In 1937, with the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act, the United States effectively banned recreational and medicinal use of marijuana. Many nations followed suit and, in 1961, through the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, fifty-four nations agreed to "adopt such measures as may be necessary to prevent the misuse of, and illicit traffic in the leaves of the cannabis plant." Despite all this, cannabis has become the most widely used illicit drug in the western world. Even though of its popular use, harmless effects, and medicinal qualities, marijuana is still illegal in the United States. Government-sponsored commissions have documented the effects of marijuana for many years now and they believe that the drug is relatively harmless. They also recommend the elimination of criminal sanctions for consumption-related offenses. After the Opium Act of 1976 in Holland, the Dutch government identified cannabis as a "soft drug" and started to allow possession or cultivation of up to 30 grams as activities "not for prosecution, detention, or arrest." There have also been movements in Australia that are getting to be close to legalization. Many countries have started to move on from marijuana prohibition, realizing that the drug can do more good than bad.
             Many people, and not only marijuana users, believe that the effects of marijuana are hardly dangerous. The effects have been known to calm people down and put them in a relaxed state. This is different than the effects that alcohol creates. Alcohol is known to be a depressant, but only in high doses. In smaller doses, the effects seem stimulating, they induce feelings of excitement and activation. People also know the risk of putting someone behind the wheel who has been drinking, even if it has been only a couple of drinks. Driving under the influence of marijuana is known not to be as dangerous. However, it can reduce the ability to judge distances making driving somewhat of a ...