Marijuana has been classified as both useful and destructive in different societies. Much gain has been made in the medicinal field due to the value associated with it. The use of it has had in equal measure both criticized and applauded. Some states across the globe have even legalized it. It is legal to use marijuana for recreational purposes in states such as Alaska, California, Colorado and Michigan among others. In other nations it is only legal if the intended purpose is medicinal or better yet with doctors recommendation like Georgia and Hawaii. Although the misuse of it may harm one’s health and affect psychologically, no tangible risk has been documented for its long term use.
The paper seeks to determine whether Marijuana should be legalized. It is prudent to note that the use of marijuana dates back to decades ago. Throughout the human generations, the purpose of its use ranged from religion, recreation to medicine. The usage of the plant has never ceased due to its selective impact to its users whether consciously or for medical reasons (Bauer, Biljana, Vesna and Zoran 93). The plant gained popularity in the 18th century with its introduction and been recognized by medicine schools in Europe.
Consequently the essay will objectively look into whether the benefits outweigh the harms associated with marijuana use. It will review all the positive and negative impacts to ascertain whether legalizing the plant will be beneficial to the human race in the long run. Any research aspect where the pros outdo the cons is in contention to be adopted by the society and eventually globally.
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Life expectancy has been increasing gradually due to the significant interventions in the health sector. It is wise to point out that a healthy nation translates to a wealthy nation. Without an effective heath system, the impact would be catastrophic due to an increase in the mortality rate. All developed countries, for example, Canada, America, and Germany have a common aspect in that health of the citizens is of utmost importance. The plant was primarily used for therapeutic purposes. Thorough research was done on animals before the drug was rendered safe for humans use. The extracts of marijuana were administered to patients and were found to be a pain reliever due to its sedative properties (Moon, John & William 283). The plant gained popularity due to its analgesic properties.
One of the challenges facing public health is chronic pain, which is catalyzed by a population which is gradually aging. People mostly affected by this tend to depend mostly on antidepressants to ease the pain. Other options include the anticonvulsant drugs which are opium based (Cart, Flanagan, Earleywine, Abrams, Aggarwal & Grinsp 299). These drugs with a significant amount of opium have resulted to addiction and an increase in the mortality rate. In situations associated with pain, for example, cancer, neuropathic pain, musculoskeletal pain, the use of marijuana has been experimented. The result is that the plant has potential benefit to the patients, due to its component, cannabinoid which is much safer for therapy.
Consequently the use of derivatives obtained from Marijuana has been a success in treating illnesses such as child birth psychosis, abdominal pain and coughs. It is important to note all drugs have side effects whether negative or positive. The use of the plant for medicinal purposes also has effects. The effects associated with it are far much better as compared to the opiate ones. As opposed to opium drugs used for the same purpose like sedation, marijuana does not affect digestion. On the contrary, the appetite of the patient is increased with reduction in abdominal pains. Congestion is drastically reduced and it can also be used in cases where there is inflammation (McMeens 80). The cannabidiolic acid in marijuana has bactericidal properties which is a key element in drugs used to administer gonorrhea. With the discovery of the importance of the plant, there has been a significant drop in the number of opium addicts.
In reference to Marijuana, numerous insights have been tabled to notify the public of the adverse effects associated with its use. Most people with the notion that it is a harmless recreational drug would advocate for its legalization. However, most states are yet to agree with this due to some of the negative impacts. The recreational use of it, mostly through smoking the leaves or flowers has been on the increase. For example, in the United States, more than 12% of people above the age of twelve years have interacted with the drug (Fergusson & Boden 103). The general concern is the rampant use of marijuana among the adolescents. This has made the issue whether marijuana is harmful or not an issue of contention.
Discussions on whether Marijuana is addictive have been the center of scientific debates. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, it is important to note that about 9% of people who have used marijuana have been addicted. The ones who are most affected are the ones that stated experimenting with it while still teenagers (Hall & Degenhardt L 374). Adolescents tend to be the most affected and vulnerable due to the fact that the brain is still undergoing development. Withdrawal symptoms cases associated with these addicts have been also noted. This has resulted to overdependence of the drug. During brain development, the risk of vulnerability is much higher when exposed to tetrahydrocannabinol. This chemical is an active ingredient found in marijuana which leads to impaired neural fibers in the brain. Eventually ones habits and scheduled tasks end up been interrupted and affected (Zalesky, Solowij & Yücel 135).
Marijuana use has resulted to unfavorable effects for its users both in school and work places. In 2013, students who were analyzed by Monitoring the Future Survey were found to drop out of school (Bray, Zarkin, Ringwalt & Qi 13). This has been attributed to the cognitive level been lowered to below the required status by marijuana. This eventually leads to lower productivity hence lower grades. Students tend not be attentive and are associated with memory impairment.
Statistics show that use of Marijuana while driving is a major cause of accidents. The ability to drive is greatly impaired resulting to poor decision making. The risk is even higher when the plant is combined with other substances such as alcohol. Vision tends to be affected due to the effect on the brain thus slow reflex is experienced. In case of an emergency situation, one cannot act immediately hence avoiding an accident is almost next to impossible (Hartman & Huestis 59).
Marijuana is known to be less catastrophic as compared to tobacco use. There is no known information of it causing diseases such as lung cancer as is the case of tobacco. Smoking marijuana may result to altering of one’s judgment making one paranoid. This exposes one to major risks of sexually transmitted diseases due to poor decision making. One is also exposed to risks of psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia and lower achievement in life in general.
Economically, any nation would arguably benefit from the sale of marijuana. If the drug would be rendered legal, jobs would be created substantially thus increasing the GDP. Export and importation of the same would promote regional trade and strengthen economic blocks across the globe. Canada recently legalized Marijuana, been the second country after Uruguay. Over 100 shops would be set up to sell the plant to cater for the 37 million of its population. There is no doubt this has created employment thus improving lives of its citizens.
Over the past 20 years, there has been tremendous shift in perception both legally and public opinion on how the issue of Marijuana has been handled. It is clear that most of the publications state Marijuana has no genuine medical use (Stevens 77). With several states legalizing and decriminalizing it, the production and availability of marijuana has increased substantially. It is prudent to note that more research and a deeper understanding of the long term effects should be addressed for the public to be more informed. With some of the benefits already realized in the medical field, more resources should be dedicated to unearth the intrinsic value that Marijuana may possess.
Works Cited
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- Moon, John B.: Sir William Brooke O’Shaughnessy-the foundations of fluid therapy and the Indian telegraph service, New Eng. J. of Med., 276:283-84, 2 Feb. 1967.
- Stevens, A. A.: Modern Materia Medica and Therapeutics, W. B. Saunders and Co., Philadelphia, 1903, pp. 77-78.
- Zalesky A, Solowij N, Yücel M, et al. Effect of long-term cannabis use on axonal fibre connectivity. Brain. 2012; 135:2245–55. [PubMed: 22669080]
