The Great Topic of Marijuana in the Tropical Paradise in the Caribbean - Essay Example

Is marijuana really good as medicine? I pondered on this question because it seems to be a hot topic these days. Many states already legalized its use and there are many on-line sites selling marijuana on the Internet. Doctors are prescribing it in record numbers for some diseases like chronic pain, nausea, epilepsy and muscle spasms, to name just a few. If I choose a different topic, the research process will not be very interesting, as I intended my research project to be an adventure of sorts. It should be something that will engross me in it and also one that will be of value and interest to the eventual readers. Briefly, I considered euthanasia since it is quite a controversial topic. The crucial element in active euthanasia is there should be informed consent obtained from the individual before it is carried out. There is such a thing as luck some call as serendipity. I was looking on Internet sites for any information about a former prime minister of Jamaica, Mr. Michael Manley who first came to power in 1972 and won again in the national elections of 1976 (two terms). He had studied in the London School of Economics and while there he was influenced by a brilliant professor named Harold Joseph Laski (Mendell 72). He graduated in 1949. While surfing the Web sites, advertisements about medicinal marijuana kept popping up. In the course of reading about all I can find about Jamaica and Mr. Manley, I stumbled on the curious fact that marijuana is widely used in that country by herbalists who mix it with tea to be used as medicine and smokers who mixed it with tobacco to get closer to their inner self. It is not legal to use marijuana in Jamaica but laws are not enforced strictly. Its usage was first introduced into the country by indentured East Indian laborers who called it ganja. From that initial information, it got more interesting as I read further about how this particular plant also shaped Jamaican cultural and religious practices; it is believed it is also instrumental in the development of one of Jamaica's most famous exports – reggae music. Its most prominent icon about reggae was Bob Marley who admitted to being a member of Rasta that uses marijuana for its religious ceremonies. He often used to smoke this so-called “funny smoke cigarettes” to get inspired when composing his music in which his album “Exodus” was voted the most outstanding album of the twentieth century, beating the other musician notables like Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Michael Jackson in the process. Anyway, I found out Mr. Manley was a socialist democrat and implemented political and economic policies that caused havoc with his country’s economy (The Economist). Many investors left and even Jamaicans also migrated in numbers to places New York and Miami in Florida and Ontario and Vancouver in Canada. Some went to communist Havana in Cuba. Although both countries were similar in socialist policies, some Jamaicans considered Cuba to be better than their own country where supermarket shelves were not empty. Tourists going to Jamaica had dwindled to almost nothing due to the gang wars and political violence. The country relied on the tourism sector as a major foreign exchange earner because Jamaica is a tropical paradise. Mr. Manley lost the elections in 1980 and got replaced by the conservatives. But the most interesting part of this man’s career was that he was able to come back to power in 1989 when his party won the general elections. This time around, he was no longer an avowed Marxist but was extolling the virtues of capitalism. State enterprises were greatly encouraged to privatize and foreign investments were welcomed again. This produced a great improvement in the country’s economy and inflation at 82% was brought down to single digit. His conversion was brought about by the collapse of international communism, starting with Poland in 1989 and spread to the other Eastern Europe states like Hungary, East Germany and Czechoslovakia. The Soviet Union itself collapsed and was dissolved in 1991. This great event showed communism is out of step with world developments and Mr. Manley saw no point in espousing an ideology that had fallen out of favor. More importantly, he also was convinced by the multi-lateral aid agencies like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to implement drastic economic policy changes needed to turn his country’s economy. It was in the course of my research on Jamaica that I came upon the great topic of marijuana and how it shaped somehow the events in this tropical paradise in the Caribbean. Now, what is the relation between medicinal marijuana and black Jamaican slaves? It seems there is a lot because slaves in that country escaped their harsh conditions by going to the mountainous regions of their country and leading independent lives, first from the Spanish colonizers and then the British who captured their island of Santiago from the Spanish and renamed it Jamaica (from the native word Land of Wood and Water). Being so far out of reach with civilization, they used medicinal marijuana to treat themselves