Endocrine Effects of Marijuana - Assignment Example

LEGALIZATION OF MARIHUANA IN THE UNITED S Introduction The word marihuana reminds us of its several other s such as pot, grass, weed, gangster, chronic, boom, and so on, which some of us encounter in popular movies if not in real life. Its usage is with reference to the dark side of society or themes on the "gangster life" which people of various ages hook up with. The weed tends to be associated with the corrupt aspects of society in which drug addicts, people in low living standard, and filthy rich take part into as they seek pleasure in this mundane existence. Marihuana is a sweet tasting addictive weed that can potentially bring ruin to anyone who consumes large amounts persistently. Cannabinoids is the scientific name that refers to marihuana. It is a collective term to refer to a variety of compounds which can be extracted from the cannabis plant. It can also be produced synthetically to mimic the effects of natural cannabis compounds (Solowij 1998, p. 4). Cannabis preparation is derived from the female plant of cannabis sativa, in which marihuana is prepared from the flowering tops and leaves. It may be smoked in the size of a cigarette called "joint" or in a water pipe. Deep inhalation is usually done, in which smokers hold their breath in order to maximize absorption of the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a psychoactive constitution of the substance (Hall and Solowij 1998, p. 1611). Cannabis may also be eaten; however, users prefer it to be smoked since this is easier in achieving the desired psychoactive effects (ibid). The purpose of this paper is to explore the possibilities of marihuana being legalized in the United States. In order to do this, it is important to determine both its positive and negative effects on the physical aspects of the user, as well as the social aspects of society. Legal changes are predicted to impact the use of marihuana through changes in full use price. Related effects on the use of substitute or complement goods must also be considered. It is inferred that marihuana use and other intoxicating substances will be affected by changes in marihuana policy (Model 1993, p. 737). These would happen if marihuana use is legalized in the United States. Should the Use of Marihuana be Legalized The legalization of marijuana has been a major topic of controversy in several countries, not only in the United States. The passage of a legislative bill legalizing the medicinal use of marihuana creates an intensified focus on the subject. Despite the medical benefits that the weed can bring to a patient, several people strongly oppose its general use even medically, claiming that the level of impairment it can potentially induce on a person is dangerous. However, those in favor of the legalization point out that this beneficial usage of marihuana in the medical field should be merited and given due attention to. They further argue that in fact, the use of alcohol and tobacco does not have any beneficial results either, yet their consumption is legal. In the United States, the use of marihuana for medicinal purposes is known as "compassionate use" in which the drug is currently classified as a Class I controlled substance. This would mean that the substance, once found to occupy three categories is subject to strict federal regulation. These categories are high potential for abuse, lack of an accepted medicinal purpose and unsafe use even with medical supervision (Brown and Dobs 2002). Although these arguments seem to have good grounds, this paper posits that marihuana should not be legalized in the United States. Reasons Why Marijuana Usage Should not be Legalized Marihuana should not be legalized in the United States because of the adverse physical effects it induces on the user, whether the substance is purportedly used for medical purposes or not. Prolonged usage of the marihuana substance causes negative effects on the body. Among these are the effects on reproductive hormones in males. There have been conflicting human studies investigating the effects of cannabinoids on reproductive hormones. Studies show that lower testosterone levels were reported in chronic marihuana users while acute decreases in both LH and testosterone occur after one smokes it (Brown and Dobs 2002, p. 91s). In one study, it was found out that heavy chronic users have similar testosterone levels compared to casual users of the substance. Likewise, marihuana can cause direct effects on the testes. Abnormal sperm morphology is one of the negative effects of the substance in chronic smokers. Studies suggest that infertile men should discontinue casual usage of the substance because of this finding (Brown and Dobs 2002, p. 93s). Prolactin is important in the stimulation of milk production and maintenance of lactation; however, cannabinoids such as marihuana modulate the activity of dopaminergic neurons which cause prolactin secretion to alter. Likewise, marihuana inhibits growth hormone secretion although studies show that long-term effects on growth hormone dynamics in chronic users are yet unknown (Brown and Dobs 2002, p. 94s). Smoking marijuana for a prolonged