Medicinal Marijuana Essay Research Paper Marijuana pot

Medicinal Marijuana Essay, Research Paper

Marijuana, pot, Mary Jane, grass, weed, hash, hashish, dope, cannabis, sinsemilla, greens. When you hear these words, do you think of illegal substances or medical miracle-workers. Marijuana has been approved for medical use by prescription in at least three states. In November 1998, voters in Washington DC won the right for medicinal marijuana. However, the results have been kept secret by congressional order. This research report will give you the facts about marijuana to help you make up your mind. What Is Marijuana and How Is It Used.The scientific name of marijuana is Cannabis sativa. The drug is made of chopped leaves, stems, and flowers of the hemp plant. It is grown in hot, moist climates, such as the Southern United States, where it was grown on plantations decades ago. It also grows in Mexico, the Middle East, Africa and India. Marijuana s primary intoxicant is tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. There is usually less than .5% THC in American-grown marijuana. Cannabis from Jamaica, Columbia and Mexico has .5 to .7% THC in it. Sinsemilla (the Spanish word for without seed ) is made from the unpollinated female cannabis plant and can have 20% THC in it. There can be as much as 50% THC in hash, a more concentrated form of marijuana. Thai sticks are from Southeast Asia. They are made of buds from the plant and are bound into short sections of bamboo. Homegrown marijuana is inexpensive and fairly easy to grow. Nonetheless, fungi, because of improper pesticide, herbicide, fungicide or insecticide use, can overrun homegrown marijuana. A common fungus on marijuana is Aspergillus. It has been found that baking marijuana can rid the fungus without affecting the THC factor. There are 400 chemicals in crude marijuana. The number increases to 2,000 when it is smoked. Some of these chemicals are stored in the fatty tissues of the brain, lungs and reproductive organs, where they can stay for four to six weeks. The chemicals in smoked marijuana are lipid soluble, and the nerve cell membrane is lipid, therefore marijuana enters the nerve cells and stays there longer than alcohol would. These chemicals, upon entering the body, go from the lungs to the blood stream to disperse through the body. Marijuana causes the heart rate to quicken. This may be because it causes an increase of the hormone epinephrine, which stimulates the heart. The effects can last for three to five hours. About one-third of THC is eliminated through urination, and two-thirds through excretion. Using a urine drug screen test, cannabinoids can be detected weeks or even months after use. This is because THC accumulates in fatty tissues. Physical effects of marijuana include reddened eyes and happiness or giddiness. After smoking, driving skills are impaired for around 10 hours, and flying skills for 24. Long term marijuana use can, in some cases, lead to dependency. Dependent users crave marijuana and need more of it to have the same effect of being high. If they don t use it, they go into withdrawal. In withdrawal, one may experience restlessness, irritability, insomnia, nausea, cramping, and sleep electroencephalogram disturbance (the disturbance of the electric brain waves). It also produces impaired learning abilities, reduced attention span, lowered problem-solving skills and lowered reading comprehension. In males, testosterone levels and sperm count are lowered. Menstrual irregularity and lessened fertility occur in females. Marijuana reduces immune response. It also produces weight loss, chills, insomnia, restlessness and irritability. In HIV and AIDS sufferers, marijuana and cocaine uses are associated with an increase in the risk of bacterial pneumonia. Pneumonia is one of the leading killers of immune deficient people. Marijuana has psychological effects, too. Smokers lose interest and ambition. They can be dull, depressed, and have low self-esteem. Also, they have temporary memory loss and no motivation. In a 1990 Swedish study, it was found that marijuana smokers who had smoked 100 times or more were 2.3 times more likely to develop schizophrenia than non-users. Also, higher doses of marijuana showed changes in brain waves, or EEG, that lasted for four to five days. A woman named Ann, who was in a group that weekly did drugs while listening to music, accounted, I remember one young man who was paranoid. Though, for awhile, he would be right in with all the rest of us, but then he would get very paranoid under the influence of marijuana. Marijuana can be used as an intoxicant in various ways. It can be smoked in hand-rolled cigarettes or in pipes. Hashish is in the shape of a bar of soap. Pieces are broken off and used in a pipe or water pipe, or crumbled and smoked with marijuana. Hemp, the plant marijuana is derived from, has be used for making cloth, clothing and rope. Scientists are also hoping to make insulation and inexpensive oil from it. Tobacco, marijuana, drinking and adolescent pregnancy lead to higher rates of difficulties related to school, conflicts at home, depression, low religiosity, lower parental influence and earlier sexual experiences. They also are associated with binge drinking, earlier smoking, and have friends who use marijuana, alcohol and tobacco.In 1992, 22% of high school seniors used marijuana. Also in 1992, a National Household Survey on Drug Abuse found that the total number of marijuana users was 67,525,000 people, comprised of 29,994,000 wome