Marijuana - Essay Example

Introduction Whether or not marijuana (also known as cannabis) should be legalized or not is ongoing debate and complicated issue from many decades due to inconclusive health effects. This abused illicit drug is most commonly used as a cigarette (joint) or in a pipe or in blunts and the use is reinforced by pleasurable experiences. The psychoactive chemical ingredient delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is responsible for all positive and negative implications of marijuana. Resinous hashish is the concentrated form of this drug (Seamon, 2006). Drug Abuse Widespread marijuana abuse is vital when public health and educational consequences are concerned. Alcohol and drug abuse have reached epidemic proportions in America. While they have a negative consequence for all, there is a special negative impact upon the economy. Marijuana was declared as the most common illicit drug of abuse in 2006 and 16% of the admitted patients were addicted to marijuana (NIDA). National Survey on Drug Use and Health, in 2007 studies have suggested that rates of illicit drug use are high among college students. From 2.1 million Americans, 62.2 percent were under age 18 (with 10.9 percent of 8th-graders, 23.9 percent of 10th-graders, and 32.4 percent of 12th-graders). These people are at a critical point in their lives, often making transitions to different lifestyles such as living on their own or attending college. The freedom from parental control and the increased availability may lead to the beginning into or rise of drug and alcohol abuse. A young person experiences sudden body changes, with mood changes and feeling of anxiety. When our child enters into teenage, he/she gets easily influenced by his peer group. During this period, they are very vulnerable to danger and self destruction. They cultivate bad habits and could get addicted to alcohol, tobacco and other habitual forming drugs. Higher educational attainment in adults aged 18 to 49 is associated with lower rates of substance use suggesting that young adults who attend college may be at lower risk than those who do not attend college, particularly those who have not completed high school. There are several cognition ill effects associated with marijuana intoxication such as distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, and hampered learning and memory (NIDA). High intake of marijuana causes acute psychotic reaction. Daily marijuana use decreases mental ability of a person. The long term exposure of this drug activates dopamine stress-response system, increases rates of anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, and onset or relapse of schizophrenia in vulnerable individuals. Marijuana smokers display dysregulated epithelial growth of lung tissue and might cause cancer. Chronic marijuana abuse develops compulsive drug seeking ability. A person is not able to leave this bad habit due to several withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug craving until 1 or 2 weeks of drug quitting. Drug abuse disorders has been associated with underachievement, decreased work productivity, poor health, neuropsychological impairment, human immunodeficiency virus infection, hepatitis, social dysfunction, violence, incarceration, poverty, homelessness, a lower probability of recovery, poor treatment outcome, and poor quality of life (NIDA). Benefits of Marijuana Marijuana is grown from many centuries in different parts of the world for its myriad of applications from social or religious purpose, to enhance sexual pleasures. This hemp plant was cultivated for food, and to make cloth, ropes, fishing nets and paper (Koger, 2006). The plant was generally used for medicinal purpose by soaking in rum or wine. At the time of operations, surgeons were using the extraction of hemp plant for giving anesthesia (Koger, 2006). It was used by doctors for arthritic pain, musculoskeletal aches and treatment of pus-forming infections. The cannabis was introduced in Western medicine in 1842. And, in 1942, United States Pharmacopoeia deleted it from its list (Koger, 2006). The diverse applications of marijuana as a therapeutic agent are widely established. Marijuana is used as antiemetic, analgesic, antianxiety, sedative and possesses carminative properties. The synthetic derivatives of THC are also indicated for cancer and chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and used for AIDS patients with anorexia (Seamon, 2006). Marijuana should be legalized to take advantages of its major medical advantages, agricultural and industrial benefits. The health organizations that advocates the use of marijuana legally includes The American Academy of Family Physicians, American Nurses Association, American Public Health Association, New England Journal of Medicine, American Cancer Society, and American Medical Association (Prohibitioncosts.org). It has been reported that if marijuana use is not prohibited and legalized with a proper taxation and regulation system, it would favor US economy. Annually, it could able to generate combined savings and tax incomes between $10 billion and $14 billion (Prohibitioncosts.org). Marijuana legalization would also able to control drug trafficking gangs who are at real fault. There are number of other reasons which support the argument that marijuana should be legal. Steven Dubner said, “While marijuana is, in fact, remarkably free of toxicity, the consequences of annually arresting 300,000 mostly young people were not” (New York Times, 2007). Therefore, instead of banning the producers, sellers and consumers of cannabis, proper laws should be established. Marijuana laws The initial laws regarding marijuana came into picture in 1937 as ‘Marijuana Tax Act’ (Dubner, 2007). Currently, in the United States, federal, state and local laws regulate the use of cannabis in their jurisdiction and do not interfere among themselves. The federal laws which investigate and enforce violations include The Federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act which regulates marijuana as a Schedule I controlled substance. The law regarding illegal possession of marijuana was enforced by state and local governments, and they consider it as constitutional. Schedule I controlled substance implies illicit drug with high addictive potential, unapproved therapeutic applications, and unproved safe use. Such drugs require stringent registration for developing new drug applications and clinical testing (Seamon, 2006). The federal courts are failed to resolve the discord between the CSA and state medical marijuana laws. This conflict has added confusion without proper guidance for the legality of the drug and its exploitation for benefit of human mankind in severe illnesses. Therefore, the extreme views regarding this notorious drug should be handled in a more matured and legalized manner to extract marijuana’s maximum positive impact. The balance of risks and benefits of drugs should be the deciding factor for reaching to any conclusion for banning or legalization of marijuana. References Dubner, Stephen J. (30 Oct. 2007) “On the Legalization — or Not — of Marijuana.” New York Times. Read More