Hemp Research Paper

Most college students cease to believe that smoking marijuana is just as harmful as tobacco or other illicit drugs. In actuality, marijuana has a high level of carcinogens, as well as carbon monoxide, which makes the heart work harder to deliver oxygen to deprived tissues. The same health issues that arise from smoking tobacco such as, emphysema, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems can also be brought on by smoking marijuana.

Marijuana creates many short-term and long-term effects on the body and brain. Some short-term effects include: impaired memory, altered senses, changes in mood, and difficulty with problem solving. Some long-term effects include: breathing problems, reduce memory, and decrease IQ. A study from New Zealand conducted in part by researchers at Duke University showed that people who started smoking marijuana heavily in their teens and had an ongoing marijuana use disorder lost an average of 8 IQ points between ages 13 and 38. The lost mental abilities didn't fully return in those who quit marijuana as adults (National). This study can be seen as reliable evidence because it was conducted by researched from Duke University, which is a private research

This effect can last up to several hours after the drug has been smoked (National Institute on Drug Abuse ). The brain is another thing affected by smoking marijuana, leading to loss of memory in the brain. The nervous system also is affected when using this drug (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Loss of memory and the effects it has on the nervous system alone should raise concern for the American people. Continuing on with heath issues associated with the use of marijuana, it is proven to impair the immune system and can also promote tumor growth (Taylor). The immune system is essential to keep healthy because this is what fights off other illnesses within the body. Increased risk of lung cancer, and cognitive difficulties all can be associated with the use of marijuana (Wilbur). Research has proven smoking marijuana affects health several ways; even though most have been discussed take a look at the following chart, it will help visualize some health issues that are associated with smoking marijuana.

On October 1, 1937, the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 was enacted and it prohibited all forms of cannabis sativa. Although the bill was targeted towards the banning of marijuana and both forms of cannabis on separate ends of the sativa spectrum, there was no specification on which form was directed for the ban. Thus both were prohibited from being grown in the United States of America. In November of 2016, marijuana officially became legal to grow in all fifty states, yet industrial hemp is still currently legal to be grown in 13 states within the USA.  Hemp is largely exported to the US from other countries. It is imperative that hemp becomes legal to be grown around the entire country, for hemp will help retain the USA’s revenue by using hemp grown in America, has can be used for many different purposes such as clothing or food for example, has the potential to reduce American citizen’s carbon footprint as a substitute for paper and gasoline, and has no major threat to the industrialization of hemp in factories.

Hemp is essential to your bodily health because of the vitamins and minerals located in these types of products. Industrial farming of hemp should be legal in the United States because of the monetary and physical benefits.

Cannabis has copious amounts of effects on your body and brain. The effects range from bad all the way to good. Negative effects of cannabis may include anxiety, paranoia, and lowered reaction time, increased heart rate, distorted sense of time, and in some cases, psychosis. Cannabis does have positive effects for people with illnesses including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and many more. For teens, however, there is an increase of cannabis’ negative effects on the brain. This may include decreased brain activity, decreased neurons, trouble thinking and focusing, and a higher rate of dropping out of high school. Chronic users of cannabis may become dependent on it. It can also increase your rate of respiratory problems,

Smoking marijuana, in some ways, is like smoking cigarettes. Marijuana can produce airway injury, coughing and wheezing, some of the symptoms of cigarette smoking (Marijuana). But the downfall to smoking marijuana is it contains almost 50% more benzopyrene (the cancer-causing chemical in tobacco) than a cigarette (Fact Sheet). Marijuana contains cancer causing agents and toxic particles that can lead to bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer (What to Teach Kids 3). People do not realize how much more serious the risks of smoking one joint are compared to smoking one cigarette. Studies show that someone who smokes five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day (Marijuana). The affects of smoking marijuana are much severe than smoking cigarettes.

