1. Unofficial Story
Cannabis in America

2. Around 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning
Around 50,000 people die each year from alcohol poisoning. Similarly, more than 400,000 deaths each year are attributed to tobacco smoking. By comparison, marijuana is nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose
During the temperance movement of the 1890s, marijuana was commonly recommended as a substitute for alcohol. The reason for this was that use of marijuana did not lead to domestic violence while alcohol abuse did.

3. Modern research suggests that cannabis is a valuable aid in the treatment of a wide range of clinical applications. These include pain relief -- particularly of neuropathic pain - nausea, spasticity, glaucoma, and movement disorders. Marijuana is also a powerful appetite stimulant, specifically for patients suffering from HIV, the AIDS wasting syndrome, or dementia. Emerging research suggests that marijuana's medicinal properties may protect the body against some types of malignant tumors and are neuroprotective.

4. Why are cigarettes and alcohol treated so differently than other drugs
Why are cigarettes and alcohol treated so differently than other drugs? The answer to that question lies with the pharmaceutical industry. Big pharma came on the scene long after cigarettes and alcohol were being commercially produced. There was no market for big pharma to get into. It was already taken.   Keep in mind that pharmaceutical companies can not make money on a product if it can not be patented. You can not get a patent on a tobacco plant (or a marijuana plant for that matter).

5. Enforcing marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers an estimated $10 billion annually and results in the arrest of more than 853,00 people per year -- far more than the total number of arrestees for all violent crimes combined, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault.

6. Cannabis is a medicinal herb with psychoactive effects
Cannabis is a medicinal herb with psychoactive effects. Anxiety patients are otherwise given highly addictive chemicals (Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, etc.) which make the situation dangerously worse if the medicine becomes unavailable. Cannabis is not physically addictive, and has been shown in studies to help this condition, even in teenagers.

7. Michael Phelps created a huge debate in 2009 when he was pictured smoking out of a bong. Several celebrities came out in defense of Phelps, claiming that the “world’s best swimmer” smokes marijuana, it can’t be all that bad for you. It was seen that the media was making a huge deal out of this picture, but the illegality of the drug contributed to the notoriety of the picture.