...English 1B 16 February 2016 Legalizing Recreational Pot Heavy marijuana smokers are at risk for some of the same health effects as cigarette smokers, like bronchitis and other respiratory illnesses. Marijuana is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the United States and around the world. Those who support its legalization, for medical or for recreational use, fail to recognize that the greatest costs of marijuana are not related to its prohibition; they are the costs resulting from marijuana use itself. If the United States were to legalize marijuana, the number of users would increase. New users would not be limited to adults if marijuana was legalized, as regulations on alcohol and tobacco does not prevent use by youth. The legalization of recreational pot in America will increase the number of drug users at a younger age nationwide because many youth are more susceptible to peer pressure, the curiosity and sensation of what other drugs will feel like will grow causing more people to try and become addicted to other types of drugs, and finally because the recreational use of drugs will become a social norm instead of a taboo. The legalization of recreational pot in America will increase the number of drug users throughout the country as well as increase the number of younger users. There is a possibility that since this drug would be legalized, there would be easier access to it. Since access to marijuana would be extremely easy with stores selling it in shelves, more...
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...Marijuana Use and Its Effects WebMD: Better information. Better health. Marijuana Use and Its Effects Marijuana, which comes from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, is the most frequently used illegal drug in the U.S. About 4% of American adults smoke pot at least once a year. Roughly 1% of adults abuse pot, and one in 300 have a pot addiction. Most people smoke the plant's dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds. But marijuana also can be mixed into food or brewed as a tea. Marijuana goes by many street names, including pot, weed, and herb. Hash, a concentrated form of the drug, is short for hashish. The rates of marijuana smoking in adults have remained stable since the 1990s. However, the rates of addiction to pot have risen significantly over that same period. And, according to recent government studies, as many as 30% of today's teenagers are smoking marijuana. Occasional marijuana use is rarely seriously harmful, but smoking pot has important medical effects. Physiological Effects of Marijuana The active ingredient in marijuana is THC. That's short for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. THC is rapidly absorbed after smoking pot. Within minutes, THC and the other substances in marijuana smoke cause short-term medical effects. Signs of using marijuana include: Rapid heart rate Increased blood pressure Increased rate of breathing Red eyes Dry mouth Increased appetite, or "the munchies" Slowed reaction time These effects are reduced after three...
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...Chinese medical reference traditionally considered to date from 2737 B.C. Its use spread from China to India and then to N Africa and reached Europe at least as early as A.D. 500. Marijuana Plants / Cannabis The first direct reference to a cannabis product as a psychoactive agent dates from 2737 BC, in the writings of the Chinese emperor Shen Nung. The focus was on its powers as a medication for rheumatism, gout, malaria, and oddly enough, absent-mindedness. Mention was made of the intoxicating properties, but the medicinal value was considered more important. In India though it was clearly used recreationally. The Muslims too used it recreationally for alcohol consumption was banned by the Koran. It was the Muslims who introduced hashish, whose popularity spread quickly throughout 12th century Persia (Iran) and North Africa. Marijuana in America In 1545 the Spanish brought marijunana to the New World. The English introduced it in Jamestown in 1611 where it became a major commercial crop alongside tobacco and was grown as a source of fiber. By 1890, hemp had been replaced by cotton as a major cash crop in southern states. Some patent medicines during this era contained marijuana, but it was a small percentage compared to the number containing opium or cocaine. It was in the 1920’s that marijuana began to catch on. Some historians say its emergence was brought about by Prohibition. Its recreational use was restricted to jazz musicians and people in show business....
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...Decriminalizing Marijuana Some of the biggest issues argued about all over congress, the media, and in community is about drugs. One of the primary focuses of the war on drugs is Marijuana. What is marijuana? How is it used? Marijuana remains the most widely used illegal drug and stirs up constant debate everywhere. Marijuana, also known as weed, grass, pot, chronic, joint, blunt, herb, cannabis, hashish, or Mary Jane, is the most commonly used illegal drug in America. It could come in the color green, brown, or gray and its made of shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of a plant called the hemp plant. Like other drugs, marijuana has many side effects. Marijuana is the most widely used drug in the United States and considered to be the most harmful by the government with its anti marijuana stance and laws aimed at limiting its use. With marijuana use rapidly growing, the United States national debt has never been so high, and the search for seemingly 'incurable' diseases raging on, marijuana has the potential to solve many problems if it were to be legalized. Should marijuana be legalized? Proponents of marijuana argue that there are numerous medical benefits and that the drug is not more harmful than tobacco or alcohol so prohibiting it encroaches on personal freedom. On the other hand, opponents argue that marijuana is too dangerous, its legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of kids and that marijuana use often progresses to...
