Katy Steinmetz Legalization Of Marijuana

Since 1996, the state of California, and by default, the city of Desert Hot Springs, have allowed the use of medical marijuana. Under proposition 215, any individual with a prescription could legally possess and use cannabis. And this was the case until recently, when a chain of events led to the legalization of consumption for non-medical reasons in California. Proposition 64 legalizes the private use of marijuana as of January 1st, 2018. However, this decision appears to have been made prematurely as the effects of such an abrupt decision are beginning to manifest themselves. Aside from the palpable consequences of marijuana consumption, including sluggishness and impaired judgement, there are far more serious unintended consequences impacting

Armand, Wynne. "Marijuana: Health effects of recreational and medical use". Ed. Armand,Wynne.Research.2016.Armand provides research information that recreational marijuana can cause health issues in one's life in the forms of long-term and short-term use ranging from battling one's memorization skills, cognitive skills, to how damage to the lungs like bronchitis and asthma. Armand expresses that recreational marijuana is a common use among teenagers to young adults. That how among that age bracket, marijuana consumption is the highest in the nation. That among this bracket when marijuana is consumed in the body, it creates short term effects that can damage these developing brains, which could lead them from growing at the regular pace for

In contrast, there are common believes that marijuana is not addictive such as alcohol and heroin, but research and experiences show that the user will slowly develop addiction on it even after withdrawal. The symptoms of marijuana smoker seem as in a cocaine addict. The drug is the most commonly found in the system of drivers who are fatally injured. Dependency on the drug may lead to use more dangerous drugs in future. It has a high impact on brain especially parts connected to memory and learning. One study, declare that the person who is highly addicted to marijuana in teen years his IQ points will decrease by 8 between the age of 13 and 38. Finally, the legalization of marijuana will lead to highly smoking problems and increase serious health problems, whether it has a medical condition relief property.

In fact it has been said that using it on a regular heavy basis can actually leave users dependent on it and 10% that use weed can come addicted. People with heart issues and are using tetrahydrocannabinol have a higher risk of going into cardiac arrest, while smoking weed increases the heart beat 20-50 beats per minute which can lead to a heart attack. THC users that tend to use it heavily can reduce their thinking capabilities and even can cause memory loss for a short period of time. Also, studies say there are long term effects to using THC which say that the younger uses tend to lose 8 IQ points between 13 years old to 38 years old that is why it’s illegal till people are 21 years of age. Users tend to abuse it but there has never been a death from to much THC, but possible drowsiness and or relaxation. Teenagers that use marijuana can cause them to hallucinate and decrease their IQ points which make it hard to comprehend things. Patients that have heart issues and also smoke THC they have a higher risk of going into cardiac arrest due to, when inhaling the smoke it boosts heart rate up. On the other hand, smoking cannabis has lower risks of lung cancer unlike cigarettes but can cause a chest cold. It has been stated that there are long term effects that even if users quit smoking they’d still have lower IQ points than they use to. With knowing if users of marijuana have heart issues smoking

Marijuana addiction can negatively impact our children’s minds, body, relationships to others and future opportunities. Thus, their wellbeing and ability to function normally are obstructed by inducing mental aggressions and fatigue due to sleep deprivation. Teenagers choose to smoke marijuana out of sheer curiosity, peer pressure and the desire to fit in with friends. Adolescents have the perception that marijuana can help them to cope with anxiety, boredom, anger issues or unpleasant feelings

Armand, Wynne."Marijuana: Health effects of recreational and medical use". Harvard. Ed. Armand, Wynne. Article. 2016. Armand is providing research information in her post about what are the effects of marijuana on the one's health and how that among the youth, those ranging from teenagers to young adults, there is staggering number of them who are damaging their developing brains. The article gives the audience the effects of long-term and

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

Some users of marijuana have later been diagnosed with psychosis or schizophrenia. There is currently sufficient evidence to conclude that those who start using marijuana at an earlier age, have a higher risk of developing psychotic behaviour such as schizophrenia (Timms, Dr. Phillip). A study that was conducted with 1,600 Australian students aged around fourteen-fifteen, in which these students were watched closely for about seven years, found that those children who used marijuana regularly are at a higher risk for depression (Timms, Dr. Phillip). In fact, it was noted that adolescents who have used marijuana regularly were five times more likely to develop depression and anxiety into their adulthood (Timms, Dr. Phillip). There are many cases that link the use of marijuana to the increased chance of forming mental illnesses. Marijuana mentally shuts down a person time after time without even realizing the effects yourself.

Marijuana is considered in popular culture to be a widely accepted mainstream recreational illegal drug used in the United States; its use comes with severe adverse side effects that are often overlooked. Long-Term use of marijuana 'sis shown to have negative effects on physical, mental, and environmental health. Studies have shown that in the United States, up to 20% of daily marijuana users become dependent (Marijuana and Lung Health) showing a physical or emotional need for the drug. Marijuana use has the potential to affect every aspect of a person 's physical and mental wellbeing negatively. Its use also comes with potentially life-altering risks to one 's future including an individual’s likelihood of obtaining a degree, impacting their future earning potential and decreasing their overall reported life satisfaction. Once dependent on marijuana, people stop caring about their schooling. Long-term use of smoking marijuana can result in the inability to learn, retain information and think critically.

