Marijuana: A Boon or A Gateway Drug

865 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: What are the physical and psychological effects of marijuana

‘Cannabis’- a plant of wonder, commonly known for its by-products like marijuana, hashish, hemp oil, etc. is the most popular drug plant. These products often used for their psychoactive effects. This can include heightened mood or euphoria, relaxation, and an increase in appetite. Popularity of the marijuana has increased widely these days between all age groups. Smoker’s says, “There is no harm in smoking marijuana, as it is non-addictive, it relaxes your body and connects you to your soul whereas, non-smokers say, “There is no reason one should smoke it because it’s a gateway drug.” Those who have never experienced the euphoria caused by pot before can make mistake in understanding these psychoactive effects. For a fair conclusion, we have to be fair enough with our perception towards cannabis.
Since the beginning of 20th century, most of the countries enacted the law against cultivation and usage of cannabis. Before prohibition of marijuana, it had several other medical purposes apart from smoking. However, in contemporary world marijuana and it’s by-products are used more for smoking than any other purpose. Marijuana is everywhere, with wide variety of strains. However, the question is not how to grow or get it; question is why marijuana is so popular throughout the world? It is essentially utilized for recreational purpose.
I first smoked pot when I was twenty year old. I was working with IBM those days. I still remember my friend asked me to have a walk outside the office during a nightshift. Unaware of his plan, I got ready as I was planning to take a break anyways. We grabbed a place to sit in the garden hiding ourselves in the bushes. My friend took out some strains and started crushing it. I was surprised to see him ...

... middle of paper ...

...are a damn about what the data indicates. In my opinion, this is the actual problem that teenager stops caring about what medical science says or what their parents want them to understand. This careless attitude makes them more injudicious towards the world.
Taking healthy diet and routine exercise can help teen smokers to regain their IQ level back to normal, as there is hardly any proof proving marijuana can cause any type of permanent damage to the brain. However, risk of other kind of difficulties discussed above are always there. Criminalizing marijuana has added a risk of teenager’s interaction with drug dealers that can later become a gateway to hard drugs. There can be no permanent solution of teenager’s involvement apart from spreading awareness and educating teen about marijuana.

Works Cited

http://learnaboutmarijuanawa.org/factsheets/adolescents.htm

Show More
Related

  • Marijuana Effects Teens and Their Mind

    734 Words  | 2 Pages

    About one out of five 10th graders and about 1 out of four high school seniors used marijuana in the past month (Facts for Teens, 1). It is the second most popular drug among teens in the US (Encarta, 1). Teens, ages 12-17, that use marijuana weekly are nine times more likely than non-users to experience with illegal drugs and alcohol (Fed. Study, 1). More 13 & 14 year olds are using drugs, fifteen pe...

    Read More

  • Short And Long Term Effects Of Marijuana Upon The Brain

    2046 Words  | 5 Pages

    I believe my research on this topic overall was satisfied for social marijuana drug use in high schools is amazingly high and from this project I can inform people of the possible hazards and give enough general information for someone to might be curious. From this research I make these final conclusions 1.Marijuana has mostly short term effects to any one who smokes it ranging from learning problems to emotional problems. 2.Long term effects are generally seen from heavy users, irreversibly damaging the brain. 3.So any short term effect can become permanent malfunction with continual marijuana abuse after time.

    Read More

  • Is Marijuana A Gateway Drug?

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cannabis Sativa, or marijuana, has been around for centuries. This flowering plant has been grown in many locations across the world. Marijuana comes from flowering top of the Cannabis Sativa plant which contains the chemical Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC causes mind-altering states which relaxes the user. After the Mexican Revolution the United States stated seeing an increase of Mexicans immigrating into the United States. These new immigrants brought along with their culture and native language. In the Mexican culture marijuana was used as a medicine and a relaxant. The media then began to play on the fears that the public had about the new immigrants by spreading false claims about the “disruptive Mexicans” with their crazy behavior due

