Smoke 15,000 joints in less than 20 minutes to die of a marijuana overdose. (The Union) Medical marijuana is less harmful than most other legal tobacco products. Medical marijuana has the potential to help create thousands of jobs and help ailing people suffering from pain. Medical cannabis is subject to a negative stigma attributed by the government and the public as it is addictive and harmful to the body. Many believe marijuana is a gateway drug, but false facts and naive people create false hope for those who truly know what cannabis can do to the mind. Medical cannabis has been used for centuries for its calming and hallucinogenic qualities. With so many states having already legalized marijuana for medical use, the positive aspects of this mind-changing plant have altered people's opinions and are now expected to lead to its legalization in every state. From 1900 to 1940, marijuana, opium, and cocaine were considered everyday drugs. After the United States banned both opium and cocaine, the US government became very strict on cannabis laws and soon this practice was frowned upon. Around the 1990s and early 2000s, scientists began to discover that marijuana can significantly help people who were getting sick. Medical marijuana has been tested to help people with many forms of diseases such as cancer, AIDS, cataracts, and severe depression. Doctors began to realize the potential that medical cannabis had on the body and wanted it to be legalized across the country. The first state to act was California in 1996. States followed California's actions, and 20 other states have since legalized medical marijuana. The US federal government has tried to prevent patients from obtaining cannabis and has threatened doctors who prescribe it. Information document on medical marijuana. Np, nd Web. January 17, 2014. “Medical Marijuana for Pain and Depression.” Disabled World. Np, nd Web. January 15, 2014. “Medical Marijuana Is an Easy Target for Abuse.” About.com Alcoholism. Np, nd Web. January 20, 2014.Myung-Ok Lee, Marie. “Overkill in the war on weed.” Los Angeles Times. 22 January 2013: A.11. SIRS Problem Researcher. Network. 08 January 2014."Canna for medical purposes? Sure. To get high? No." USA TODAY. 30 October 2012: A.10. SIRS Problem Researcher. Network. January 9, 2014ProQuest Staff. “At issue: medical marijuana.” ProQuest LLC. 2014: page n. SIRS Problem Researcher. Network. 08 January 2014.Sacco, David. “Is marijuana good medicine?” Los Angeles Times. 26 July 2012: A.23. SIRS Problem Researcher. Network. 09 January 2014. The Union: the business behind the bust. Director Joe Rogano. Netflix, 2007. Web