In addition, marijuana opponents argue that many users attain a psychological dependence on the 'high'; that marijuana can create. Such dependence can result in stunned emotional and social maturity as these users lose interest in school, job, and social activities. About 100,000 people each year resort to drug abuse treatment programs to end their marijuana addiction. Marijuana is also viewed by some commentators as a 'gateway'; drug that can lead to the abuse of other dangerous and illegal substances, including cocaine and heroin     On the other hand, critics of U.S marijuana policy argue that the dangers of marijuana have been exaggerated. They contend that many, not most, users of marijuana suffer no lasting harm, do not move onto other drugs, ad do not become addicts. Some surveys on marijuana use in America have shown that nine out of ten people who have tried marijuana have since quit. Researchers working with rats have found that marijuana is a far less addictive substance for the animals than cocaine or heroin Pro-Legalization activist R. Keith Stroup summed up the views of many who oppose marijuana prohibition when he asserted before a committee that 'moderate marijuana use is relatively harmless-far less harmless than that of either tobacco or alcohol.';

Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area reports that “marijuana use among the ages 12 to 17 years increased 6.6 percent.” Although recreational marijuana is only allowed to be purchased by people twenty-one and older, teenagers are still managing to getting ahold of it. A. Eden Evans, a director at the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital(MGH) has done a large amount of research on the effect of marijuana on adolescents. She found that some immediate physical risks of marijuana are “impaired coordination, slowed reaction time, slow processing on particularly unexpected or complex events”(Legalizing Marijuana: The Public Health Pros and Cons 14:44). Although they are unsure exactly how long these side effects last, they do have a negative effect on young children trying to learn and can reduce their quality of learning experience. Evans mentions a study done at MGH on the impact of marijuana to the body functions, that when testing kids early “[they] didn't find function difficulties [but] five years later those who had starting using marijuana had worsened executive function”(17:59). Drug Rehab, a website that offers ways to overcoming addictions, explains in further detail some of the specific risks and statistics to help show marijuana's high health risk. One of the risks they cite on the website is marijuana's addictive nature, where they state that “10% of users will develop dependence over time.” Addiction to marijuana can lead to many other drug addictions. On the same website they take a look into another medical study on males, that reports “that teenage boys who abused alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana were 2 to 3 times more likely to abuse prescription drugs during young adulthood” (Drugrehab.us).

Because of this they will look to smoke and use despite the stated harmful effects upon social functioning. This will lead to marijuana addiction from the abuse of the drug which causes the brain to adapt from taking large amounts of the drug. Users then believe they can stop whenever they want but in reality this is not true dependency can occur and you may not even notice it. It is shocking that people who start using marijuana before the age of 18 are 4 to 7 times more likely to develop a marijuana use disorder than adults. This is most likely due to peer pressure and the attempt to do the cool thing that everyone else is doing. Some that have tried to quit smoking marijuana have come to be effected by irritability, mood and sleep difficulties, decreased appetite, cravings, and restlessness within quitting (“Marijuana Addiction…”).

“I don’t understand how smoking cigarettes is legal and smoking marijuana is not” is something many people have heard or argued within their community because through the statistic, health related problems caused by cigarettes were very high when marijuana have not done serious harm to anyone. In our society, many people have different views on marijuana, and now that it is legalized by proposition 64 it will be more accessible to more people. Within our community, it is important to understand various perspectives and relationships between different groups of people and marijuana itself.

Weed, grass, and bud are all names for one of the most misunderstood plants in the world: marijuana. Through the use of government slandering propaganda and stereotyping, many people have tunnel vision when it comes to the controversial issue. Many view marijuana as a harmful drug, not realizing all of the economic, resourceful, and medical uses that can generate from it. These are the same people who want to keep marijuana illegal and out of the public 's hands. Only in the past twenty years has marijuana made progress with the United States Government by legalizing medical and recreational marijuana in select states. Within this short time frame, several states have seen unmistakable results with the increase in state revenue, decrease in crime rates, and overall better living for its citizens. The states that have legalized marijuana are proving to be valuable examples to the other more conservative states that are being hesitant when it comes down to legalization; “this summer, the Marijuana Policy Project, one of NORML 's [National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws] allies, announced an ambitious goal: legalize marijuana in ten additional states, including California, by 2017” (Thomson-Deveaux). Due to medical and economical findings, public opinion on marijuana has drastically altered from general disapproval to acceptance; which can not only be useful for the citizen, but prove invaluable to the patient.

Despite how certain individuals might feel about the changes that are set to take place, marijuana is not going anywhere. Also identified as pot, weed, or cannabis, marijuana plays a substantial part in California’s culture and business revenue. The usage of weed has been handed a ruthless reputation since the great depression. In those times, marijuana usage came to be primarily linked as the cause of violence, crime and all sorts of deviant behaviors, which led to the laws on marijuana. Although now, people are starting to shift their outlook drastically due to misleading assumptions towards marijuana usage. There are numerous people with illnesses that smoke marijuana due to its benefits of relieving pain. At one point in time, marijuana