The hemp plant is good for a number of things such as sexually transmitted diseases and glaucoma. Using the hemp plant are known to cause several side effects. There are some states that believed its good enough to legalize this plant

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

Industrial hemp is an attractive potential economic crop. Hemp has had been the subject of public interest and policy issues recently in the U.S. It is a rapid-growing and high-yield herbaceous annual plant that has been grown around the world. However, due to the passage of the Uniform Narcotic Drug Act and the Marijuana Tax Act in 1930s, its cultivation in the U.S. has been both prohibited and illegal solely based upon the presence of THC, the psychoactive drug component of marijuana. While the level of THC present in marijuana is between 8 to 13%, the THC present in hemp is normally 0.3% or less. These low THC levels estimate the potential for illicit uses and has allowed for industrial hemp to again be grown legally in many countries except

This paper written by Ernest Small and David Marcus covers the history of Hemp (hemp is the actual marijuana plant itself) and everything its used for. They start out covering the history stating when it was first used as a textile “somewhere between 1000 and 2000 BCE”. Next they list everything hemp can be used for. They really hammer on its uses as a fiber and in textiles as they claim “hemp is a bast fiber, i.e. the most desirable”. Another big topic the cover is hemps ability to replace wood as the leading material for paper. They state how using hemp would be more beneficial because “hemp’s long fibers could make paper more recyclable” and “hemp paper is useful for specialty applications such as currency and cigarette papers where strength

“Smoking pot is much worse for your lungs than smoking cigarettes” is a myth (Poindexter). Some may argue that because, generally, no filter is needed while smoking cannabis, the lungs are not protected. This is found to be false. In 2012 a group of students held a study of the cannabis effects and what the smoke can do to your lungs and came up with this conclusion: “Occasional and low cumulative marijuana use was not associated with adverse effects on pulmonary function (Poindexter).” However, cannabis smokers do not usually smoke more than a few joints to a few bowls a day, while with cigarette smokers it is not particularly uncommon for them to smoke a whole pack a day. In conclusion of this study, cannabis smokers seem to end up with healthier lungs than cigarette smokers. To make matters even better for cannabis lovers, it can be ingested without any smoke. A few simple ways to ingest cannabis are to eat it, drink it, inhale it as a vapor, take it in tablet form, or even rub it on your skin as a lotion or oil

These short term effects caused by the consumption of marijuana can drastically effect one's ability to complete daily tasks, including working on a construction site or driving on the road. If marijuana were to be legalized, the number of on site accidents and car collisions would increase, as well as other accidents. The use of marijuana should be treated similarly to the consumption of alcohol when it comes to laws. Marijuana also has long term effects on the body. For example, depending on which way you use marijuana it has the potential to put your lungs at risk. Using papers or blunt wraps in order to smoke marijuana is bad for your lungs, because in order to inhale the THC which gives you the high, you must burn and inhale the smoke caused by what you are smoking. Damaged lungs or even cancer can occur from prolonged use of this method. Another long term effect of smoking marijuana is schizophrenia. Research shows that teens of eighteen years old smoking marijuana regularly are much more likely to develop schizophrenia at an older age than those who have never smoked marijuana.

One physical side effect of extended marijuana use is increased respiratory problems. Marijuana enlarges the airways of the bronchial passage, which with continued use causes irritation in the bronchial passage. The irritation from marijuana smoke increases the likelihood that a person will suffer from diseases that are related to the lungs like the common cold and pneumonia (Anderson). The main problem with this physical side effect is that users are more susceptible to missing either school days or work days. Another physical side effect of marijuana use is it increases the heart rate of the user for an extended time after use. “This effect may increase the change of heart attack” (NIDA). The increase in heart rate may not be a problem in adolescents, but if marijuana is combined with another stimulate, such as an energy drink, it could create a serious problem. Overall, the use of marijuana effects the user in many ways physically.

Cannabis, formally known as marijuana is a drug obtained from the tops, stems and leaves of the hemp plant cannabis. The drug is one of the most commonly used drugs in the world. Only substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol are used more (“Marijuana” 1). In the U. S. where some use it to feel “high” or get an escape from reality. The drug is referred to in many ways; weed, grass, pot, and or reefer are some common names used to describe the drug (“Marijuana” 1). Like most drugs, marijuana has a very long history. People have been using the plant around the world for thousands of years. The oldest record of the marijuana plant dates back to 2727 B. C. in China where the plant was used as a medical herb for treating conditions like rheumatism, gout, malaria and even absent-mindedness (“Cannabis, Coca, & Poopy: Nature’s Addictive Plants” 1). Slowly, the plant started spreading around the world. By 1545, cannabis was starting to appear throughout the western worlds. Being introduced to South America by the Spanish to be used as fiber. The crop also had many other common uses around the world. In North America, cannabis was often used to make paper, ropes, clothing and other materials (“The Origins of Cannabis” 1).