An argument has long been made that marijuana isn’t that bad because it’s natural. But is it?

Some may argue the effects of marijuana are fewer than alcohol. But perhaps advocates of marijuana are not considering the full scale of destruction the drug causes.

On Oct. 13, an ABC News article addressed environmental hazards associated with farming marijuana. National forests, which should be undisturbed, are used by Mexican drug cartels to conduct operations. In another ABC News article on Aug. 12, John P. Walters, the director of National Drug Control Policy, claimed 10 acres of forest are harmed for every acre planted with marijuana.

“The environmental damage these farms cause is a far greater crime than actually growing and distributing it,” said Kevin Mayer, the patrol captain of Law Enforcement in Sierra and Sequoia National Forests. “Six-hundred-thousand plants have been seized in the past six months and the problem is growing. Illegal chemicals and pesticides from Mexico are destroying vegetation, killing off many animals, and running off into our water systems as well.”

Mayer went on to say that anyone who smokes marijuana supports these Mexican drug cartels, which have been found as far east as Tennessee and Alabama. He also said smoking these buds contain more carcinogens than cigarettes, because chemicals used in the plant’s production are smoked too.

Since the 1960s, the THC levels in marijuana have increased from a range of 2-3 percent to 18-22 percent, Mayer said – a statistic some marijuana smokers take pride in.

Smoking marijuana is obviously not natural. More is entailed than simply smoking a plant. When you smoke, you inhale pesticides, rat poison, fertilizers and other chemicals used in cultivation. But do NIU students contribute to the problem?

The 2008 Clery Report indicates the number of drug-related arrests at NIU increased from 2006 and 2007, while alcohol-related arrests decreased.

Lt. Todd Henert of the University Police said there have been five more cases of marijuana-related arrests than this time last year, and police remain cautious.

“Our practices have not changed,” Henert said. “We have not targeted any specific crimes.”

Drug arrests increased in from 2006 to 2007 and have increased this year. Support for a drug culture still exists. The harmless pot-head persona of an all-natural, earth-loving hippie is false.

Think about the consequences of the habit. Marijuana is everything the authorities and your parents have told you; it is in fact, harmful.