...SAPP 407- Pharmacology Fall term junior yr. Term Paper Marijuana – Medicine, Menace, or What? There have been many arguments throughout history about whether marijuana is a source of medicine or whether it’s a gateway drug. This question may never truly be solved but there have been valid arguments for both sides. I would like to delve in on the topic by analyzing what the effects of marijuana are, what the positive and negative aspects of the drug are, and whether or not cannabis should be illegal. The first topic I would like to discuss is what the effects of marijuana are when it is used. The article Marijuana in Medicine: Past, Present and Future in the Western Journal of Medicine wrote about an experiment where marijuana was tested on animals. One reason why they found a lot of variability of reactions among the animals tested was because: “different batches of cannabis derivatives vary greatly in strength” (36). They go on to explain “there is a wide variation among humans in their individual responses to cannabis” (36). This brings light to a very important effect of marijuana, which is that it varies in strength from batch to batch. This is important to know when using the drug because it can affect people very differently based on the strength of the drug. Another effect of marijuana discussed by the Western Journal of Medicine is that cannabis “mildly stimulates, and then sedates the higher centers of the brain” (36). The article continues on to say that...
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...Driving down Pico boulevard one would think marijuana was the accepted medical practice in Los Angeles. The arrival of over 300 Marijuana clinic and dispensaries in Los Angeles was rapid, and brought the topic of medical marijuana to main stream media. In a poll done by the Washington Post 81 percent of people would accept a marijuana prescription form their doctor for an ailment compared to a 1997 poll where only 69 percent would be willing. All though the marijuana movement gained popularity psychologists are still weary of the possible negative effects. Scientist are currently researching marijuana’s addictive properties, its withdrawal effects and the medical value of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The co-director of the Pearson center for alcoholism and Addiction Research and PhD Barbara Mason notes that ten percent of Marijuana users have a high risk of developing Marijuana dependence. Ninety percent of individuals will be able to use it in a way they find non problematic in terms of dependence but ten percent will run the risk of developing dependence, and for that, effective treatments should be available (Mason 2010). PhD Alan Marlatt, esteemed researcher, does not seem to be swayed by the support for the legalization of marijuana. He thinks it should be decriminalized not legalized, with decriminalization it does not make it legal but it would “open the door for more people to seek help.” Marlatt feels many marijuana dependences remain depend out of fear of getting...
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...In the year 1937 in the month of December, the bill to criminalize marijuana/hemp was passed into law and history shows that the media played a major role in this act. But how did the media influence the perception of marijuana/hemp in the past? Why in the 1930’s, was marijuana/hemp the “Assassin of the Youth” and in 1996 and beyond has it been decriminalized in several states and now has medical uses? With the aid of books, movies, news articles and journals, this paper will discuss how the media has influenced the public’s perception of marijuana in the 1930’s until 1996 and beyond. Hemp, America’s versatile crop, pre-criminalization Hemp, pre criminalization, was used legally by the United States of America since the early 1600 through 1890....
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...Legalize It! John G. Krape JR COM/156 June 19, 2011 Lugene Rosen Legalize It! The legalization of marijuana would not hurt the country, but it would benefit it in many ways. Alcohol and tobacco are legal although they are more harmful than marijuana, which can be used to raise revenue, decrease the crime rate, and help heal the sick. Marijuana, or cannabis, has many positives much good can come from it being legal. Some of the main positives of legalizing marijuana include raising revenue for the country as a whole, decreasing the crime rate and number of prisoners, and it can be used as a cheap way for people to self-medicate. As with everything where there are positives there are negatives. Some negatives that could be argued would include how the government would control it, what to do with prisoners who were arrested prior to the legalization, and what kind of damage long term use could cause. The benefits of legalizing cannabis outweigh the negative side of it, like raising the revenue and economy of this country. One reason why marijuana should be legalized is that it can raise the revenue and economy of this country tenfold in a short period of time. People do not just start doing something because it becomes available in mass quantities with no prosecution. Marijuana can be grown by companies, like Phillip Morris a cigarette company, and taxed by the government. A high tax should be put on the product of course, making enjoying it a rare occasion. Alcohol and...
