What is hemp? People say and hear this word often, but chances are they don't even know its true meaning. Hemp is a plant that produces cannabis and happens to be the most sustainable natural soft fiber on the planet (The Union). Now you might wonder how such a useful plant can be illegal. My answer is marijuana. Marijuana or cannabis is produced from hemp plants and contains a chemical called THC. This plant chemical gets you “high” when you smoke it or ingest it properly, but there is much more to marijuana than meets the eye. Marijuana has been used for thousands of years and people don't even realize it. A good majority of people in today's society believe that marijuana is a terrible drug that can kill people and ruin their lives and believe the lies that make this drug illegal. I believe marijuana should be legalized in America because it opens up countless job opportunities, has been proven to be beneficial for medical uses, and is not harmful to use, but we will come back. What many people don't know. is that before anti-marijuana laws, marijuana was used all the time. Hemp was used to make clothing, ropes and other things. Hemp started in China and made its way through India before reaching Europe. America was introduced to hemp by Christopher Columbus, and it quickly became a cash crop. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp, Henry Ford used hemp plastic to make the Model T and used hemp oil to power it. Even the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp. (The History of Marijuana). It is said that legalizing pot could save the United States at least fourteen billion dollars a year, and there would be many...... middle of paper ...... the fact that a plant also useful is illegal and could literally be America's debt savior is extremely ignorant. I like to believe that in my generation, I will see marijuana being legalized in all its aspects, but will this billion-dollar plant ever be legalized? Only time will tell. Works Cited in Bradford. “14 Ways Legalizing Marijuana Could Boost the Economy.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, November 7, 2012. Web. December 4, 2013. “Discovery Health.” Discovery of Fitness and Health. Discovery Fit and Health Writers, nd Web. December 4, 2013. “Legalization of Marijuana.” Legalize Marijuana Legal Marijuana Weed Facts. Np, and Web. December 4, 2013.The Union The Business Behind Getting High - Full Movie - High quality. Real. Brett Harvey. Perf. Adam Scorgie and Chris Bennett. 2007. YouTube. YouTube, September 7, 2012. Web. December 4. 2013.