The Pros And Cons Of Recreational Drug Use In Our Society

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Drug use is slowly becoming more common within our society, especially the use of marijuana recreationally. To fully grasp the pros and cons of recreational drug use of marijuana, it is important to first understand the meaning of both ‘recreational drug use’ and ‘marijuana’ or ‘cannabis’. Harding and Willacy (2014) defines recreational drugs as chemical substances taken for enjoyment, or leisure purposes, rather than for medical reasons. Recreational drug use is normally undertaken to provide pleasure, or improve life in some way. The Concise Medical Dictionary (2014) define cannabis as a recreational drug prepared from the Indian hemp plant (Cannabis sativa), also known as pot, marijuana, hashish, and bhang. Smoked or swallowed, it produces euphoria and affects perception and awareness, particularly of time; high doses may cause hallucinations. The nonmedical use of cannabis is illegal; its principal psychoactive ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol, has a limited therapeutic value. To further investigate recreational drug use of marijuana it is essential to understand first its role within our society. Once its position has been established, the pros and cons can be investigated along with evidence of a psychological experiment by Wayne Hall and Joan Nelson.

The 2010 National Drug Strategy Household Survey (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2011) was conducted between late-April and early-September 2010. More than 26,000 people aged 12 years or older participated in the survey, in which they were asked about their knowledge of and attitudes towards drugs, their drug consumption histories, and related behaviours. To be able to compare to previous reports a large majority of participants were over the age of 14.
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...onal drug use of marijuana do have some severe cons. In particular health, the instability of the mind and addiction. Short term cons may be considered may not be of large concern to many. However what should not be taken lightly is the short term consequences which lead to the very severe and permanent long term consequences.

The pros and cons of recreational drug use is an issue that will be a timeless debate. When considering what position is taken it is important to note that it is largely formed by an individual’s values and beliefs. However, if taking a drug is not necessary to the survival of a human and it does hold such severe long term consequences of impairment of memory and attention and have an increased risk of psychotic episodes and later schizophrenia; how imperative is it to consume when other activities can also fulfil the pros of the drug?

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