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...of any usual or synthetic substance or drug in an unapproved amount for performance augmentation and psychosomatic effect for non-therapeutic, non-medical use by an individual with methods neither approved nor supervised by medical professionals. The society as a whole has been at the suffering end of this habit for a long time. Drug abuse has made such deeper inlays in our lives that there seems to be no end to this menace. Drug abuse is a major public health problem that impacts society on multiple levels. Directly or indirectly, every community is affected by drug abuse and addiction, as is every family. Drugs take a tremendous toll on our society at many levels. People who use drugs incident a wide array of bodily effects other than those expected. The thrill of cocaine high, for instance, is followed by a "smash into": a period of anxiety, fatigue, depression, and a heightened craving for additional cocaine to ease the thoughts of the crash. Marijuana and alcohol hinder with motor control and are factors in many automobile accidents. Users of marijuana and hallucinogenic drugs may experience...
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... Marti Abitheira Legalizing Marijuana: Recognizing Its Medicinal Value . Marijuana should be made legal as an accepted medical treatment for many conditions including, but not limited to, glaucoma, pain control, and appetite stimulation. Some stumbling blocks to legalization have been public sentiment, public opinion, and government opposition. It is possible that these can be overcome with education and time, especially if the medical community will recognize marijuana as a valid treatment option. Marijuana has been used over the centuries for many things. The Dutch used hemp rope to build their ships and used hemp sails to propel them back in their ‘Golden Age’ (Kold, Sjoerd, 2012) Jazz musicians in the early part of the 20th century smoked it during their breaks to enhance their musical skills. Reefer Madness, an exploitative film made in the 1930s, depicted marijuana as a horrible menace that would turn fine, upstanding young people into crazed murderers (Hoerl, Meade, and Franklin. 1938). The Dupont company lobbied heavily to have marijuana outlawed so it could own the rope market with its nylon version of the much more durable hemp rope. The US and Mexican governments have an unholy marriage in the illegal drug trade which has gotten to the point where too much is at stake for both to really change anything. In all the maelstrom of marketing and propaganda in the 20th century one of the best uses of marijuana has not been fully realized or researched...
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...in question is marijuana. Marijuana is all around us; it is in the music we listen to, the television shows and movies we watch, and is constantly on the news. The debate to legalize marijuana in the United States has been argued since the existence of the drug and is even more prevalent today. Marijuana today has more uses than just to get “high,” it has medical and financial benefits that are commonly overlooked. Most Americans today believe that someone who smokes marijuana is a lazy, 20-year-old stoner who does not contribute to society other than buying large amounts of Doritos and Taco Bell. This statement is completely false. Marijuana can be used by anyone and has many more uses than just to get high. Marijuana’s main psychoactive ingredient is tetrahydro-cannabinol or THC (Griffiths). Marijuana has been used as a medicine in European colonies in North America since the 18th century (Griffiths). According to Heather M. Griffiths, “people seek out marijuana with medical problems including nausea, vomiting, weight loss, multiple sclerosis, asthma, inflammation, glaucoma, poor appetite, spasticity, chronic pain, and acute pain.” Many cancer patients who suffer from chemotherapy-induced nausea prefer to ingest marijuana through smoking or eating to control their side effects rather than standard anti-nausea drugs. Along with cancer patients, many AIDS patients lose their appetite while under treatment; patients often resort to the use of medical marijuana to regain their...
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...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 and rope. The seeds are valued as birdseed and the oil, which resembles linseed oil, is valuable because paints made with it dry quickly. A Chinese treatise on pharmacology alleges to date from 2737 B.C. contains what is usually cited as the first reference to marijuana. Through out the history of man in just about every culture the mention of this substance is found used both as a fiber...
