The legalization of marijuana has been a debated subject in America since the 1970's. The pro-marijuana society in America has made claims as to how marijuana can help cure or lessen the effect of some diseases and that by legalizing the drug; the use of pot will actually decline. The fact of the matter is that marijuana is a drug that can be placed into a similar category as cocaine or heroine. Like these other drugs, pot (marijuana) smoking carries with it serious side effects that can effect the user forever, and sometimes-even cause death. Marijuana was first cultivated in America during the colonial time period and was used as a fiber for rope and even clothing. The plant was not used for its psychoactive properties until 1910, when Mexican farmers began smuggling it across the boarder for poor black and Mexican workers in the Southern states (Abood Me 202). By the 1930's marijuana was widespread throughout the U.S., before the Federal Government in 1937 outlawed the use of it. However, marijuana use continued to spread, even with these restrictions and in 1970 the Controlled Substance Act was passed. This act basically categorized marijuana as being a harmful and addictive drug. Presently, marijuana use, especially among teenagers is on the rise once again. Pro-marijuana advocates must ask themselves the question that if marijuana is so great, why is it causing so much damage to the body? Marijuana is comprised of cured leaves and flower clusters from the hemp plant called Cannabis sativa. Cannabis sativa is known as a psychedelic drug because it creates a break from reality. The chemicals found in marijuana are actually much more harmful than chemicals found in other addicting drugs, such as those found in tobacco. The inhalation of any kind of smoke is unhealthy, whether it is in cigarettes or joints (marijuana). The particles found in the smoke of joints and cigarettes collect in the lungs and over time can cause damage. The marijuana plant has over 400 known chemicals that break down into some 4,000 when smoked (Solowij, 31). Only a few of these chemicals, such as THC, create the actual "high" that pot smokers look to for their enjoyment, but the many of the others are toxins, or poisons that have been proven to cause cancer. One such cancer-causing chemical is called a carcinogen. An average joint contains 30 monograms of carcin... ... middle of paper ... ...than vehicular trauma and DUI problems could not only increase but also a medical marijuana defense could easily be used (http://mjsumar.htm@www.sarnia.com). Medical users of marijuana could smoke the drug and then drive or operate some type of machinery. If an accident did occur, the user could justify the accident with a medical excuse. How will it effect a teen-age society that continues to have a "no big deal" attitude toward smoking pot? How can one say that marijuana smoking will decline if more and more people are using it, and more people have a laxidasical attitude toward its use? These questions are at the very least, difficult to answer. They prove that the American society is in no way ready to think about legalizing marijuana. Works Cited Abood ME, Martin BR. “Neurobiology of marijuana abuse.” Trends Pharmacol Sci. 1992 May;13(5):201-6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1604713 Joy, J.E., Watson, S.J. & Benson, J.A. (1999). Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. Solowij, N. (1998). Cannabis and Cognitive Functioning. Cambridge University Press, UK. http://mjsumar.htm@www.sarnia.com
Wingerchuk, Dean. "Cannabis for Medical Purposes: Cultivating Science, Weeding Out the Fiction." The Lancet 364.9431 (2004): 315-16. Print.
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First of all, some people feel smoking marijuana can get hyper, which providing them the emotion of happiness, and helping them to see the world from a different perspective. However, marijuana will cause a lot of healthy problems to human’s body. Marijuana has many physical effects on human such as rapid heart rate, red eyes and dry mouth. Because the chemical THC will enter into the body when people are smoking it, THC will enter through the bloodstream to the brain. The chemical affects them to feel ecstasy and unreality; therefore, THC will make them feel more confused if people smoke marijuana for a long time. According to, “ Treat marijuana abuse like a health problem” (McMillan, 2007, July 17), it shows using marijuana can cause more serious health issues on human’s body such as bronchitis, emphysema, and cancer. In addition, using marijuana has also been linked to lung damage and affects the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. For example, if marijuana ...
3rd Ed. New York; Plenum Medical, 143-57 Watson, S. J., Benson, J. A. & Joy, J. E. (2000). Marijuana and medicine: Assessing the science base. Archives of General Psychiatry, 57, 547-552. Tashkin, D. P. (1990).