of diseases and illnesses without the benefit of doctors and formal medicine and also in their religious ceremonies. Marijuana itself is not native to picturesque Jamaica but was introduced to the country through the slave trade from Africa when white-owned sugar, banana and coffee plantations were in dire need of labor to work their farms. Marijuana is cannabis which they considered as a sacred plant. Smoking marijuana was not only medicinal but for meditation purposes. They believed it first grew from the grave of the wise King Solomon and they themselves are descended from the Queen Sheba of Africa (Porter & Prince 257). When smoked for religious purposes, they call marijuana as herb but when it is smoked for medicinal uses, it is called as weed (Ratsch 138). Whatever its purpose is, smoking marijuana can produce a bit of delirium or intoxication especially when inhaling and exhaling is repeated several times. What makes cannabis produce delirium or intoxication? First, I found out cannabis is the most widely-used illegal drug in the world and the third most widely consumed drug after alcohol and tobacco. There are actually two species or varieties of the cannabis plant: sativa and indica. The first is more commonly known as hemp (the Jamaicans smoked this mostly) and was originally used to produce rope and fibers. The plant is tall with light green leaves and has a sweet fruity smell. Its main distinction with its cousin the indica is the sativa plant can produce a cerebral high (mental alertness) than indica which produces a groggy effect. Indica is very strong and made into hashish with a stinky (like a skunk) smell. Most plants today are hybrids with THC boosted from 10% to 18% levels (Fountain & Korf 34). Now, what is meant by THC? This is the shorthand for the chemical in the cannabis plant that produces hallucination and intoxication which is tetrahydrocannabinol (very long!). To be more precise about it, this is actually delta-9-THC. Now going back to the claim that hybrids have their THC increased by 10% to 18% is because natural cannabis plants have only about 1% to 5% of THC by weight (Onaivi 237). Selective breeding and modern science combined to produce stronger versions to increase its hallucinatory effects and encourage strong addiction. The plant’s products itself come in two main forms: as marijuana in the form of dried leaves and its flower heads (this is why it is known in the street as grass) and hashish which is the stronger (very potent) form to produce heroin and comes from morphine in the form of compressed blocks (“What is Heroin?”). Before we explore further what are the medicinal uses of cannabis, maybe we should first explore what makes it illegal in most cases. This is because it is considered addictive. If it is ingested (eaten), it will produce feelings of relaxation or drowsiness. When it is smoked, it can produce relaxation and hallucinations, according to my friend Steve (Woodrow). In either way, the net effect is the user often becomes nervous or in extremes, paranoid. Everything will depend on the strength of the material used, in other words, the level of THC in it. Addiction occurs first in the mind; that is, it creates psychological addiction because it give a mental high and later on develops into a physical addiction (dependency) that is hard to break out of. It is a weakly-addictive drug similar to that of caffeine (milder than alcohol or nicotine) but is still habit-harming in some regular users. Dependency can be subjective and is therefore a matter of degree but some 10% of users are decidedly addicts and over 50% of its users have what is termed as “impaired control” of their faculties (Edlin & Golanty 383). In this case, there is also another issue that concerned me greatly: a recent study showed that those who used cannabis early in their lives have a great chance of developing mental illness. Among these illnesses are delusions, hallucinations and psychosis (Agence France-Presse). It got me worried with my direction of research as this seems to contradict my earlier held view that marijuana use is not only recreational and ceremonial but also medicinal. If it is really addictive (although only mildly), then this must be the reason why it is illegal to use it and possess it. The Jamaican slaves of yesteryears used it for their religious ceremonies and the primary users of marijuana are their shamans to alter their world of reality (Ratsch 15). Shamanism is poorly understood by many people but one thing it is not is a religion. It is just a way for special individuals to alter their consciousness to communicate with gods, demons, spirits, ancestors and other-worldly beings through trance and ecstasy. In religious ceremony, marijuana (cannabis) occupies an important place for these individuals to perform their many functions as priests, physicians, diviners, oracles, magicians, herbalists and scientists. It is a vital part of the Jamaican culture and has a close resemblance to Haitian voodoo practices. This is a syncretic religion (combination of several religious practices) that like the Jamaican shamanism has its origins from West African beliefs and practices. This is actually a