Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in America with 14.6 million of the nearly 20 million current illicit drug users using marijuana. The average age of initiation for marijuana use generally has been getting younger. However, there has been slow but steady progress toward reduced marijuana use rates among 8th graders and at 30.3 percent for past-year marijuana use, 10th graders are at their lowest level sing 1995 and somewhat below their recent peak of 34.8 percent in 1997. Aside from the statistical facts, many of the things Americans know about marijuana are myths or misperceptions. This report presents myths and misperceptions about the harmful drug, marijuana. The five myths discussed include: (1) marijuana is harmless; (2) marijuana is nonaddictive; (3) youth experimentation with marijuana is inevitable; (4) marijuana is not associated with violence, as are drugs like cocaine and heroin. The criminalization of marijuana is what leads to crime, not the drug itself; and (5) prisons are filled with nonviolent, casual marijuana users. The facts to dispel the myths and misconceptions are outlined as well as the consequences (health, social, and economic). 62 references