Cannabis or marijuana is one of the most well-known, cheap and easy to get drug substance in the world. Even though this drug is very common, it is very difficult to classify in one category due to the plethora of effects it can have on the human body which can also differ from person to person. Marijuana, for example can act as a depressant which means it can calm down the nerves, a very effective opioid which can relieve pain, a hallucinogen, and also a stimulant. This is why marijuana classified as a depressant with some stimulant and hallucinogenic properties. Because marijuana is so popular, it has many common names such as Weed, Pot, Reefer, Grass, Mary Jane, Herb, and Dope, etc. There are many studies done on young adults or adolescents and one of them found that more than 1.3 million American young adults suffer from marijuana addiction problems (Hartzler, et al, 2017). The legal status of marijuana is very complicated most particularly in the United States. Even though possession of marijuana is illegal all across the United States accordi
ng to federal law, the use of cannabis is legal for both recreational and medical use in states such as California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Colorado, Vermont, Michigan, Maine, Massachusetts, and Alaska. On the other states, the legal status of marijuana is either mixed, which means it can be only be used for medical purposes in states such as Maryland and North Dakota or it is still fully illegal to possess marijuana in states such as Alabama and Tennessee. Even though possession usage of marijuana is completely illegal for individuals under 18 all across the country, many cases of it being used and abused are being reported. Legalization of Cannabis for medical purposes only will not increase its usage among adolescents but the data on whether full legalization will drastically increase it is inconsistent and must be monitored more for a better understanding of the situation (Melchior, et al) but it is also important to note that adolescent usage is much lower in places where medical marijuana hasnt compared to the places it had been legalized.