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...HOW CAN I TELL IF CAN A PERSON BECOME MY CHILD HAS BEEN ADDICTED USING MARIJUANA? TO MARIJUANA? HOW LONG DOES MARIJUANA STAY IN THE USER’S BODY? CAN MARIJUANA AFFECT MY CHILD'S GRADES? WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA? MARIJUANA: FACTS PARENTS NEED TO KNOW Revised WHAT ABOUT EFFECTS ON M AR IJUANA? PREGNANCY? HOW IS MARIJUANA USED? LOSE THEIR MOTIVATION? HOW CAN I PREVENT MY CHILD FROM GETTING INVOLVED WITH WHAT ARE THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA USE? WHAT DOES MARIJUANA DO TO THE BRAIN? CAN MARIJUANA BE USED AS MEDICINE? ARE THERE TREATMENTS TO HELP MARIJUANA USERS? REACTION? HOW MANY PEOPLE SMOKE MARIJUANA? CAN A USER HAVE A BAD OF OTHER DRUGS? LEAD TO THE USE DOES MARIJUANA AFFECT DRIVING? DO MARIJUANA USERS WHAT ARE THE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA USE? HOW DOES MARIJUANA National Institute on Drug Abuse I National Institutes of Health II A Letter to Parents We at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) are pleased to offer these two short booklets for parents and children to review the scientific facts about marijuana: (1) Marijuana: Facts Parents Need to Know and (2) Marijuana: Facts for Teens. Although it is best to talk about drugs when children are young—since that is when drug use often begins—it is never too late to start the conversation. Marijuana remains the most abused illegal substance among youth. By the time they graduate high school, about 46 percent of U.S. teens will have tried marijuana at least once in their lifetime...
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...Reasons not to legalize marijuana COMPOSITION II / EN-1420 Module 6 – Final Paper Come on have some fun and relax. Take a long drag on a funny little cigarette, chill for a while. Float in the sky like a bird and land on a cloud. BAM! You crash into a brick wall. Because its illegal. Several people say that Marijuana is a new fade. I disagree. The first direct reference to the use of marijuana was documented in China, in 2737 BC. The Chinese Emperor Shen Nung determined after using it as a social drug, it worked as a medication for pains in the joins, when taken it as a tea and smoking. As a recreationally drug it spread to India were the Muslims too used instead of alcohol consumption. It was the Muslims who introduced hashish, whose popularity spread quickly throughout 12th century Persia (Iran) and North Africa. It made its way to the new land in the mid 1500’s. Marijuana became a major crop like tobacco through the 1600’s in James Town. It stayed that way for over two hundred years until it was replaced by cotton in the 1890’s. It was used as medicine, intoxicant and a social drug through 1930, where it was considered a “Gateway” drug. (Tagliaferro) Medical uses Supposed benefits of medical marijuana are: decrease anxiety, slows Alzheimer's disease, helps multiple pains/muscle spasms, side effects Hepatitis C, treats inflammatory bowel diseases, relieves arthritis discomfort, increases symptoms of lupus, an autoimmune disorder, soothes tremors from Parkinson's...
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...Marijuana: also known as Mary Jane, reefer, pot, weed, and myriad ever-changing names. Whatever the term, the name is on everyone’s lips as the last five years saw scattered medicinal marijuana clinics located primarily in liberal states gave way to a wildfire movement of decriminalizing marijuana state-by-state. As of this writing, twenty-four states and the District of Columbia have instituted forms of marijuana legalization: twenty allow patients with certain incurable or degenerative and painful conditions to access marijuana for medical purposes, while Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Alaska, and DC have decriminalized marijuana for both medical and recreational purposes (State Marijuana Laws Map, 2016), with possibly as many as fourteen with potential legalization measures on the ballots this November (Rough, 2016). With public opinion shifting so quickly and marijuana becoming increasingly commonplace in American culture (pop and otherwise), it’s hard to imagine that this drug has been largely illegal and controlled in the United States for a century. Proponents of marijuana legalization argue that the initial criminalization of the plant has its roots in racism and capitalism, and that marijuana became the political sacrifice to the looming economic giant that was timber production in the early 1900s in the face of cheaper and more sustainable hemp competition. Criminalization of marijuana simultaneously created another reason to demonize people of color, especially Mexicans;...
