Rastafarians Challenge Drug Act
Thesis: To highlight the positive, negative, and social affects that marijuana has on society.
Marijuana plant contains 400 chemicals and 60 of them are cannabinoids, which are psychoactive compounds. Tetrahydrocannibol (THC) is the main active ingredient in marijuana; it rapidly passes from the lungs into the blood stream which carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body. “These receptors control memory, thought, concentration, time and depth, and coordinated movement. THC also affects the production, release or re-uptake of various neurotransmitters”. 1
On March 17, 1999 the US Institute of Medicine (IOM) said that smoking marijuana has benefits for the terminally ill. The study concluded that cannabinoids can be useful in treating pain, nausea and appetite loss caused by advanced cancer and AIDS. THC also acts as a sedative and reduces anxiety, which in itself may have therapeutic effects.
The US National Institute of Health (NIH) and the British Medical Association released reports in 1997 on the potential therapeutic uses of cannabis and cannabinoids. Each one of the reports concluded that cannabinoids may be potentially useful as analgesics, antispasmodics, anti-emetics, appetite stimulants, and in treatment of epilepsy and glaucoma. In the case of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), marijuana seems to bring relief to sufferers like no other painkillers can.
The Essay on Marijuana Drug Thc User
Marijuana Marijuana arrests in the united states doubled between 1991 and 1995. In 1995, more than one-half-million people were arrested for marijuana offenses. Eighty-six percent of them were arrested for marijuana possession. Tens of thousands of people are now in prison for marijuana offenses. An even greater number are punished with probation, fines, and civil sanctions, including having their ...
Some of the social effects of marijuana are learning, motivation and social behaviour:-
Learning
Marijuana can severely impair learning; critical thinking and other related functions for as long as twenty-four (24) hours after the last dose was taken. Studies have observed student before, during and after they took marijuana, and found that – after taking marijuana – students were much more likely to suffer from memory problems, difficulty concentrating and a decline in comprehension and cognitive skills.
Motivation
Marijuana can cause users to get easily distracted, and although they may make plans to do things, they can forget about them easily, or simply not be motivated enough to do them. Physically, nothing is wrong, but mentally, there is a complete lack of motivation and users feel like even getting up is overwhelming. Many times, long-term addicts can experience what’s known as a motivational syndrome, where they lose motivation about all aspects of their life, such as school, work, family and their responsibilities.
Social Behaviour
At work, having no motivation can cause deterioration in performance, leading to discipline or possibly termination. In school, lack of motivation can cause problems with both learning and in performing well in general. Friendships can also be threatened, since a lack of motivation to see anyone other than the people you smoke marijuana with can cause you to lose friends. And, as a marijuana addict, people often have negative connotations associated with you, leading to lost opportunities.
Recent studies done by scientists at the University of Buffalo in New York showed that human sperm contains receptors for cannabinoids. These new findings suggest that anandamides and THC in marijuana smoke may affect sperm functions required for fertilization in the female reproductive tract.
Researchers such as Dr.Jacques-Joseph Moreau have been working to explain how marijuana has harmful effects on the functions of central nervous system and hinders the memory and movement of the user’s brain. The study showed that marijuana’s adverse impact on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drugs wear off.1
The Term Paper on Legalizing Marijuana Essay Freedoms Despite Being Illegal
The War of Personal Freedom Since 1937, the possession, sale, and use of marijuana in the United States of America has been illegal. Ratified after only ninety seconds of floor debate in the House of Representatives, the bill that criminalized marijuana was based mostly on unfounded myths and exaggerated rumors. (Stroup) For the first time, the United States government was violating Americans ...
Chronic smoking of marijuana has been shown to lead to increase stress, insomnia, nervousness and paranoia. Research on long term effects of marijuana abuse indicates some changes in the brain similar to those seen after long term abuse of other major drugs. 2
Marijuana increases heart rate from 20 – 100 % shortly after smoking; this effect can last up to 3 hours. In one study, it was estimated that marijuana users have a 4.8 fold increase in the risk of heart attack in the first hour after smoking the drug. 3
The following shows that marijuana for personal use in small quantities (1 gram) is acceptable in most countries but according to the laws on the countries books it is still illegal:-
Argentina – consumption for medical purposes is accepted but not legislated (only in private locations) Cultivating, selling and transporting large amounts is illegal and punishable by present law
Columbia – since 1994 marijuana has been decriminalized for possession of small amounts up to 1 gram for personal consumption, however sale and cultivation remains illegal.
Jamaica – cultivation, retail and consumption is illegal. However this is often overlooked and marijuana is sold openly.
United States of America – Laws vary by state, though state law is superseded by federal law which classifies marijuana as the same as heroin and cocaine. The US Supreme Court has ruled in Gonzales v. Raich (6 June 2005) that the federal government has a right to regulate and criminalize marijuana, even for medical purposes.
USA Today Newspaper, October 19th 2010
“Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed a law making possession of up to an ounce of marijuana equal to a traffic ticket, but if Proposition 19 passed — and polls suggest it has a decent chance — California would go even further. It would be legal for adults to possess, smoke and grow pot for recreational purposes. Proposition 19 would legalize marijuana in California, but voters should be aware of the health risks associated with using the drug.”
The Essay on Marijuana Paper Drug Drugs Effects
Marijuana Marijuana is an illegal narcotic drug and is a green or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. It is also known by its many slang names like pot, weed, Mary Jane, dope and chronic. The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The THC causes a series of cellular reactions with protein in certain nerve cells ...
Long term abuse of marijuana leads to addiction that is compulsive drug seeking and abuse despite the known harmful effects upon social functioning in the context of family, school and work and recreational activities. 4
The bottom line is that although marijuana is less hazardous to health than many other legal or illegal drugs, it is not without risk as mentioned above and should not be legalise.
References
1. Dr. Jacques-Joseph Moreau (1804–1884) was a French psychiatrist and member of the Club des Hashischins. Moreau was the first physician to do systematic work on drugs’ effects on the central nervous system, and to catalogue, analyze, and record his observations.
2. Rodriguez de de Fonseca F,Carrera MRA,Navarro M,Koob GF, WeissF.Actiation of corticotrophin- releasing factor in limbic system during cannabinoid withdrawal.science 276(5321):2050-2054,1997.
3. Diana M,Melis M,MuntoniAL, Gessaa GL.Mesolimbic dopaminergic d ecline after cannabinoid withdrawal. Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA95 (17):10269-10273, 1998.
4. Tashkin DP.Smoked Marijuana as a cause of lung injury. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis 63 (2):92 -100. 2005
