingredient THC. The author states that “THC, a key ingredient in marijuana, binds to cannaboid receptors throughout the body. Different areas of... half of the document... n Horse: Anticommunism and the War onDrugs." Contemporary Crises 14.1 (1990): 39-55. Print.Hardy, Quentin. "Cost of Marijuana Prohibition: $42 Billion per year." Green Change. October 01, 2007. Web. March 21, 2011. Web.Klein, Joe. "Why Legalizing Marijuana Makes Sense - TIME." TIME.com. April 02, 2009. Web. March 28, 2011. Web "Marijuana." Current Issues: Macmillian Social Science Library: Gale, 2010. GaleOpposed Viewpoints In Context Web. March 21, 2011. "Doctors and the General Public Agree on the Use of Medicinal Marijuana." 480 (2005), 11-11. Print.Sophia Prashad, et al. "Smoking Marijuana Gives Teens a 'Normal' Life." .com 09 March 2010. Web 21 March 2011.