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...For the country as a whole, more than half, 52 percent favor the legalization of marijuana up to an ounce, according to the national survey by Pew Research Center. Washington and Colorado have already legalized marijuana up to an ounce for recreational use. (“If you”) Fifty-two percent of America is a lot of support for a supposedly dangerous drug. Many doctors, health professionals, and American citizens in general wonder why marijuana is illegal. “According to Marijuana Facts and Stats, at least 100 million Americans have tried marijuana at least once in their lives.”(“If you”) 100 million people and no deaths from marijuana so is there really a problem with it? According to the Pew Poll 50 percent of Americans see nothing wrong with Marijuana. (“Marijuana Legalization”) So marijuana isn’t a moral issue to half of Americans, which is just again a lot of people. Because of jail overcrowding and the opportunity for millions of tax dollars, Marijuana should be legalized for recreational use. First let’s talk about marijuana in general and talk about some history behind the plant. Marijuana is a dry, shredded mix of flowers, stems, seeds and leaves of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. The active ingredient in marijuana is THC. That's short for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol.(“Marijuana”) THC is rapidly absorbed after smoking marijuana. Within minutes, THC and the other substances in marijuana smoke cause short-term medical effects.(“Marijuana”) In 1545 the Spanish brought marijuana...
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...Any randomly chosen group of people asked to list the most dangerous of these, would include among their immediate answers: “The Drug Problem”. By the “Drug Problem”, do they mean the proliferation in our communities of all illicit, mood-altering, physically dangerous drugs? Or do they really mean the accompanying problems bought on by these proscribed substances: crime and the threat of crime, violence, disease, the growing number of users on public welfare, the loss of productivity to the country’s industry, the congestion of the court system, the over-crowding of our penal institutions, the diversion of our tax dollars from more productive areas, the corruption of our law enforcement agencies, and directly and indirectly the erosion of our civil rights? Since I am confining this paper to discussing the laws prohibiting marijuana use, I will concede that it fits the first two categories above; i.e. it is by law, illicit, and by its nature, mood-altering. With the third category we enter upon shaky ground. There is no scientific proof that the prolonged use of marijuana exacts a greater physical toll on the user than the equivalent abuse of nicotine or alcohol. Under the name Extract of Cannabis, marijuana was once widely used medicinally in the United States, and still has minor medicinal uses in other countries. There is only one species - Cannabis Sativa - which yields both a potent drug and a strong fiber long used in the manufacture of fine linen as well as canvas...
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...the United States government they convinced an entire nation that marijuana is evil and will cause horrible side effects without having to prove just about any scientific or research data at all. Basically people chose to go against marijuana without knowing what it is, how it works, or how even America can benefit from breaking apart from the 1900’s way of thinking and legalize it. As it is normally known and referred to as marijuana but its scientific name is cannabis. It comes from the cannabis sativa plant, which is native to Asia and Africa but now is being grown just about world wide. Cannabis has many forms other than its plant one that is widely used. In its most common form, marijuana consists of flowers and leaves while as hashish it is found as a type of resin liquid. There were many prominent Americans that used to grow the plant and use the cannabis as a cash crop similarly to how tobacco plants were grew for profit. George Washington used to grow cannabis as his primary cash crop on his plantations, it was a good profit for him as it had its medicinal and recreational use, but could also be used as hemp and a type of fiber to create paper, clothing, and various other materials of a fiber nature. Thomas Jefferson also used to grow this plant as his secondary cash crop to tobacco. Imagine Washington and Jefferson, regarded as some of the greatest Americans in the history of this great planet, having to be arrested for the crime of growing cannabis. This...
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...the court system and jails from unnecessary time and expenses, and it will create a substantial source of revenue for the country. For nearly a century, health care personnel and government officials have stressed the potentially dangerous side effects of marijuana usage. Currently marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in the United States. (NIDA, 2010) Marijuana is the dried flowers that come from the hemp plant Cannabis Sativa. The main active chemical in marijuana is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol which is also called THC. The most common method of marijuana ingestion is through smoking. Marijuana can also be consumed by mixing it with foods and drinks. It can also be found in a highly concentrated form known as hashish, which is a sticky black liquid. (NIDA, 2010) When marijuana is smoked the THC passes through the lungs into the bloodstream and into the brain. Once in the brain the THC...
