Why cannabis sativa or "pot" is illegal in the u.s

I am a recreational pot smoker, and I have one and only question, I want a reasonable answer why cannabis sativa or pot is illegal in the u.s

I think that marijuana should be legalized.

*** pot has never kill 1 persons***

***Where did you get this statistic??***

here goes...

No acute lethal overdoses of cannabis are known, in contrast to several of its illegal (for example, cocaine) and legal (for example, alcohol, aspirin, acetaminophen) counterparts. - Stephen Sidney, M.D., associate director for clinical research at Kaiser Permanente, in an editorial published 9/20/03 in the British Medical Journal (Vol. 327, pp. 635-635)

Unlike many of the drugs we prescribe every day, marijuana has never been proven to cause a fatal overdose. - Joycelyn Elders, M.D., former U.S. Surgeon General, in a 3/26/04 editorial published in Rhode Island's Providence Journal

The physical impossibility of a fatal overdose using smoked cannabis is obvious. - Denis Petro, M.D., in his 1997 paper Pharmacology and Toxicity of Cannabis, published in the book Cannabis in Medical Practice - A Legal, Historical and Pharmacological Overview of the Therapeutic Use of Marijuana, pg 62

Marijuana has been used as a medicinal herb for thousands of years, going back to ancient civilizations in Egypt, India and Africa. In all that time, up to and including the present day, there has never been a report of a fatality directly due to the consumption of marijuana.
In contrast, over 1,000 people die annually in the US from an overdose of our most common non-prescription drug, aspirin. In addition, many thousands of deaths result from the legal prescription drugs.
After hearing two year's worth of evidence on the presumed dangers of marijuana, DEA Judge Francis L. Young said this: 'marijuana is the safest therapeutically active substance known to man ... safer than many foods we commonly consume.' - Bill Zimmerman, Executive Director of Americans for Medical Rights

NIDA-supplied marijuana cigarettes weigh approximately 0.9 grams. A smoker would have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within about 15 minutes to induce a lethal response. In practical terms, marijuana cannot induce a lethal response as a result of drug-related toxicity. - Judge Francis L. Young wrote in a 1988 decision

A commonly used over-the-counter product like aspirin has a therapeutic ratio of around 1:20. Two aspirins are the recommended dose for adult patients. Twenty times this dose, forty aspirins, may cause a lethal reaction in some patients and will almost certainly cause gross injury to the digestive system...

By contrast, marijuana's therapeutic ratio... is impossible to quantify because it is so high. - Judge Francis L. Young wrote in a 1988 decision

No one has ever died of THC [marijuana] poisoning. - Time Magazine in a Nov. 4, 2002 cover story

In fact, a study conducted by Kaiser Permanente from 1979-1985 with a follow-up in 1991 found no correlation between marijuana use and death, evidence that even heavy marijuana use for decades does not appear to be associated with major health risks, whereas heavy alcohol users will develop cirrhosis and other potentially fatal conditions. - David Borden, Executive Director of The Drug Reform Coordination Network, wrote MedMJpro/con

Marijuana is never the only drug involved in a drug abuse death. Thus, in cases, the proportion of marijuana-involved cases labeled as ‘One drug’ (I.e., marijuana only) will be zero. - The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report, “Mortality Data From Dawn, 2000,” published 7/01 by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), page 25.

Way too easy to obtain, governments wants taxes = profit.

Yeah, what pwincess irenemarie said. It's too hard for the government to get a handle on the market since it's been illegal for so long and they want to be able to regulate supply and demand to tax it properly and make a quick buck. That, and all the political and religious groups that hate on marijuana use even though it is no more or less harmful to you than alcohol and tobacco. Whatever. Maybe someday.

you want to know why it is illegal? and NOT legal right?

Because it also has bad side effects and can cause harm to the body.
this question can be a battle back and forth and there is no simple answer to the One question you have.
So for right now it is illegal and you will be punished if caught,

it is not 100% effective in a postive way for all to use

ok, tobacco and achoale, explain that... pot has never kill 1 persons

you said one question, I told you this question can be a battle that goes back and forth. So this is a battle that no one will win and you can only vote, speak, and fight for what you believe in. And remember the law is the law and you must follow it if you don't want to get in trouble, and it will never make sense to me. People are left out of jail early for murder but will stay in their full term if they did not pay taxes???
Things will never make sense. Good luck on your comparison. I will not take on this conversation's to much to compare and speak of. But I will say Do what you have to do to hope that your goals are met

It's hard to say if pot has ever been responsible for any deaths. I'm sure if I looked hard enough I could find at least one study saying it has. I agree with harleyrider, this is a no win question that will never really be answered, and the law is the law whether you like it or not. I do a little weed from time to time, drink often and smoke like a chimney. I put marijuana in the same category as alcohol and tobacco, but I'm not the surgeon general or a doctor, and my opinion means nothing.

*** pot has never kill 1 persons***

Where did you get this statistic??

p

I honestly agree with pwincess on this one...If the government can't control / tax it, it will want nothing to do with it. If people brewed their own beer and the government couldn't get control of it, I'm sure alcohol would be illegal too...

There is no reasonable answer for why pot is illegal.

California governor is trying to bail out his state (and I wish I could spell his name) by making pot legal. So he figures it will make the state money. It's the far right jumping up and down, and no one knows why...

TAXES=MONEY FOR THE PIGS WHO RUN THIS COUNTRY!