Marijuana is a hot topic in America today. The plant is despised, usually as a harmful and useless drug. But this propaganda has been spread by the government and anti-legalization organizations for the last 20-25 years. In reality, legalizing marijuana would have a positive impact on today's society. The American people must look beyond the prevalent advertisements and publications that degrade the use of marijuana and discover its practical uses. George Washington once said to one of his servants at Mount Vernon: “Make the most of hemp seeds. Sow everywhere”. Yet today in the United States, simply possessing a marijuana or hemp plant can cost up to 10 years in prison. What has changed? The plant certainly isn't, simply the perception of its use and its applications is. Hemp has useful and practical uses. It is grown legally in over 30 countries around the world and can grow successfully without pesticides or fertilizers. It can be used to make paper products, lubricants, fabrics and plumbing pipes. Hemp takes only one growing season to reach maturity, and a single acre can produce five tons of usable hemp products. Why level forests when hemp can be used as an environmentally friendly way to produce paper? Why use synthetic materials for oil painting products when hemp can produce non-polluting drying oil used to paint masterpieces? Why kill trees when hemp is already successfully producing pulp for particle board and plywood production? The list goes on and on and these are the exact arguments raised by pro-legalization groups like MPP (Marijuana Policy Project) and NORML. (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) (Rosenthal) Marijuana also has many medical uses that have been proven effective... middle of paper... principles of the drug should be legal: solicitation, use and distribution. Many survey responses included concerns that the reason marijuana use is so popular is because it is illegal, compared to the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s. One response stated: “Part of the reason people take these drugs is because they are illegal. In the past, alcohol was the big drug that people smuggled. Now that it's legal, it doesn't seem to be as controversial a topic as it was in the past." This view on marijuana use reflects other survey responses, as well as Sergeant Kevin Smith's view on the topic. (Smith, Chandler) Marijuana is safe, useful and convenient. Legalization is favored by both law enforcement and citizens. It is time to reform marijuana laws in the United States, and this must happen now.