period of time may tend to shrink certain parts of the brain that govern emotion, memory, and aggression. The findings were taken from using magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brain of subjects who smoke for more than five joints a day in a minimum of ten years and compared them with non-substance takers (Stacey 1997, p. 62-63). Regular cannabis smokers had a 12 % smaller hippocampus and a 7% smaller amygdala. The hippocampus is involved with emotion and memory, while the amygdala regulates fear and aggression. Cannabis users are also reported to tend to fare worse in tests of verbal memory and a likewise likelihood for a low-level symptoms of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia. The substance is found to cause fleeting schizophrenia-like symptoms which range from suspiciousness and delusions to poor memory and attention span (Hall and Solowij 1998, p. 1612). Some of the acute effects of cannabis involve the production of euphoria and relaxation, perceptual alterations, intensification of an otherwise ordinary sensory experience. It may cause one to produce infectious laughter and talkativeness in social setting. While a person is intoxicated by the substance, motor skills, reaction time, short term memory and attention, and skilled activities are impaired (Hall and Solowij 1998, p. 1612). Studies reported that anxiety and panic reactions are the most common unpleasant side effects of the substance. These effects vary in users however, as they may be reported by nave users which is a common reason for the discontinuation of use, while some experience the same effects after consuming a much larger than usual dose (ibid). Heart rate is also increased by 20-50 percent by the usage of the substance, within a few minutes to an hour. Likewise, blood pressure increases when the person is sitting and the reverse occurs while standing. The substance also produces impairments in cognitive and behavioral functions leading to potential impairment in driving a motor vehicle or operating machinery. Difficult tasks that rely on sustained attention show larger and more persistent impairments. A road-traffic accident due to intoxication is considered the most serious possible outcome of acute cannabis use (Hall and Solowij 1998, p. 1612). Increased symptoms of chronic bronchitis are also associated with heavy cannabis smoking in the likes of coughing, production of sputum, and wheezing (Hall and Solowij 1998, p. 1612). Lung functions are poorer in marijuana smokers and significant greater abnormalities in the large airways are reported. Histopathological abnormalities in the lung issue are also affected by the usage. In a nutshell, some acute effects of the substance include anxiety and panic, impaired attention, memory, and psychomotor performance, as well as increased risk of psychotic symptoms. The chronic effects include chronic bronchitis and histopathological changes which may lead to the development of malignant diseases, cannabis dependence, and subtle impairments of attention and memory (ibid). Adolescents with a history of poor school performance, who are at an increased risk of using other illicit drugs, are at a higher risk of experiencing these adverse effects. Aside from these are women who continue to smoke cannabis during pregnancy who may tend to have a low-birth weight baby. Asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and schizophrenia may be exacerbated by cannabis use. Acute intoxication is one of the effects of marihuana usage. The experience of a subjective "high" is the major motive for the widespread recreational use of cannabis, an altered state of consciousness which is characterised by emotional changes. These emotional changes may vary from mild euphoria and relaxation to perceptual alterations, a feeling of anxiety, frank panic reactions, depressed mood, and a fear of going mad (Solowij 1998, p. 30). Nave users and some patients who were given cannabis for therapeutic purposes often report a feeling of anxiety, dysphoria, panic, and paranoia. Flashback experiences of the intoxicated state may also be reported by users. The state of altered awareness with the usage of the substance is marked by a disruption of cognitive functions wherein cognitive changes occur during intoxication. Aside from the already mentioned impaired concentration and short-term memory, the user also experiences a loosening of associations, making it possible for him to become lost in fantasy while encountering a difficulty in sustaining goal-directed mental activity (Solowij 1998, p. 31). Marihuana is a recreational substance that removes the user from mundane concerns. It produces relaxation and enhances experiences that normally interfere with concentration on tasks requiring skills and focus (ibid). The feeling of 'high' induced by marihuana is not generally integral to its therapeutic value. However, the substance's desirable qualities in medications include mood enhancement, anxiety reduction, and mild sedation especially for patients who suffer from pain and anxiety (Joy et al. 1999, p. 84). Aside from the ones mentioned, adverse effects of the substance include