Pot : In the Spotlight.
To Some people, it's a relaxing herb, something to temporarily pull the mind from reality. The aroma is unmistakable, the potency various, and there are roughly sixty five million people smoking it. I'm talking about Cannabis Sativa, the illegal strain of hemp known as marijuana. This plant provides many medical benefits that far outweigh the side effects. It has yet to be proven to be addictive or deadly. Marijuana as it stands right now is an illegal narcotic, but I think the drug, with it's physical, psychological, spiritual, but most importantly, medical benefits, should be legalized. Marijuana is one of the oldest cultivated plants. (Nahas,1986) The first people to introduce the potential
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The hemp plant now grows wildly around the world and can be cultivated anywhere with a hot season. There are 421 chemicals in 18 different chemical classes that have been detected in the hemp plant. It synthesizes at least 61 distinct substances called cannaboids that are not found in any other genus of plants. The most significant source of these substances is 1-delta-9-tetrahydrocannibol. This is an oily, water insoluble fluid more often called THC. (Dudley, 1999) There are already some THC counterparts on the market right now.(Baird, 2001) They are dronabinol and marinol. These drugs are the closet it gets to medical marijuana, however they are in no way smoked. Marinol and dronabinol are made into a sesame oil and supplied into gel capsules. These drugs are making huge advancements in the legalization of marijuana and many doctors are accepting them, but are still not the go-to drugs and only used when all else fails. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are many other doctors argue that marijuana should not be used for any medicinal purposes at all. They argue that the drug has too many short and long-term effects.(Abel, 1993) When you smoke marijuana, it can produce a change in mood, mental abilities, coordination, blood pressure, and pulse. The result is the state most commonly referred to as the "high". Included is an increased state of well-being, relaxation
The first known marijuana user dates all the way back to 2737 B.C. when Chinese Emperor Shen Nung wrote of the incredible euphoria he feels, and what he experiences after smoking marijuana (Guither). It caught on during the 1920’s. Some say this was because of the prohibition of alcohol, while others think that the jazz music culture brought it into the spotlight (Guither). Marijuana was distributed by pharmacies from 1850 to 1942, prescribed to patients for pain,
Marijuana has been proven and tested to give a very positive impact on the American society for many different reasons. Marijuana is used for many different medical reasons. It helps people who have ADHD, crohn's disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, insomnia, arthritis, and even people with a lack of appetite. Marijuana is a harmless drug and needs to be legalized for medical use in all states.
Cannabis has been known to man since as early as 7000 B.C. (Marijuana Legalization Timeline). In 1619, the colony of Jamestown in Virginia passed the first cannabis-related law, stating that it is required for all farmers to grow cannabis sativa or hemp plant because of its strong fiber that they used to
Drugs are a major influential force in our country today. The problem has gotten so out of hand that many options are being considered to control it or even solve it. Ending the drug war seems to be a bit impossible. The war on drugs seems to be accomplishing a lot but this is not true. Different options need to be considered. Legalization is an option that hasn't gotten a chance but should be given one. Although many people feel that legalizing marijuana would increase the amount of use, marijuana should be legalized because it will reduce the great amounts of money spent on enforcement and it will increase our country’s revenue. There are also many benefits that can be uncovered to help people if legalization of
After all, a drug that can do it all can’t be perfect right? A number of doctors agree that there are medications that will do the work that Marijuana can do, for a lower risk. Medical Marijuana has not been approved by the FDA, and many drugs that have been approved are available to patients. There are two alternatives to Marijuana that work similarly, and have been approved by the FDA. Nonetheless, there are some doctors that are not convinced that they will work in the same way. Science has shown that Marijuana has negative effects, and a major one is addictiveness. Approximately 10 percent of users of Medical Marijuana become dependent on Marijuana, and the number only increases when teens and children are prescribed the drug. Although 10 percent seems like an insignificant number, it proves that the drug is not the best option when looking for medications to ease symptoms. A recent study by the FDA has also proven that Marijuana is known as “The Gateway Drug”. This applies mostly to the users who become addicted to the drug. Most are tempted to try other drugs with no medical benefit, such as ecstasy and heroin. At some point we have to ask ourselves if it’s really worth it. If you want to be addicted to a drug that you were told was going to help you get better, then by all means go for it. There are a number of other options that will offer similar aids, but that come with a lower health
Studies in the past few years have shown that medical marijuana would be incredibly beneficial to those battling several different kinds of medical conditions. The term medical marijuana refers to utilizing the “whole, unprocessed marijuana plant or its basic extracts” to treat or suppress the symptoms of certain medical conditions (National Institute “Marijuana as Medicine”). Two FDA-approved medications have emerged out of the scientific study of cannabinoids, the chemicals in marijuana. These medications “contain cannabinoid chemicals in pill form,” and with more research, more medications will be formulated (National Institute “Marijuana as Medicine”). From the marijuana plant, THC and CBD are the two main cannabinoid medical interests. The benefits from THC are that it reduces nausea caused from certain illnesses and increases appetite, and decreases pain, inflammation, and muscle control problems. CBD, unlike THC, “is a cannabinoid that [does not] make people high.” Research on CBD suggests that CBD may be beneficial to those battling with pain and inflammation, epileptic seizures, and mental illnesses and addictions (National Institute “Marijuana as Medicine”). Multiple medical conditions such as anxiety, epilepsy, Parkinson’s Disease, glaucoma, arthritis, Crohn's Disease, and chronic pain can all be treated by cannabis.
