We all know that conventional wisdom tells us that marijuana is illegal because it is a drug that can cause harm to you and those around you. But then why do so many people smoke marijuana? Why does California pass a law saying that having 28.5 grams, or one once, is a misdemeanor? Why did Colorado pass a law stating that the use of recreational marijuana was legal? I think that marijuana should be legal in the United States to use recreationally for many different reasons, such as economic benefits, health benefits and it is a better drug than those that are currently legal.
The first of which is because it is safer than most drugs that people are already allowed to use, such as alcohol cigarettes. In an article written by CNN’s Dan
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Although marijuana is a hallucinogen it does not have a highly addictive characteristic like other hallucinogens. In 2004 the National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that its short term effects include, but are not limited to: blood shot eyes, dry mouth and increased heart rate. Its long term effects include, but are not limited to: lower testosterone levels in men, and higher testosterone levels in women. When you compare this to other drug’s side affects you see that they are not so bad.
The second reason would be to use it as a form of medical treatment. In Blurred Boundaries: The Therapeutics and Politics of Medical Marijuana, by Cr. J. Michael Bostwick, it is said that the body has a set of receptors, called endocannabinoid system, that “extends far and wide within the body as a physiologic modulator not only of the central nervous system but also of the autonomic nervous system, immune system, gastrointestinal tract, reproductive system, cardiovascular system, and endocrine network”(Bostwick, J.). This implies people with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and post-traumatic stress disorder would be the best suitors for marijuana’s medical applications. A little girl in Colorado named Charlotte Figi was diagnosed with a genetic disease, known as Dravet Syndrome, in which she had multiple spasms that lasted many hours. By the time she was three months she had seizures that lasted for thirty minutes, and at the age of two she
Possibility of addiction is only one of the disadvantages on Marijuana. There are short-term and long-term effects from the use of the drug. The most common short-term effects include paranoia, difficulty with concentration, anxiety, fatigue, and hallucinations. “If you’re not around good people, you will end up having a bad experience and be very paranoid and anxious.” (Daily User One, 2017) This person said that the people you are around and your surroundings in general can also alter how you react to the THC in your system. Other short-term effects that are more dangerous include increased heart rate (which is particularly dangerous to people with heart disease), decreased blood pressure, and damaged blood vessels caused by the smoke. The long-term effects include memory loss, IQ level (due to blood cell lose from smoking), decreased motivation, and ability
Smoking marijuana is best described as a one-way ticket to negative side-affects. Based on Lifetime Health by Friedman, D. P., Stine, C. C., and Whaten S. “smoked marijuana are felt within minutes and may last for 2 or 3 hours”(2009). Short term effects consist of slowed thinking ability, difficulty paying attention, distorted sense of time, and many more. (Friedman, D. P., Stine, C. C., and Whaten S. (2009). Long term effects include frequent respiratory infection, impaired learning and memory, and even panic attacks (Friedman, D. P., Stine, C. C., and Whaten S. (2009). Thus, the ingestion in smoking marijuana can cause harmful outcomes, which are
In out society drugs are considered to be addictive and lethal. People tend to abuse drugs regardless of their side effects. In many cases government agencies regulate their use. Also there are drugs that are illegal to use, produce and sale. One of those illegal drugs is marijuana. For thousands of years, marijuana has been used to treat a wide variety of sickness. It became illegal in 1937 under The Marijuana Stamp Tax Act. This act prohibits the use, sale and growing of marijuana. It was made illegal because no one understood why smoking marijuana made people feel the way they did and because appropriate researches had not been conducted about it. Though marijuana remains illegal
Marijuana is the most used drug by teens and adults today. There are many strong arguments against the legalization of marijuana; there are also many valid reasons to legalize the drug. Although marijuana alters the natural brain functions like: memory, attentiveness, and coordination, keeping it illegal will not stop people from using the drug, but it imposes on other issues that need to be solved. With legalizing marijuana it would give law enforcement motive to focus on real crimes, the government would make a huge profit by taxing it, and it can also be beneficial for some medical needs.
When the THC present in marijuana enter the bloodstream stream and reach the brain it binds to the cannabinoid receptors. Cannabis also includes many subjective and highly tangible results, such as food tasting better and more appreciation of aromas. Some short term physical effects include , increased heart rate, dry mouth, and reddening of eyes among other physical effects. A few long term effects include , being associated with diseases with the liver, lungs, heart, and vasculature. More testing is needed to determine if cannabis can truly be fatal. You can develop an addiction that could last a while. Cannabis use disorder is quite common with excessive weed smokers.
On the other hand there are those who believe marijuana is detrimental to the health of those who use it. The National Institute on Drug Abuse for believes that marijuana use has many long- and short-term implications. These implications include increased heart rate during use, respiratory issues including a possibility heightened lung infections and frequent chest illness, and finally long time use can lead to mental illness.