panic, depression, dysphoria, depersonalization, illusions, delusions, and hallucinations (Jones et al. 1981, p. 150s). Cannabis use may incite behavioral effects in adolescents such as the risk of leaving high school education and experiencing job instability in young adulthood. Likewise, significant evidence points out that heavy cannabis usage produces adverse effects on family formation and involvement in drug-related crimes (Hall and Solowij 1998, p.1615). There is also a direct relationship between cannabis use and other drugs, in that the former directly increases the use of other drugs in the sequence (Hall and Solowij 1998, p. 1615). Nonconforming adolescents who have a propensity to use other illicit drugs also tend to be recruited into cannabis use. Likewise, marihuana use, when combined with alcohol, produces comparable subjective effects and performance impairment. The usage of the two substances provides a solid methodology that allows for measuring different aspects of human performance (Heishman et al. 1997, p. 99). Performance on a variety of cognitive and psychomotor tasks is affected by marihuana usage. Sensory and perceptual disturbances tend to be associated with cannabis intoxication to the point that the user would find it difficult to identify simple geometric figures embedded within complex designs (Solowij 1998, p. 31). A marihuana user often has a sense of enhanced physical and emotional sensitivity, allowing them to feel a greater interpersonal sensitivity. Difficulty in carrying on an intelligible conversation is the most apparent behavioral abnormality displayed by someone under the influence of the substance, perhaps due to the inability to remember what was just uttered by the other person even a few words earlier due to the impairment of short term memory (Joy et al. 1999, p. 83). This display of behavior makes the user look queer to his peers socially. Aside from the ones mentioned, marijuana should not be legalized in the United States because of its dependence syndrome. A cannabis dependence syndrome takes place with heavy chronic use in individuals who continue to use the substance despite experiencing adverse effects. In the United States, about one out of ten users become dependent on cannabis usage in their four or five years of heavy use (Hall and Solowij 1998). Laboratory data collected suggest that tolerance and physical dependence develop after short periods of cannabis administration in optimal conditions. Optimal conditions include maximization of the possibility of sustained bloods and brain levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) due to doses and dose schedules (Jones et al. 1981, p. 144s). In the same laboratory study, it was reported that with sustained THC administration, there is an initial heart rate increase, decrease of skin temperature, and gradual disappearance of a host of other drug-induced autonomic changes. Some patterns of cannabis tolerance include unpleasant or unacceptable side effects such as hypotension, mental confusion, and cardiovascular and autonomic phenomena (Jones et al. 1981, p. 150s). All of these mentioned reasons point us out to the conclusion that marihuana should not be legalized in the United States and that we should be wary of the implementation of its usage. Conclusion This paper has identified several adverse effects of the usage of marihuana on a person's cognitive and emotional state as well as his social standing in society. The broad discussion is able to point out that these negative outcomes outweigh the potential positive ones, which generally lie within the therapeutic and medical value of the substance. Despite its medicinal purpose, the patient is not exempted from experiencing the various adverse effects of the substance. Due to these negative effects that the substance can imminently harm people, this paper posits that marihuana use must not be legalized in the United States. References Brown, Todd T. and Dobs, Adrian S., 2002. "Endocrine effects of marijuana." Clinical Pharmacology. Issue 42, p. 90s-96s. Hall, Wayne and Solowij, Nadia, 1998. "Adverse effects of cannabis." The Lancet. Vol. 352, November, p. 1611-1616. Heishman, Stephen J., Arasteh, Kamyar, and Stitzer, Maxine L., 1997. "Comparative effects of alcohol and marijuana on mood, memory, and performance." Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior. Vol. 58, Ni. 1, p. 93-101. Jones, Reese T., Benowitz, Neal L., and Herning. Ronald I., 1981. "Clinical relevance of cannabis tolerance and dependence." Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. Issue 21, p. 143s- 152s. Joy, Janet E., Watson Jr. Stanley J., Benson, John A. (eds) 1999. Marijuana and medicine: assessing the science base. The National Academies Press. Model, 1993. "The effect of marijuana decriminalization on hospital emergency room drug episodes: 1975-1978." American Statistical Association. Vol. 88, No. 423, p. 737-747. Solowij, Nadia, 1998. Cannabis and cognitive functioning. Cambridge University Press. Stacey, Alan W., 1997. "Memory activation and expectancy as prospective predictors of alcohol and marijuana use." Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Vol. 106, No. 1, p. 61-73. Read More