THe Use of Marijuana In America, alcohol use is legal. What is it that causes recreational use of marijuana to be deemed illegal by our government? George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew marijuana for recreational use. Are the harmful effects that marijuana has on your body worse than those of alcohol? Is it the state of mind that marijuana's active ingredient, THC, induces that causes our government to keep marijuana illegal and keep alcohol legal? Is marijuana's addictive nature more harmful to an individual than alcohol's addictive nature? Are marijuana's harmful affects more destructive to our society than alcohol's harmful effects? Is ma