MarijuanaThe third largest agricultural commodity in the country and a ten billion dollar industry is nothing like the agriculture we are used to. This property is marijuana, an illegal drug. It is “the most widely used illicit drug in America” n(Gold v). In Florida alone, marijuana sales exceed those of all businesses except tourism (Gold v). What is marijuana? Marijuana, a plant known as Cannabis Sativa, so labeled by Carolus Linnaeus in 1753 (Grinspoon 1), is "one of nature's hardiest specimens" (Abel ix). It can survive in all possible climatic conditions and thrives like weeds do. Marijuana acts like a weed, stealing all the sunlight and nutrients around it. The soil needed to grow marijuana for its intoxicating effect is dry, thin soil, accompanied by horse or cow manure (Grinspoon 40). It can reach three to twenty feet at maturity (Abel ix) and grows at a rapid rate. Plant germination occurs simultaneously. Life appears six days after planting, and after two weeks strong, healthy leaves should have grown (Grinspoon 40). The marijuana plant is dioecious, meaning it produces separate male and female plants. The male plant is usually taller than the female plant and dies after its flowering cycle (Abel 4). The female plant is bushier and “secretes a resin which covers the flowering tops and neighboring leaves” (Abel 5). This resin is secreted by the glandular hairs present on the leaves and is used to protect the marijuana plant from water loss (Gol...