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COLUMBIA (WACH) -- There's no doubt about it; the marijuana market is smoking, whether the drug is legal or not.  A recent consideration by a big name plant fertilizer maker only deepens the roots of the booming business.

The top executive of Scotts, the maker of Miracle-Gro, is considering putting marijuana fertilizer on store shelves.

The Wall Street Journal reports CEO Jim Hagedorn says the company is looking into targeting medical marijuana cultivators and other markets to help boost sales.

Hagedorn says there's no good reason why lawn and garden companies haven't joined the market.

The company says it relies on big-box stores for a majority of sales, but there's been a recent decline in the number of new stores going up along with a drop in spending due to the recession and the company has started looking to other areas for profit.

Sixteen states have legalized marijuana and a recent report by the United Nations argues the global war on drugs has failed. That report urges nations to legalize drugs and focus on treating abusers instead of criminalizing drug use. 

Locally, Lexington County Sheriff James Metts isn't so sure.

"I think we have to have enforcement.  I will give you an example: prohibition.  Alcohol was illegal at one time then we made it legal and we taxed it, but still we have multitudes of problems with people consuming too much alcohol, getting behind the wheel, driving vehicles, killing themselves and others," Sheriff Metts said in a recent interview.  "This is a societal problem that is not going to go away."

Metts adds making drugs like marijuana legal would likely create more problems in the community.

Marijuana possession remains a crime in South Carolina without any exceptions under state law. According to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the Palmetto State has some of the nation's strongest penalties for marijuana users.

First-offensive possession of one ounce or less can land violators in jail for up to 30 days. Repeat offenders can be sentenced to a year in prison and fined up to $1,000.

Possession of more than one ounce of marijuana is considering trafficking under state law and is a felony offense punishable by a five-year prison sentence and $5,000 fine. Growing any number of plants is considered a felony under state law.

With the news of a major company like Miracle-Gro contemplating an entry into the marijuana market, what do you think about the legalization of marijuana and other drugs? Vote in our poll below and leave a comment.