The Disadvantages of Marijuana - Research Paper Example

The disadvantages of Marijuana Introduction: The increasing use of drugs has posed great threat to man’s health and psychological well-being. Today, the consumption of drugs is on the hike and people all over the world tend to use various types of drugs. The increasing use of drugs such as cocaine, opium, hashish, and Marijuana causes greater damage to man. Drugs such as opium, brown sugar, cocaine, marijuana, etc are exported to the different countries in huge amount and many irrespective of colour and creed become addicted to these. For them, the world has become a mere pleasure seeking and materialistic place. People who are addicted to drugs find it very difficult to escape from their clutches. Therefore, it is essential to design effective intervention programs whereby drug usage can be brought down; it is also imperative to create awareness among people regarding the disadvantages of using such deadly drugs as marijuana. The essay seeks to explore the various effects of marijuana and throws light on the possible intervention programs. What is marijuana and how does it affect? It is from Cannabis plant that Marijuana is extracted. The scientific name of the plant is Cannabis Sativa. Similarly, drugs such as hashish and charas are also extracted from the same plant. The consumption of marijuana takes place either in the form of eating or burning. The latter has more adverse effects than the first. It stimulates the cannabinoid receptors in the body and slowly these canabinoid receptors prevent other impulses and stimulate the brain with pleasurable feelings. Addiction seems to be a psychological affection to the effects like euphoria and other higher excitement. These feelings usher a person to use these drugs again and again and even when they are not needed too. When marijuana is used repeatedly the tolerance level of cannabinoid receptors also increases and so the users are compelled to use higher amount of it to achieve euphoria and ecstasy. Even the first intake of the drug can cause a habitual use later. As a result a person who tries to stop drug usage experiences withdrawal syndromes in the form of anxiety, nausea, sweating, etc. Marijuana has proved to be the most commonly used drug in America. Moreover, the availability of this drug makes it so popular among all classes of people. There are hundreds of chemical agents in the drug and when it is burned the chemical agents turn into be multiplied and additional agents are formed. As Myers observes, “Whether smoked or eaten, marijuanas major active ingredient, THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), produces a mix of effects” and “Smoking gets the drug into the brain in about 7 seconds, producing a greater effect than does eating the drug, which causes its peak concentration to be reached at a slower, unpredictable rate” (Myers 122). The Disadvantages of marijuana It is a high risky drug that causes multi-levels of problems-biological or physiological, sociological, and psychological impacts-on a person. Like alcohol the use of marijuana, a mild hallucinogen, makes a person under hallucination and moreover the effects of the drug prolongs to a longer time. The content, THC takes larger duration in the body than they appear to be. The effects of alcohol in a person may long to a night whereas the effect of marijuana in a person leads to even a full day. The effects of marijuana in all spheres of life aggravate the social setting into a harmful level. In the book, Deviance in American life edited by James M. Henslin(1989), Louis Lasagna and Gardner alindzey, in their article named Marijuana Policy and Drug Mythology speak out, “The major disadvantages are a consequence of increased marijuana use- increase in harm to physical health and to individual development and behaviour”( Henslin 320). The major impacts of marijuana are discussed bellow: The Biological/Physiological problems associated with Marijuana: The use of marijuana causes many biological problems in a person. As it is affecting the brain directly, it may cause persons to fall into hallucinations. The common use of this THC ( Tetrahydrocannabinol) results in short of memory, cancer, perception problems, nausea, and the like. In this respect Ferraro observes that “one known cancer-producing chemical, benzopyrene, has been reported to be 70 percent more abundant in marijuana smoke than in tobacco smoke” (Ferraro 14). Just like tobacco smokers it can lead to lung diseases also. The common use of the marijuana aggravates the situation. One of the common features seen in the users of marijuana is that they turn to be overeating. It is the unique peculiarity of marijuana users and it is commonly called as ‘munchies’. They do not feel satisfied with the food they normally eat. The molecules, endocannabinoids, among the users of marijuana, activate hunger in an extensive way, thus making the person overeating. The consumers fail to understand their appetite and this fluctuation makes them sick soon. The addiction of marijuana causes respiratory failure in a person thus leading him or her to coma and finally to death. Moreover, it causes heart failure and cerebral haemorrhage. Marijuana addicts have the possibility of cancer are at a high rate. As the addicts are commonly using injections and other devices and leading an immoral life there is a high risk of getting the diseases like AIDS and the like. Marijuana causes ill effects on the reproductive system too: “The effects of marijuana are observed in all phases of reproductive physiology, including decreases in the weight and functions of organs associated with reproduction and decreases in hormones that control development of the fetus”( Marijuana Research Findings: 1980 137). In nutshell it can be said the frequent users of marijuana invite their death very soon. Psychological problems associated with marijuana: The mind is playing a crucial role in each and every activity of human beings. Usually it has the normal thinking process. The constant use of marijuana turns the addicts find much difficulty in the thinking process and many tend to have difficulty in their capacity of problem solving too. The users feel common shrinking to oneself and may show the traits of crime and behaviour disorders. As David G. Myers points out, “In their studies of youth and young adults, Michael Newcomb and L. L. Harlow (1986) found that one psychological factor is the feeling that ones life is meaningless and directionless, a common feeling among school dropouts who subsist without job skills, without