What is hemp? People often say and hear this word, but chances are they don't even know its true meaning. Hemp is a cannabis-producing plant and happens to be the most durable natural soft fiber on the face of the planet (The Union). Now, you may be wondering how such a useful plant could be illegal. My answer is marijuana. Marijuana or cannabis is produced from hemp plants and contains a chemical known as THC. This plant chemical gets you “high” when you smoke it or ingest it properly, but there's a lot 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 think 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 medicinal uses, and is not harmful to use, but we'll get back to that. What many people don't know is that before anti-marijuana laws, marijuana was used continuously. Hemp was used to make clothes, 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 soon became a cash crop. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew hemp, Henry Ford used hemp plastic to help make the Model T and used oil made from hemp to make it work. Even the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp. (The history of marijuana). It is said that legalizing weed could save the United States at least fourteen billion dollars a year, and there are numerous…half of paper…the fact that such a useful plant is illegal and could literally be the America's debt savior is immensely ignorant. I like to believe that in my generation I will see marijuana legalized in all aspects, but will the billion dollar plant ever be legalized? Only time will tell. Works Cited Bradford. “14 Ways Marijuana Legalization Could Boost the Economy.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, November 7, 2012. Web. December 04, 2013."Discovery Health." Discovery of shape and health. Discovery Fit and Health and Web Writers. December 4, 2013."Marijuana Legalization." Legalizing Marijuana Legal Facts About Weed Marijuana. Np, nd Web. 04 December 2013.The Union The business behind the high - Full film - High quality. Directed by Brett Harvey. Perf. Adam Scorgie and Chris Bennet. 2007. YouTube. YouTube, 7 September 2012. Web. 04 December. 2013.