Depending on the dosage of marijuana may determine the effect. If the dosage is low it may produce a sense of well – being, relaxation, and sleepiness. If the dosage is higher it may cause a person to lose track of time, forget things and their equilibrium may become off balance. Physiologically, the heart rate increases and blood vessels of the eye dilate causing reddening. A feeling of tightness in the chest and a lack of coordination may occur. (Hart and Ksir, 2013) Server anxiety, paranoia and delusions may also be a result of using high doses of marijuana. Although not proven it is suspected that marijuana smoke may cause long-term harmful effects to the lungs.
Marijuana is a kind of plant that people smoke to get feeling that they like. As far as we know, marijuana is illegal in the United States and most of the countries in the world. Nevertheless, in the United States there are two states where people can use marijuana legally: Colorado and Washington. However, many people argue that marijuana should be illegal, and other people say marijuana cannot be legal. Marijuana is a dangerous kind of drug, so it should not be legal because it may affect many problem or diseases such as, lung cancer, lead to other drugs and it could make anyone criminal.
Side effects of Marijuana does not hold any real danger compared to pharmaceutical drugs. There has never been a record of marijuana over-dosed. One known side effect is the short-term interference with attention, judgment and balance. Another side effect includes change in mood, altered sense of time, and altered sense such as seeing brighter colors. Mental illnesses in some users includes temporary hallucinations and temporary paranoia.
With a wide variety in cannabis strains, the side effects of each strain differ from one another based on many different factors. Attempting to pin point how each strain effects an individual is more complicated then it appears. With cannabis being a very historic herb, the plant in itself as evolved substantially over time and with advances in today’s technology growers have the ability to cross bread plants creating new strain or even create synthetic versions of cannabis. Since it is rather difficult to pin point the side effects that every strain can produce most of these strains all share some similar effects as a whole. Physically marijuana can affect your respiratory system causing respiratory system to become irritated or if ingested can cause nausea and liver complications that can scar liver tissue. At the same time studies have shown that cannabis can have slight effects on the immune system, weakening the immune system. Marijuana has also been known to speed up the heart rate which can pose a huge problem with individuals with heart conditions. Mentally marijuana releases a chemical called euphoria which helps to stimulate dopamine in the brain. This “high” would has been known to increase feelings of paranoia, hallucinations, and difficulties concentrating. Some users have reported to have difficulties finishing task little alone remembering the task assigned. Some users have difficulties remembering the high at all. These are all common effects that most strains have in common with each other. Although many of these effects may sound rather intimidating and paint a negative picture about marijuana, if monitored correctly and responsibly marijuana also has many great beneficial uses as well. Overall marijuana, like other substances legal and illegal, is not %100 safe and can pose many health complications
One reason marijuana should be legalized is because of the medical benefits it contains. Marijuana is not just used for pleasure it also aids in the treatment for many conditions. The marijuana plant has many chemicals but the more important ones are tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol (CBD). THC has the power to reduce pain and swelling. CBD does not give users the high feeling like THC does, and also reduces pain and swelling, and controls epileptic seizures and could possibly treat mental illnesses and addictions. I take cannabidiol oil to help control my epileptic seizures and it has been helping me a lot. It has reduced my seizures from once a month to once every three or four months, and I have grand mal seizures and they are not as severe because of CBD. CBD oil has helped many patients with epilepsy by reducing or completely getting rid of their seizures. I’ve also heard that it helps treat patients with cancer by aiding in the killing or reducing of the cancer cells. Marijuana has many powerful medical abilities that
"Marijuana is an addictive, gateway drug. It significantly impairs bodily and mental functions, and its use is related to increased violence". (Parks 23) Marijuana is a harmful and dangerous drug so why would we legalize it. Legalizing marijuana could ultimately ruin this country and the youth. It causes great harm to people and impairs them greatly. So why would we legalize it? Cannabis is a genus of flowering plant that includes three species or subspecies, sativa, indica, and ruderalis. The drug THC is a compound, C 21 H 30 O 2, that is the physiologically active component in cannabis.
The first issue to be confronted is that of the effects of marijuana on the body. The physiological effects of marijuana on the body are not very strong. It would actually take 20,000 to 40,000 times the normal dose to kill a human being. There is no documented case of a death caused by marijuana overdose. The only noticeable effect on the body is the slight increase in heart beat, depending on the dose amount. The increase in blood pressure also usually creates bloodshot eyes. The mouth tends to dry out and the user has an urge to drink water. All of the other effects that could be related to marijuana use are inconsistent so cannot be directly linked to the substance (Model 15).
Marijuana is arguably the most controversial drug in history. In general, when someone hears the word “drugs” they think of a terrible substance that will destroy the human body. However bringing up marijuana, many people think of different things. Some think of a degenerate hippie, but many Americans simply do not know what to think, and bringing up the legalization of the substance is even more controversial. There is a large group of people that believe the legalization of marijuana is pointless and only serves the purpose of making people unhealthy, but at the same time there are many that believe its legalization will solve many problems in America. Marijuana should be a legal, regulated drug because of its long history, the United States growing economic crisis, and the strong medical purpose it has.
The principal reason for the legalization of Cannabis is that this plant has some health benefits, like the potential in shrinking aggressive cancerous brain tumors. Also, Marijuana is used to treat the epilepsy and others seizure disorders.