privilege, and with little hope” (Myers 126). Moreover the writer focuses on other psychological problems like depression, sexual abuse, stress, etc. The constant use of marijuana in person makes him psychological patient in all aspects. The distorted perception of the addict makes his or her life totally confused which can further lead to schizophrenia. The near death feeling that they are undergoing make them completely under its influence. Even the withdrawal symptoms one shows is a part of his or her psychological imbalance. The feeling of meaninglessness to life may tend persons to pessimistic and suicidal tendencies are higher in such patients. To sum up, it can be said that the psychological problems associated with the addicts of marijuana are higher and it is a social destructive. Sociological problems associated with marijuana: Many sociological problems are associated with the common use of marijuana. Marijuana users have the tendency to withdraw from the main stream of society and they shrink to themselves. The children born out of the parents using marijuana develop these withdrawal traits even from the early childhood. Similarly, marijuana users are likely to develop disrespect towards law: “The American Bar Association report concurs in the view that marijuana laws that criminalize the millions of Americans who have used marijuana engender disrespect for the law” ( Henslin 318). The addicts of marijuana in particular and the drug addicts in general, are not welcomed in a social setting and so the addicts are destined to live in isolation and loneliness. The habit of using marijuana among school children makes them steal money and get the drug by all means. This will lead them to social evils such as robbery, kidnapping and murder. The addicts will do anything for getting the substance. The users of the drug become imbibed to sexual crimes and sexual atrocities. The use of marijuana among school children is also rising. Their curiosity for such substances makes them witnesses of it and in a few days they tend to be the addicts of it. As the sociological disadvantages are connected with the psychological aspects of the users, the more psychological disorders occurs the higher the rate of sociological problems take place. In the recent years it has been said by the press that those people who engage in terrorism activities are frequent users of such drugs and their attitude for meaninglessness of life can make themselves as human bombs and kills many innocent people of the society. This type of destructive mind is an outcome of the marijuana and is so harmful for the society. The advantages of marijuana: In dealing with the disadvantage of marijuana one may think whether it has any advantages. In response of such inquiries it can be said that marijuana has a very narrow line advantage. In some of the countries the use of marijuana is legalized as it is carrying some medical purpose. But in many of the countries it has been banned and labelled as drugs. Marijuana can be used as a pain killer in many cases and so there is a tendency for legalizing marijuana cultivation in many countries. When analysing the pros and cons of marijuana its disadvantages dominate over its advantages. Measures to eliminate the use of marijuana: Marijuana, which takes different names in the world, is a typical hazardous drug to be eliminated from the world. The narcotic section of each government should propagate the bad effects of marijuana among people. There should be a keen attention among the teenagers of a society as the first use of such drugs starts when a person is in the teenage. In schools too typical measures should be taken to avoid the use of mild hallucinogenic as marijuana and the similar ones among the children. The teenagers are the easier group who can be misled to drugs. Those who want to spread the use of marijuana may focus the advantage of it among the children and make them witnesses of it. The marijuana traffic should be taken as a serious crime and each and every government should take necessary measures to prevent it. It is sure that this traffic is done without the concern of the government. This illicit traffic can be prevented only by the awareness programs among the teenagers and the youth. It may take a long time for addicts to escape from the drug’s influence. The rehabilitation centres for marijuana users are to play a vital role to bring back these patients to life. Moreover, it is better to offer life skill practices among youngsters and this would make teenagers to keep away from the use of marijuana and further they influence their peers not to take these kinds of drugs. Conclusions: The use of marijuana in many ways affects human health and life. Even though marijuana and its counterparts of drugs erode the human life, many tend to forget it and so large number of people becomes a prey to such drugs. Ever since the plant was discovered it has been widely used for wrong purposes. It is the duty of each and every subjects of a nation to bring back the addicts of marijuana to life. The impacts of marijuana on the physiological, psychological, and sociological levels should be considered as grave as far as human life is concerned. The morale of the society should be brought in and the aspects of life skills should be taught in all levels of the society. Thus the ill effects caused by this drug should be brought down by implementing corrective measures and effective governmental intervention strategies against marijuana and other drugs. Outline Introduction: increasing use of marijuana- not easy to recover- What is marijuana and how does it affect: working mechanism- affects brain-cannabinoid receptors- euphoria-Disadvantages: physiological- cancer and other diseases-psychological: meaninglessness to life- detachment- sociological: increasing crime, loneliness and isolation-The advantages: medical and therapeutic value – measures against addiction: life skill adoption- conclusions: co- responsibility- interventions-awareness programs. References Ferraro, Douglas P. Acute Effects of Marijuana on Human Memory and Cognition. Web. 27 Nov. 10. < http://archives.drugabuse.gov/pdf/monographs/31.pdf#page=109> Henslin, James M. Deviance in American life. Transaction Publishers, 1989. Print. Marijuana Research Findings: 1980. Ed. Robert C. Petersen. NIDA Research Monograph 31: U.S Department of Health and Human Services, June 1980. Web. 27 Nov. 10. < http://archives.drugabuse.gov/pdf/monographs/31.pdf#page=148> Myers, David G. Psychology, Ninth Edition, In Modules (Loose Leaf). 9th ed: Worth Publishers, 2009. Print. Read More