    Read More

  • Marijuana Should be Legalized for Medical and Recreational Use

    1731 Words  | 4 Pages

    JJ is a 7 year old boy. He has post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and impulse control disorder. He has been thrown out of numerous preschools and admitted to several hospitals for psychiatric issues. His mother has pursued all forms of medical and behavioral help for her son’s hyperactivity and aggressiveness. She came across medical marijuana while trying to research JJ’s problems and after discussing it with his doctors decided to give it a try. She took him off all his medications and put the marijuana in a muffin in amounts prescribed and monitored by the doctor. JJ’s behavior issues declined almost immediately. He is polite, eager to learn and interacts well with teachers and students at school. Now he talks through his questions and problems instead of acting out due to frustration. Marijuana has been used by people throughout the centuries and its use has provided many benefits. Therefore, it should be legalized for medical and recreational use in today’s society (O’Brien & Clark, 2002).

    Read More

  • History of Marijuana

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jazz musicians, labor workers, and river boatmen were quickly taking to its euphoric effects (Gettman, 1995). Smoking marijuana also became more popular during Prohibition when more people began cultivation of the plant and importing it into the U.S. to replace alcohol (Doweiko, 2002). In 1942, marijuana was removed from the United States Pharacopoeia and the Federal Government began to criminalize non-medicinal marijuana possession and use (Carter et al., 2003). Marijuana became extremely popular in the 1960's and, today, is considered the most widely used illicit drug in the world, Canada, and the United States (Gettman, 1995). Pharmacology and Chemistry of Marijuana Cannabis is known to contain over 400 chemicals in which about 70 are classified as plant cannabinoids.

    Read More

  • Legalization of Marijuana

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    Before Americans can make accusations that marijuana can only be used for the sole purpose of euphoric pleasure, they should first become knowledgeable of cannabis’s original and highly valuable uses that gave the plant its primary popularity. The herbal plant was actually a food source around 6000 BC, and it was used as a fiber two thousand years later. Another couple thousand years later was when cannabis obtained its first medical record in China and soon traveled to India and North Africa where cannabis began its use as a “recreational hallucinogen.” When Europe greeted marijuana at about 500 BC, users began classifying in what methods the plant can treat various medical conditions. The Americas were first introduced t...

    Read More

  • Proposal of Marijuana Legalization

    1514 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many could argue that marijuana is destructive physically as well as mentally. “The National Institute on Drug Abuse says marijuana can cause heart irregularities, lung problems, and addiction” (Welch). “One joint can be just as damaging to [the lungs] as smoking at least two and a half cigarettes” (Ruff). According to Dr. Tom Wright, director of a substance abuse treatment center for adolescents in Rockford, “teens may be especially sensitive to marijuana’s effects because their brains are still being formed” (MJ Rebuttal). However, the marijuana legalization proposition would have tight restrictions and regulations by the states that would eliminate some of those issues, such as age. These facts are not consistent; the evidence is not backed from reliable sources. One institute is referred to, but more experts are needed to verify the information.

    Read More

  • Legalizing Marijuana in the United States

    1708 Words  | 4 Pages

    Marijuana, also known as Cannabis is the third most well-liked recreational drug, which only falls behind alcohol and tobacco, in the United States (The Whitehouse, n.d.). Marijuana is made up of dried leaves, plants, stalks, and pits from the hemp plant Cannabis Sativa, which comprises of the mind-altering compound delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in addition to other associated compounds. This plant substance can correspondingly be converged in a resin called hashish or an adhesive black fluid called hash oil. Efforts to legalize marijuana for medication treatment and recreational use in the United States have grown in current years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that marijuana may perhaps assist in a reduction of nausea, encourage hunger, and lessen pain (Food and Drug Administration, 2006). On the other hand, the American Medical Association (AMA) does not tolerate marijuana as a medication (1995-2013). So many answers are needed with such contradictory opinions around this exceedingly controversial drug to decide what measures need to be taken from the federal government for a final solution.

