According to the 2001 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 12 percent of Americans ages 12 and older reported using illegal drugs in the past year (Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse, 2003). Some of the most popular drugs include marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. With such widespread use around the world, illegal drugs have serious social and political impacts. At a social level, drug use spreads rapidly and is closely linked to crime. Politically, drug use triggers the debate between prohibition and legalization. The most abused drug in the United States is marijuana, or cannabis. It has been used since ancient times in South and East Asia. It quickly spread to the Middle East and later to North Africa. In 1545 the Spanish brought the plant to America. The cannabis plant was grown for fiber until it was replaced by cotton in the late 1800s. Between 1850 and 1940, marijuana was used as a prescription drug, as well as an intoxicant. In 1970, the government classified marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance. This means that the drug has a high potential for abuse without an accepted medical use. Since then it has been illegal to prescribe, use or possess marijuana. (History of Marijuana, n.d.)Marijuana is a psychoactive drug that can be used to produce euphoria. It can be smoked, mixed with food, or brewed as a tea. The main chemical in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC. This chemical affects, among other things, the parts of the brain that control pleasure, memory and perception. Therefore, if on the one hand smoking marijuana produces pleasure, on the other hand it also causes distorted perception and difficulties in memory and learning. Furthermore, marijuana also has other physiological effects on those who use it. Marijuana intoxication......the focus of the National Drug Control Policy document......and website: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/factsht/drugdata/index.htmlMarijuana-Related Crime drug. (n.d.). Retrieved from the National Center for Victims of Crime website: http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewer&DocumentID=32348History of Marijuana. (n.d.). Retrieved from Narconon International website: http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/marijuana-history.htmlNIDA InfoFacts: Marijuana. (2010, November). Retrieved from the National Institute on Drug Abuse website: http://drugabuse.gov/infofacts/marijuana.htmlShould marijuana be legalized under any circumstances? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.balancedpolitics.org/marijuana_legalization.htmUnited Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (1995, March 12). The social impact of drug abuse. Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org/pdf/technical_series_1995-03-01_1.pdf