Unmarked warehouses are popping up across the country, and many individuals are unaware of what they house. In the past, these structures may have been home to a granite cutter, a screen printer or a business of another type. Today, however, they now house a medical marijuana operation, such as the one in a suburb just south of Boston. This building is currently being rented by Ermont, a medical marijuana company.
Its first applications were seen in India where “the plant was used medicinally and non-medicinally, most notably at the festival of Durga Puja”.(Kalant, 2001) Marijuana was often used medicinally to induce relaxation for pregnant women, but was later found to have practical use as an anxiolytic, an anticonvulsant, and a sedative. Being that these are certain symptoms of alcohol and opiate abuse, marijuana was a practical treatment for those issues as well. After being introduced in Europe in the 17th century, most notably in France and Great Britain, many more medical applications for marijuana were discovered. The famous French psychiatrist Moreau de Tours was one of the first credible researchers of marijuana for legitimate medical purposes. “He proposed the use of hashish ( a derivative of the marijuana plant) to produce a ‘model psychosis` for scientific study. In Paris, the ‘Club des Haschischins` flourished in the 1750’s, with such members as the poets Baudelaire, Gautier, and Dumas serving as subjects for Moreau’s experiments” (Kalant, 2001) through research by Moreau, along with British physician O`Shaughnessy and many others, a basis for the medicinal applications of marijuana was formed. Over the next few centuries, medical applications of marijuana would be discovered and utilized throughout Europe
Marijuana is a safe drug for medical purposes, unlike many prescription and antidepressant that treat some of the same condition and disease as marijuana, these drugs appear to do more harm than
Cannabis sativa, also known as marijuana, was founded during the year of 2727 B.C. Ever since then, cannabis had begun to spread throughout different parts of the world such as Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, and North America. Spain made use of this plant as a type of fiber, while others in North America used cannabis to create clothing, paper, and hemp rope. Wild cannabis grows in humid areas and various tropical regions. Cannabis plants are dioecious, which indicates that in order for these plants to reproduce, the ‘male’ plant must pollenate and fertilize the ‘female’ plant. The two plants are distinguished by height, color, and texture. The most obvious distinction is that the ‘male’ plant stands taller than the ‘female’ plant. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the main chemical in marijuana that affects the user psychologically, as well as their nervous system.
A briefing of the potential of Cannabis Hemp Cannabis Hemp is a unique plant species which can provide all the basic necessities of life. The plant was one of the first ever plants cultivated by humans as it can provide food, shelter, warmth, clothing and medicines. Its fibers and seeds have been found in excavations of sites of human communities that are over 6000 years old and has helped societies advance time and time again.
From around 1,000 B.C. until after the American Civil War, the marijuana plant was the world's largest cash crop. Fabric, rope, lighting oil, paper, medicine, food oil, and a source of protein, were just a few of its uses (Overbeck, "Billion"). It's hard to imagine a plant this great had been outlawed. There have been many misnomers and lies that have been spread about the usage of marijuana. In Bruce Goldstein's book, Psychology, three major studies were conducted on the effects of long-time marijuana usage. These studies, one in each of Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Greece, all failed to find evidence of physical or psychological damage in long-time users. But others find that there is evidence that lung damage could occur as a result of
A number of movements to legalize marijuana have been gaining attention lately. Currently there are 14 states where marijuana is legal for medical use (medicalmarijuana). 41% of U.S. citizens believe marijuana should be legalized (drugpolicy) but others are still concerned about health damage. American society has lost the war against marijuana, and that's okay. We should stop wasting time and money trying to reverse history and instead legalize both medical and recreational use of this mild narcotic widely seen as no more harmful than alcohol.
less dangerous than tobacco and people smoke less of it at a time. Or you can
Marijuana, cannabis or hemp are names that is commonly used for the plants of the genus Cannabis. It is derived from the dried flowering tops, leaves, stems, and seed of the Cannabis plant. Marijuana was used as an agent to achieve euphoria in ancient times. Although Marijuana is often used as a recreational drug, it has been also used as a