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...Drug may also be defined by United Nations as “any chemical agent that alters the biochemical or physiological processes of tissues or organisms” Drugs which are consumed as a medicinal remedy or for pleasure leads to many social problems on large scale. One of them involves trafficking which in literal terms means a deal or trade in something illegal. So drug trafficking is the illegal sale, production, transport, movement, and distribution of illegal drugs and controlled-substances attained through unlawful means The estimates of The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as published in World Drug report state that in 2011, between 167 and 315 million people aged 15–64 were estimated to have used an illicit substance in the preceding year. An indispensable aspect of drug trafficking is the profits extracted out of this illegal trade. International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimate profits derived from illicit drug trafficking worldwide at about $600 billion, or 7.6% of global trade. GDP. The profit margin for drug dealing ranges from 300% to 2,000% . Illicit opium Market: Afghanistan has maintained its position as the lead producer and cultivator of opium. Globally some 16.5 million people use opiates annually in which heroin is the most abused opiate, with 12-13 million users consuming an estimated 375-380 tones (equal to 2,800 tons of opium) of pure heroin per year. Opium abuse is also significant, with 3-4 million users consuming some 1,300 tons of raw opium. To...
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... Drugs have come a long way from the “mothers' little helpers” that the Rolling Stones sang about. These days' street chemists have waged a war on the senses to try and find the recipe for the ultimate drug. While it would be easy to shrug that off as a problem of the west, the truth is that here in Bangladesh the world of drugs has found a shady little corner. Whether you choose to accept it or not, there is A major drug scene in Bangladesh now, and it's infecting the minds of today's youth, the people we like to call our future leaders. | | Farah (not her real name) is 18 years old and has been using drugs since the age of 14. Her story like many others started out with Marijuana. It was through the simple use of Marijuana that she opened the doors to a much wider use of drugs. After experimenting with drugs for a bit, she soon realised that she was addicted to heroin. She says it was purely accidental, and soon enough got over the addiction. Farah suffered from severe withdrawal but eventually when she kicked the habit she knew that she could never go back to it. But after hearing about a new drug called Yaba, she decided to try it. She started using it after she entered a circle of friends who were completely immersed into it. In her opinion that is not the only reason she started hard drugs again: “Everybody is doing it because there is nothing better to do in this town”. The truth is that there are umpteen drugs being used in Bangladesh...
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...In 1911, Dr. Hamilton Wright, the United States Opium Commissioner, at the time, stated that “of all the nations… the United States [consumed] most habit-forming drugs per capita.”1 This branded America as a drug lord, and future generations would continue to uphold the atrocious title and reputation, demonstrating that the United States’ drug control system was poorly enforced during the 1900’s. Neglectful physicians, contraband traces in food and medicine, utter ignorance in part of the American government, and social retaliation led to America becoming a leader in illicit substance distribution and use. One would think that medical professionals should be dedicated to ensuring patient health and safety, but history reveals ethical mishaps and disappointing facts dictating quite the contrary. Heroin, a substance extracted from the seed pod of certain poppy plants,2 was once a primary component for medications that treated cough-inducing illnesses. Bayer, a major pharmaceutical company, widely advertised heroin and its concoctions, such as heroinhydrochloride, to the general public. It was claimed as, “the cheapest specific for the relief of coughs,” which would appeal to any customer (see page 11, Figure 1). However, heroin is derived from morphine, which is highly addictive and even toxic in large quantities. Morphine caused crisis among civil war veterans, who became dangerously addicted to the pain reliever.3 Even with these previous events in mind...
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...Substance abuse The 5th edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) combines substance abuse and substance dependence to mean the same thing (American Psychiatric association, 2013). Substance abuse refers to the habitual non-medical substance seeking, and the substance taking behavior which is suppression or resistance through its pharmacological consequences. Substance abuse may therefore include the use of alcohol, abuse of cigarettes, food, sniffing of solvents or even the abuse of nicotine and caffeine (Nordegren, 2002). Substance abuse has been taken to generally refer to the use of hard drugs such as cocaine and marijuana. Every year, United States spends billions of dollars on increased health care cost, low productivity and increase in crimes. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, substance abuse costs United States 524 billion dollars a year of which 181 billion dollars is as a result of illicit drugs. Given the huge expense, there is therefore a need to understand the physical, social and psychological effects that substance abuse presents, analyze the factors contributing to substance abuse, examine the range of interventions used, and examine how managing substance abuse is influenced by cultural, legal, as well as political issues. Though at times substance abuse is completely something that an individual may pick from nowhere, there are some risk factors which may play a significant role in an individual’s substance abuse...