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...The Benefit of Legalizing Marijuana Of all legal reformations that should be made, the legalization of marijuana is perhaps the most necessary. If legalized on a controlled basis, it could greatly benefit our country in a variety of ways. Clearly the most controversial topic is marijuana's benefit to the medical community. The economy would also be a beneficiary of marijuana's legalization through taxation and all the while crime rates would inevitably decrease throughout the country. While many citizens are opposed to the legalization of marijuana they are often misinformed and misguided. Marijuana is a drug that is overlooked and can be used in many positive ways. There are many people that oppose the idea of legalizing marijuana and their point of view can be justified, but marijuana can be used for other purposes than getting “high”. Although there are valid points to each side, ultimately, if legalized the benefits of legal marijuana could greatly outweigh the risk. It has been documented that marijuana can severely reduce some effects of cancer. Also, it is known that marijuana has prolonged the lives of people who were diagnosed as terminally ill. Many rely on the drug to ease their pain and suffering. Another useful benefit is its aide in reducing nausea in chemotherapy patients. Medicinal uses for cannabis date back to 2737 B.C. when the Chinese emperor and pharmacologist Shen Neng prescribed the drug for gout, malaria, beriberi, rheumatism, and memory problems...
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...Abraham Lincoln once stated that, “Prohibition goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation and makes a crime out of things that are not crimes. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principles upon which our government was founded.” In today’s society, this statement still applies in reference to the illegal use of marijuana. Marijuana prohibition causes far more harm than marijuana itself. Keeping marijuana illegal, is expensive and causes crime. Out of four possible connections between drugs and crime, at least three would not exist if drug prohibition laws were repealed. First, crimes, which occur billions of times a year, are producing, selling, buying, and consuming strictly controlled and banned substances. If drug prohibition laws were repealed, these activities would obviously cease to be crimes. Next, many users commit crimes, such as robbery, dealing, prostitution, and running numbers to earn money to support their habits. If marijuana was less expensive and easier to obtain, which would be the case if it were legalized, the crimes committed under these circumstances would dramatically decline. The third drug-crime link is drug trafficking. Without prohibition laws, those people trying to make a living by selling and distribution would not be thrown in jail. Support for legalizing marijuana is at its highest level in 30 years (USA Today/CNN/Gallup Poll). Since 1996, voters in eight states have passed initiatives...
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...Go Green Marijuana is a harmful plant; at least, that’s what we are told, right? That this is a horrible substance that is never to be found in society, but what if it is not as harmful as other substances used my millions daily without question? Many people conclude that marijuana is harmful in many ways, including brain damage, damage to the reproductive system, and weakening of the immune system. People against marijuana attempt to convince others that marijuana is a "gateway drug" that leads the users to venture into much harder drugs. I believe that research to support anything can be found if one is looking hard enough, but that the fallacy of this conclusion is due to research seeking facts to support an already-assumed conclusion. Marijuana has been part of human society since the beginning of civilization. Indian priests wrote about its use in religious ceremonies, and Chinese emperors wrote about its medicinal use (UXL). However, since the beginning of the 20th century, most countries have enacted laws against the cultivation, possession or transfer of cannabis. These laws have impacted adversely on the cannabis plant's cultivation for non-recreational purposes, but there are many regions where, under certain circumstances, handling of cannabis is legal or licensed. Many jurisdictions have lessened the penalties for possession of small quantities of cannabis, so that it is punished by confiscation and sometimes a fine, rather than imprisonment, focusing more on...
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...Legalize Marijuana “Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally upon our planet. Doesn’t the idea of making nature against the law seem to you a bit . . . unnatural?” -Bill Hicks. Marijuana is created from the dried leaves and female flowers of the hemp plant. The most active ingredient in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Marijuana is also known as pot, mary jane ,grass, loud, and weed, the drug has long been used as a sedative or analgesic; it was in use in China by the 3rd millennium BC and had reached Europe by AD 500. Today it is used worldwide, though it is generally illegal. Before making the decision to legalize marijuana one needs to consider both the pros and cons of the situation. Marijuana is a drug that should be legal , and available for sale in every state of the United States. Should the U.S. Government legalize marijuana or not? To begin, there are many types of drugs in the world that set risk to one’s life, among them marijuana has proven to aid many diseases and has no deaths reported. There is overwhelming evidence from experiments that show marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, cancer and AIDS or by the harsh drugs sometimes used to treat them. Indeed, marijuana is less toxic than many of the drugs that physicians prescribe every day. In contrast, many people take caution in using marijuana due to the lack of consistent repeatable scientific...
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