Washington and Colorado are paving the way to notable change in the country and its drug laws. In Washington State, the legalization of marijuana went into effect on December 5. In Colorado, pot became legal on January 5. The new laws legalize recreational use for adults age 21 and up. In Washington, adults may possess up to an ounce of marijuana and smoke it in private.

The debate is long-lasting and as controversial as ever:  should marijuana use be legalized? Advocates of the legalization of the drug maintain that its usage does not involve health complications—at least none that are as significant or harmful as the ones that arise through inhaling cigarette smoke.  Additionally, they suggest that marijuana—most commonly used for medicinal and recreational purposes—poses no serious threat to society as a whole.  Beliefs such as these, regardless of veracity, have led to marijuana being the most widely used and abused drug.