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...© Kamla-Raj 2006 J. Soc. Sci., 12(3): 193-198 (2006) A Critique of Students’ Vices and the Effect on Quality of Graduates of Nigerian Tertiary Institutions Oto J. Okwu Department of Agricultural Extension and Communication, University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Nigeria E-mail: oto079@yahoo.com KEYWORDS Students; vices; education; socialization; society; social problems ABSTRACT One of the most pressing issues in minds of people in Nigeria as far as education is concerned today is that pertaining to the quality or standard of education. Qualitative education should lead to detectable gains in knowledge, skills and values. There are, however, several students’ vices that seem to be militating against realization of the desired qualitative education in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Some of these vices are cultism, drug abuse, examination malpractice, obscene dressing and sexual promiscuity/harassment. Each of these vices and the possible social and academic implications are explained. Major employers of Nigerian graduates have widely agreed on quality decline in higher education in the country, particularly in the areas of communication in oral and written English and technical proficiency. It is recommended that the responsibility of preventing or curbing general students’ vices in Nigerian tertiary institutions be a collective one resting on parents, teachers, religious leaders, authorities of the institutions as well as government. This can be done through appropriate upbringing...
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...CHAPTER 2. A HISTORY OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL ABUSE IN AMERICA Written by: Tammy L. Anderson To appear in: Harrison, L., Anderson, T., Martin, S., and Robbins, C. Drug and Alcohol Use in Social Context. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing -1- A HISTORY OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL IN THE UNITED STATES Introduction The purpose of this chapter is to review the history of drug use and its social control in the United States so that students can gain an improved and thorough understanding of today’s problems and policies. Our approach to this matter is sociological, i.e., exploring how the interconnection between culture, social institutions, groups, and individuals function to create drug-related phenomena. A sociological approach integrates many kinds of social, cultural, political, and economic factors that manifest themselves in everyday life. While pharmacology helps us comprehend how specific drugs impact brain activity, sociology can inform us about the social roots of drugrelated behaviors which ultimately shape beliefs and behavior and motivate social policy. Therefore, a review of drug use in the U.S. and the social response to it must consider many diverse phenomena. This broader framework will move us beyond domestic borders and into the international community, for the history of drug abuse is an international, socio-political marvel. Another idea warrants mentioning before we begin our history lesson. It centers on the idea that drug use and abuse are socially...
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...A Sociological Perspective on Drugs and Drug Use Erich Goode, Professor of Sociology at SUNY Stony Brook From: Drugs in American Society, Chapter 1 ©1972 Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 0-394-31323-2 SOCIAL CONTEXT AND HUMAN MEANING What can a sociologist tell us about drug use that we do not already know? If there is anything particularly distinctive about the sociologist's view, it is his emphasis on social context. It might appear that this concept seeped into the public consciousness long ago, that it is a banality. But if this were so, the stupendous blunders committed every day by drug researchers and commentators would not occur. If the concept were really understood, a large part of the drug problem would also be understood. The social context of drug use powerfully influences—indeed, it might almost be said determines—at least four central aspects of the drug reality, aspects that traditionally have been presumed to grow directly out of the chemical and pharmacological properties of drugs themselves, independent of human intervention. These four aspects are drug definitions, drug effects, drug-related behavior, and the drug experience. The sociological perspective stands in direct opposition to what might be called the chemicalistic fallacy—the view that drug A causes behavior X, that what we see as behavior and effects associated with a given drug are solely (or even mainly) a function of the biochemical properties of that drug, of the drug plus the human animal...
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