Should illicit drugs be legalized? When many people hear this question, they think it means making them available to everyone. It's not like that. I believe that through limited legalization of illegal drugs, medical marijuana can be used to its full potential, money can be saved, and crime rates will decrease. . These are just some of the things that will happen if legalization occurs. The costs of researching and processing invoices for legalization might be high, but the rewards would be great. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The use of these now illegal drugs goes back a long time. The first documented medical use of marijuana dates back to 2737 BC by a Chinese emperor named Shen Nung. This emperor was one of the first to use the drug to eliminate pain in his body. Marijuana was also used in 200 AD when a Chinese doctor mixed cannabis resin with white wine to produce a surgical anesthetic. Reports in the 1860s suggest that the use of opium was successful in numbing amputee patients. These drugs were the first painkillers that work just as well and sometimes better than modern drugs. Only a few illicit drugs have medical benefits when used. For example, marijuana is known to be an excellent pain reliever. As stated in the June 1994 edition of The World and I, Lester Grinspoon claims that “18 months of scientific testing of medical marijuana and listening to testimonials from doctors and patients have revealed that the active components of marijuana appear to be useful in treating pain, nausea, AIDS-related weight loss, muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis, and other problems.” But these reports are not sufficient evidence for legalization. Further steps need to be taken. Everyone needs to be aware of the effects of drugs and the sensations felt when they are used. When smoked, marijuana causes users to feel less pain and have a greater appetite. Feeling less pain is helpful when dealing with arthritis victims. HIV-infected patients may also turn to marijuana for help. When a person is infected with HIV, he loses his appetite and therefore loses weight. This is called “waste” and can be eliminated by smoking marijuana. Smoking this drug can be harmful in its natural illicit state. It contains three times more tar and five times more carbon monoxide than tobacco. These chemicals are what's holding back legalization. If the active components of marijuana that alter a person's feelings were harnessed, then the drug could be legalized as a Schedule II drug. A Schedule II drug is a drug classified for medical use only where a Schedule I drug is defined as any illegal drug for all ages and uses. Not many reports have been confident that cocaine or any other illicit drug besides marijuana has any medical benefit. Studies have shown that cocaine has a use as a paralyzing agent but is also very harmful to the rest of the body. Prohibition is the period in the early 20th century when alcohol was outlawed. From this we can learn about the effects of drug bans and how people react to them. In the 1920s, after the passage of the 18th Amendment, the crime rate in the United States increased and so did the death rate. The same things happened with the prohibition of marijuana and other illicit drugs. In England, where alcohol was legal in the.