...Legalizing Marijuana 1 Crystal N. Nichol Tiffany Davis March 5, 2012 Dying To Get High: Marijuana as Medicine People around the world are dying to get high, off the cannabis also known as marijuana to treat certain medical conditions, which is why marijuana is something that should be legally justified to treat specific pre existing medical conditions in all fifty states (Meltzer,2004). The controversial issue of legalizing marijuana for medical use is a worldwide concern, although thirteen states already have legalized marijuana for medical reasons. The legality of marijuana has been a hotly debated subject for decades until the government of US and many other established countries outlawed its use, smoking marijuana had been a widespread activity for thousands of years (Meltzer, 2004). Marijuana has been illegal in America since 1923. Since the authorities banned the recreational use, sale, and growth of this substance many groups have sprung up and protests have been organized to fight for the right to possess and use the plant (Meltzer, 2004). Opinions appear to be pulled in two directions: that the use of marijuana is an extreme social, moral, and health ‘danger’ that must be stamped out, or that it is an innocuous, pleasant pastime that possesses health benefits and should be legalized(Zimmer,1997). It may be some time before all the truths concerning the use of this ancient drug in our society are fully known. An understanding of the history and attitudes...
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...Union: The Business Behind Getting High (Documentary, DVD). Canada: Eagle Entertainment. Head, T. (n.d., n.d.). Why is Marijuana Illegal? About.com Guide. Retrieved from http://civilliberty.about.com/od/drugpolicy/tp/Why-is-Marijuana-Illegal.htm The Truth About Cannabis. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.truthaboutcannabis.org/ Body Paragraph 1 Pros- Medical (Anthony) Discuss the positive effects that legalizing Marijuana will have on Medical needs. References: 17 legal medical marijuana states. (n.d.). ProCon.org. Retrieved from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000881 Cannabis and mental health. (n.d.). Cannabis and Mental Health. Retrieved from http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfo/problems/alcoholanddrugs/cannabis.aspx Rich Deem (March 19th 2013) The Medical "Benefits" of Smoking Marijuana (Cannabis): a Review of the Current Scientific Literature. Retrieved from http://www.godandscience.org/doctrine/medical_marijuana_review.html Body Paragraph II Cons- Medical (Andrea) Discuss the negative effects that legalizing...
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...dependenceny to it overtime. Opponents of legal recreational pot argue that any savings that would arise from legalization would be offset by the cost of treating the additional users who become addicted to marijuana. Another reason why people oppose the legalization of Marijuana is because using Marijuana can lead to the decrease in mental health. Studies suggest a link between the use of Marijuna and mental illnesses, like depression and schizophrenia. Researchers aren’t yet sure if the marijuana causes these conditions, or if smoking can turn to the drug to self-mediate their symptom. However, it is known that Marijuana use can turn some role in the mental health picture. The movement to legalize marijuana is becoming a realness in some areas. For topical anesthetic governments, police enforcement officials, the judicial system, and addiction intervention specialist affected by the shift, it will continue to be important to work together to create communities that are free people from addiction-and its devastating emotional, physical, and financial effects. The last and final reason why legalizing marijuna would be a risk is because it is a gateway drug. Many addiction treatment specialists believe that Marijuana is a gateway drug with the potential to introduce a person to a more serious illegal substances, like cocaine or heroin. Research also suggests that its use may be linked to a higher risk of prescription drug use. A Recent epoch Yale University School of Medicine study revealed...
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...such as psychedelics to treat patients with mental diseases as well as with physical diseases such as cancer and people who are starving themselves of food.This resulted in physicians across the country and other places not to use drugs to cure or help patients. There are also negative effects of marijuana such as the active ingredient THC, is responsible for the psychological affects of marijuana.THC attaches to the pleasure receptors in the brain affecting a person's memory,pleasure, movements,thinking, concentration and sensory and time perception. If users smoke too much marijuana or on a daily basis it can result in an unnatural amount of dopamine being released which is responsible for pleasure in the body.As well as the misuse of marijuna in men can change the structure of sperm cells and sometimes leave men temporarily sterility in men. It can also affect women's menstrual cycle. As well as long time women users of the drug can result in birth defects, mental abnormalities and increase in the risk of cancer. As well as a “bad trip” can increase in the result of mental and emotional complications such as anxiety, panic attacks, breathing problems and an increase in a person's heart rate. Marijuana is regarded as a gateway drug and Canada has the highest rate of underage usage of marijuana this can result to high amounts of drug use if not given the right supervision and mentorship. Whether it be peer pressure or shear curiosity teenagers start to distance themselves away...
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...“A smoker would theoretically have to consume nearly fifteen hundred pounds of marijuana within about fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response... in strict medical terms, marijuana is far safer than many of the foods we commonly consume. For example, eating ten raw potatoes can result in a toxic response. By comparison, it is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death.” - DEA Administrative Law, Judge Francis L. Young. The National Center for Health statistics reported that drugs caused 37, 485 deaths in 2009; followed closely by alcohol related deaths totaling 23, 199. When research was done to identify the drugs and alcohol used in these fatal events, Cannabis (Marijuana) caused zero deaths. So why is a drug that is grown so naturally and causes zero deaths at the center of so much controversy? Marijuana has been used for medical purposes and is a popular subject in the economic and political debate arenas. “Cannabis sativa is an annual plant that grows wild in warm and tropical climates throughout the world and is cultivated commercially. The leaves and buds of the plant have been used in herbal remedies for centuries. Scientists have identified 66 biologically active components, called cannabinoids, in marijuana. The most potent of these is thought to be the chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, although other active substances are being studied. The medical use of marijuana is limited because different strains of the plant contain different...
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...Ending Prohibition of Marijuana Brian Egnor SOC 120 Introduction to Ethics and Social Responsibility Instructor. Linda Atkinson June 9, 2013 Ending Prohibition of Marijuana Marijuana should be legal for many reasons. Not only is marijuana been proven over and over through research and studies to help with many illnesses, but marijuana has never caused death by overdose like many legal drugs do year after year. I will also discuss how not only the marijuana plant can be used for medical, and recreational use, but the plant is also a relative of hemp which can be used to produce, rope, clothing, paper and many other resources . We can use nearly every part of the Cannabis Sativa, or marijuana plant. The plant grows rapidly and has been known to reach heights in excess of 20 feet. It is a plant that very few natural pests will attack or infest, and very few extremes in weather will hinder its growth. The leaves of the plant are narrow leaflets with usually in with at least 5 or more leaves. Each leaf connects to a slender stem that is attached to a thick, hollow stalk. The edge of the leaflets will resemble that of a serrated knife. The species does have male and female plants. The male plants tend to grow taller, and are topped with flowers covered in pollen. The female plant being shorter, has larger pollen catching flowers, and produces seeds and protects them with a sticky resin. The plant in turn has many uses. The stalk can be used to make fiber; the seeds can be...
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