Since the mid-1930s, marijuana has been considered illegal at the federal level. This stems from pure propaganda and incorrect facts which, in turn, has brainwashed individuals, dissuading them from the positive aspects of the drug. Feel the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. The perception of marijuana in our country has gotten completely out of control, preventing our country from reaping its positive benefits. These benefits contrast with the complete failure of the ban in the respective articles detailed in this summary. Many believe that marijuana prohibition has been a complete failure in many ways, but how exactly is it impacting our country? In the article “Top Ten Reasons to End Marijuana Prohibition” on the site www.mppp.org; According to the FBI, since 1995, more than twelve million United States citizens have been arrested on marijuana-related charges, 80% of which were simply for possession of the drug. Although in some states the penalties for possession are significantly less harmful, others still consider it a serious crime. For example, in Barcott's article "A Tale of Two Drug Wars", Bruce of Rolling Stone magazine explains that in Louisiana, if you are caught with one gram of marijuana and have a prior conviction, you face a mandatory minimum sentence of thirteen years and a third year in prison. Considering the cost of housing an inmate for a year costs just over $28,000, a thirteen-year sentence would cost taxpayers $364,000. Instead of using our tax dollars for more important things to improve our country, we pay a large amount of money to house inmates for a simple possession charge. Seeing these mind-blowing statistics regarding the amount spent to maintain prohibition and ruining countless lives for the sake of petty possession really made me think that this is continued prohibition. We now know the downsides, but what are the upsides of ending prohibition? Coming back to the source Top Ten Reasons to Legalize Marijuana Now by Carmen Yarruso, she not only states the downsides of prohibition but also outlines the upsides of ending it. One of the most notable benefits of ending marijuana prohibition would be the restoration of our ability to grow and use hemp for industrial purposes. As described, hemp can be used for a multitude of textiles such as paper, clothing, fuel and plastics. However, under current federal law, hemp cultivation is illegal in the United States, which prevents us from using its remedies. It also clarifies that we can prevent providing Mexican drug cartels with an exponential amount of funding from their marijuana smuggling operations by legalizing the plant. Not only would this significantly reduce cartel funding, but it would also allow the federal government to collect millions of dollars in taxes to reduce a large portion of our federal debt. To support this claim, another article, "The Tale of Two Drug Wars," explains that in Washington state, where marijuana is legal, they expect to make $400 million from recreational marijuana taxes , not counting taxes on medical marijuana..