Marijuana, a drug that has been studied for many decades, provides for a very controversial argument. Many people in society are aware of the harmful and long-term effects of marijuana, and therefore are strongly opposed to such a drug. However, there exists another array of opinions of which are focused heavily on the benefits of marijuana in the medical industry, as well as the pleasurable benefits that marijuana may bring to many individuals. Though there exists some evidence that marijuana could serve as a useful drug in the industry of medicine, it should not be considered for legalization because thebenefits are greatly outweighed by the vast evidence that states the numerous harmful and long-term effects of marijuana.Marijuana, although now being recognized for possessing a few medical benefits, actually poses an even greater harm to its users. The pendulum of advantages and disadvantages to the legalization of marijuana clearly swings to the numerous harmful effects associated with marijuana. Historically, marijuana has been used in the aid of treating such illnesses as anorexia, asthma, depression, and cancer. Yet, extensive research has proven marijuana to cause damages to major organs such as the brain, heart, lungs, and immune system. (1) Also, in 1992, when the federal government halted their research on the medicaluses of marijuana, the drug had just about completed the requirements for a new drug approval, totally overlooking the copious number of patients that did not like the psychoactive effects of the drug. (2) In addition, marijuana imposes extremely hazardous effects upon newborn children of pot-smoking mothers. Researchers in Texas discovered that the risk of genetic damage to newborns is high if expecting mothers consume marijuana during pregnancy. The babies become considerably at risk of birth defects and cancer. Researchers also uncovered the horrible fact that blood drawn from umbilical cords of newborns in ...