Throughout history people have used marijuana for its dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds to relieve pain, stress, and other medical issues from one’s life. Within the recent years it has become one of the most debated issues in the United States. In the 1930s, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Narcotics (now the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs) claimed that marijuana was a “gateway” drug and was a powerful, addicting substance. During the sixties marijuana became a symbol for rebellion against authority so it became very popular by college students and “hippies”. So in 1982, Drug Enforcement Administration increased pressure on drug farms and houses which decreased the use of marijuana. In the past twenty years marijuana has become a
Schwartz, Richard H. "Marijuana: A Decade And A Half Later, Still A Crude Drug With Underappreciated Toxicity." Pediatrics 109.2 (2002): 284. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 29 Mar. 2014.
Mikuriya, Tod H. (1969). Marijuana in Medicine: Past Present and Future. California Medicine 110(1), 34–40.
Marijuana has been used for medicinal purposes for over the 3,000 years and has been met with much resistance in the recent decade (Bearman 12). In the early part of the century, marijuana, also known as cannabis, was a part of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) for about 90 years, but drug companies began to drop marijuana from medications when the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act was passed (4-6). Medical marijuana can be used in two ways; it can be smoked in a cigarette form or taken in a capsule. Marijuana’s most potent ingredient is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can be taken as a pill, but is “easily
According to Martin Luther King Jr., “There are two types of laws: there are just and there are unjust laws” (King 293). During his time as civil rights leader, he advocated civil disobedience to fight the unjust laws against African-Americans in America. For instance, there was no punishment for the beatings imposed upon African-Americans or for the burning of their houses despite their blatant violent, criminal, and immoral demeanor. Yet, an African-American could be sentenced to jail for a passive disagreement with a white person such as not wanting to give up their seat to a white passenger on a public bus. Although these unjust laws have been righted, Americans still face other unjust laws in the twenty-first century.
Marijuana as a medicine? Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press. 2001. The 'Secondary' of the 'Se Ravage, Barbara. The “Marijuana Update.”
Medically, marijuana has proven to be a productive drug. Studies show marijuana has helped dealing with “pain, muscle spasms, seizure disorders and nausea from cancer chemotherapy.” (Weir) Scientist believes these benefits come from a chemical compound in marijuana called cannabidiol. This chemical is not the active chemical that gives marijuana users the mind-altering effects. With the unce...
Marijuana continues to be one of the most used illegal drugs in the United States. Marijuana has been used for many years and at one time was legal to consume. Throughout the years, marijuana has been used for treatment of different medical conditions and has been used recreationally by people of all ages. While the use of medicinal marijuana has proven to be effective in treating medically ill patients, society continues to question its recreational use and the long term effects it will have on its users. Some feel that legalizing marijuana will only open up avenues for the use of more potent drugs, causing an increase in criminal activity. However, a number of people question why it is considered illegal being it is a naturally growing
Should Marijuana become legalized or remain banned? In today’s society, the question that everyone ought to know the answer to is that, Should smoking marijuana be legal or continue to be illegal? Where young kids today are trying to find the newest trend and doing things they should or should not be doing? Even though marijuana is a “ herb” as people said it is from the “earth” it is still a drug, but it is the world’s most least harmful drug
Most Americans are indoctrinated to believe that marijuana is harmful for you; however, upon closer inspection we see that marijuana has more positives than negative outcomes. Marijuana has been around since ancient times. It was first grown as a crop in colonial North America as a source of fiber. Marijuana has the most impact on certain parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus, the cerebellum, the basal ganglia and the cerebral cortex. Studies have shown that the high THC found in marijuana that effect these areas only provide therapeutic benefit that gives an individual a “high”. With that being said, Marijuana is not necessarily the best for you but it is less harmful than legalized substance such as cigarettes or alcoholic drinks which are easily at our disposal and are worse for you.
Investigation of Marijuana Marijuana is the dried buds and leaves of the Cannabis sativa plant. This plant contains more than 400 chemicals, including delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the plant's main psychoactive chemical. THC is known to affect our brain's short-term memory. Additionally, marijuana affects motor coordination, increases your heart rate and raises levels of anxiety. Studies also show that marijuana contains cancer-causing chemicals typically associated with cigarettes.