manifest expression of the African Diaspora and has very close similarities to the Louisiana voodoo of New Orleans, the Santeria of Cuba and Umbanda of Brazil. Anyway, the two main precepts in voodoo are worship of the dead and protection against evil witchcrafts. I am not going to go any further about the connections of marijuana use, hallucinations and voodoo as it will detract me from my main research area which is the medicinal uses of cannabis. Before the 1960s, very few Americans had heard of marijuana or even used it once. But going to the scientific medical study I cited in the previous page, it was found out a longer period and higher frequency of marijuana use can lead to higher risks of developing a non-affective (not shown by the face or facial expressions) disorder. On the other hand, study researchers admitted they cannot say definitely which came first, the use of cannabis or the tendency of some individuals with latent psychotic disorders to resort to marijuana use. It is like a chicken-or-egg situation but another medical study that related directly to marijuana use gave some hope there is a beneficial aspect of cannabis after all (Doheny 1). This particular study, done by the chair of department of psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, found that cannabis use can reduce the pain of some medical-related conditions like HIV cases, spinal injury patients, in pain perception and also a spasticity in multiple sclerosis. In short, cannabis is primarily recommended for its analgesic or pain-killer effects to reduce pain especially neuropathic pain (that chronic pain experienced by people who suffered some tissue injury where nerve fibers were damaged). In researching for some scientific medical studies regarding cannabis use, I came to the fact that there are already 14 US states that had legalized the use of medicinal marijuana. However, it is only California that had actually funded several research studies in this regard. There were some objections and criticisms regarding the above-mentioned study. For one, critics claim the study results are flawed because there was a motive behind producing it because a ballot is up for referendum in the state by November this year. This upcoming ballot initiative will legalize marijuana even further, this time, for general use. The other objections were its use of placebos was defective (marijuana has a distinctive smell and effect) so there is no real alternative or replacement for cannabis and study subjects knew if they were using a placebo or the real thing. Additionally, the study subjects who were in pain were also, quite surprisingly, allowed to continue their regular pain medications during the study. Smoke is dangerous and most would favor inhaling its vapors like this study (Fischedick et al. 201). With all the debate about the medicinal uses of marijuana, I learned that it had been used many centuries ago as an anesthetic during crude medical surgical procedures. This was a medical knowledge derived from early Arabic-Islamic physicians. So from being used in Jamaica during its colonial years, my research also indicated Jamaica became a major supplier of marijuana to the United States during the 1970s and a major transshipment point for illegal cocaine from South America during the 1980s (Ember & Ember 551). Whatever its use, this potent drug produces a certain high but also affects physical coordination, thinking, memory, learning, problem solving and lastly, perception. I learned a lot today about marijuana. Works Cited Doheny, Kathleen. “Medical Marijuana Has Merit, Research Shows.” MedicineNet.com 18 February 2010. Web. 05 March 2010. Edlin, G. & Golanty, E. Health and Wellness. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers, 2009. Print. Ember, Carol R. & Ember, Melvin. Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender: Men and Women in the World’s Cultures, Vol. 2. New York, NY: Springer, 2003. Print. Fischedick, J., van der Kooy, F. & Verpoorte, R. “Cannabinoid Receptor 1 Binding Activity and Quantitative Analysis of Cannabis sativa L. Smoke and Vapor.” Chemical Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 58 (2). (2010): 201-7. Print. Fountain, J. & Korf, D. J. Drugs in Society: European Perspectives. Oxon, UK: Radcliffe Publishing, 2007. Print. “Long-term Marijuana Use Increases Risks of Mental Ills –Study.” Agence France-Presse. 02 March 2010. Web. 05 March 2010. Mendell, M. Reclaiming Democracy: The Social Justice and Political Economy of Gregory Baum and Kari Polanyi Levitt. Quebec, Canada: McGill-Queen’s Press, 2005. Print. Onaivi, E. S. Marijuana and Cannabinoid Research: Methods and Protocols. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press, 2006. Print. Porter, D. & Prince, D. Frommer’s Jamaica. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons, 2006. Print Ratsch, Christian. Marijuana Medicine: A World Tour of the Visionary and Healing Powers of Cannabis. Rochester, VT: Healing Arts Press, 2001. Print. The Economist. Michael Manley: Former Prime Minister of Jamaica. 15 March 1997. “What is Heroin?” The Good Drugs Guide. Web. 04 March 2010. Woodrow, Steve. Personal Interview. 05 March 2010. Read More