Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Marijuana - Essay employmentMarijuana is a drug made from the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant Cannabis Sativa (also known as Cannabis Indica). The drug is popularly used either by smoking it using a furled tobacco paper or placing it in a pipe. However, it can also be eaten, drunk as tea or injected intravenously. The drug takes on many names from region specific - kif in Morocco, red dagga in South Africa and bhang in India- to street trademarks such as pot, weed, grass and Mary Jane. It also comes in different potencies with Ganja three time more potent than the ordinarily prep bed marijuana and haschisch five times more. The active ingredient pf the drug is c whollyed Delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol- the personal effects of which are characteristic of depressant drugs (Onaivi, 1990).The banned drug cross out of marijuana did not come along because people just wanted to label it as such. Rather, it was caused by the many observed effects it had on its patients. Physic ally, marijuana was observed to have the pursuance effects dry mouthnausea, headache, nystagmus, tremor, decreased coordination, increased heart rate, altered pulmonary status, altered ashes temperature, reduced muscle strength, decreased cerebral blood flow and increased food consumption. The observed neuropsychotic effects of marijuana were anxiety and panic, paranoia, confusion, aggressiveness, hallucinations, sedation, altered libido, possible suicidal ideation, depersonalization, derealization, poor sense of time, worsened short-term memory, addictive behaviors and amotivational syndrome. ( Losken et al, 1996) (Schuckit, 1989) (Hubbard et al, 1993) (Smart et al, 1982) (Nahas, 1977) (Benowitz 1975)If marijuana use is made legal and available over the counter, you are actually exposing the public familiar to an avoidable harm. The studies have shown that marijuana has indeed detrimental and addicting properties. Why then would you pursue the legalization of a drug that you k now, for certain, is flagitious Legalizing it would be an irresponsible act since you are actually making a dangerous drug accessible to individuals, some of whom who are actually incapable of discerning their acts and are reckless in their behavior. For sure, marijuana has medicinal properties such as euphoria, relaxation, sexual arousal and heightened sensations. But these benefits come with a difficult price. There are new(prenominal) drugs available in the market that can provide these medications minus the negatively charged effects of marijuana. Legalizing marijuana because of these flimsy reasons is like acknowledging that some illegal drugs have medicinal benefits and can hence be also legalized. It might be said that these effects are also exhibited by other regulated products such as alcohol. The question that now comes to mind is - Why prohibit marijuana when all along other products, such as alcohol, with the same or even greater health risks are made legally availa ble The answer lies in the general psyche of the public. Alcohol is deeply embed in tradition and has been historically used for festivities or personal use. That is, it has already been accepted by the general public as an acceptable drug. The problem with marijuana is that it is associated with drugs such as methamphetamine hydrochloride and cocaine. The acquaintance is not unfounded since the effects are not that far from other illegal drugs. Furthermore, marijuana has been turn out to serve as a gateway to