    Read More

  • Pros & Cons of Legalization of Marijuana

    1651 Words  | 4 Pages

    The legalization of marijuana is considered a controversial issue, something that can benefit people for medical purposes, but what about recreationally? Marijuana has been illegal since 1937, but there’s never been a bigger push for legalization. There are several reasons why it is illegal, because of government propaganda and big industry not wanting to lose money, but this will be discussed later. The purpose of this paper is to educate, theorize, and discuss various aspects of marijuana, such as its history, development, and the advantages and disadvantages of marijuana legalization. Finally, my personal reflection on legalization and marijuana in general will be discussed.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Marijuana Essay

    1734 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Considerable anecdotal evidence suggests that marijuana may be effective in treating a number of medical conditions… such as chemotherapy-induced nausea, wasting and anorexia associated with AIDS” (Joffe and Yancy). Marijuana can help treat this conditions, but there are also other people who use marijuana as a medicine for others circumstances. For example, people use marijuana to sleep, because some people have difficulties to sleep in the night and they need this product to rest their body. Also, those people who could only sleep a few hours use marijuana to help them sleep more hours. Some individuals use marijuana for problems of rheumatism, they mixed marijuana with alcohol to pain relive. Moreover people say that the results with this product is beneficially for adults. People sometimes use marijuana to relaxing his bodies. For example, there are a number of people who stress in work and use it for relaxing at home. However, marijuana should not be legalized because using it as medicine can result in negative consequences. “While proponents assert marijuana’s usefulness in treating a variety of medical conditions, opponents counter that the drugs has never been proven effective and the new laws open the door to abuse” (Peron). Those who use marijuana to sleep can have serious problems because if they use this drug every day to sleep their body will became used to receiving this medication daily. Thus, their body will never rest unless they take in drugs to help them sleep and eventually they will become addicted. Therefore, those who believe that marijuana should be legalized need to rethink the severe consequences that using it as a medicine will cause. People are using marijuana as a medication because it is an excuse to take in drug. For those reasons, it will be more beneficial if marijuana stays

    Read More

  • The Effects Of Marijuana On The Developing Brain

    850 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • The Negatives Effects of Marijuana on Teenager

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    The marijuana affect the brain development, because the teenager are under go development still of age of 25. The effect of marijuana is immediately when is consume as smoke. The marijuana contain some chemical that affect the brain pressure, memory, thinking, concentration, movement, coordination, and sensory a time perception. All this affects the development of the brain and receptor, because is on constant development and every time that the teenager smokes the effect is immediately and this effect can be last for one to three hours. The concern about the use the marijuana is because affect the development of the brain and affect the intellectuality. According to National Institute of Drug Abuse, the overstimulation of these receptors on the brain areas produces the marijuana "high," as well as other effects on mental processes. In facts the used of mariju...

    Read More

  • The Effects of Marijuana on Today’s Youth

    2813 Words  | 6 Pages

    ...ssures to be the best they can be academically. With all these pressures of adolescence on the rise, more and more teens are falling prey to the alluring “high” that allows a temporary leave from their problems and stress. Because teens lack the maturity and knowledge to understand long term consequences, they tend not to think about the down falls that they will face as a result of the drug use. This is especially true when it come to marijuana, as it is seen by so many as the harmless drug. With the increased use of marijuana by youth over the last three decades, it is imperative that better preventative measures, and firmer penalties, be put in place to educate and raise awareness concerning the risks and dangerous side effects that marijuana use can have. Only once society has put these preventative measures in to action, will there be an effective change seen.

    Read More

  • Legalization Of Marijuana Essay

    1855 Words  | 4 Pages

    Marijuana is an extremely popular drug, not only in America, but in every other country in the world as well. However, there are many people who do not know exactly what it is or where it comes from. Marijuana is a blend of flowers, seeds, leaves, and stems from the Indian hemp planted called Cannabis. This plant contains a chemical called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which causes the “high” feeling that users experience when smoking it (“Marijuana: Effects, Medical Uses & Legalization”). The THC in marijuana is analogous to the nicotine in tobacco, but it is not as harmful. They both have many similarities, but they also have significant differences.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Legalizing Marijuana

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    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

    Read More

More about Marijuana: A Boon or A Gateway Drug

Open Document