Effects of Marijuana on Kids

Effects of Marijuana on Kids

Research Question: How does marijuana affects kids when they first start using it?

1. Introduction
   1. Marijuana is a psychoactive drug obtained from a plant called cannabis, and it can be used for both medical and recreational purposes. As such, the drug can either be beneficial or harmful to children depending on its usage.
   2. With marijuana being readily available, it is important to review its benefits, negative effects, and permanent effects on children so that its use can be monitored appropriately.
2. Body Paragraph: Medical Marijuana.
   1. Medical marijuana helps in the treatment of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Cannabinoids found in marijuana control nausea and vomiting during cancer treatments.
      1. According to Parmar, Forrest & Freeman (2016), a marijuana chemical called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can inhibit the production of beta-amyloid proteins, thus treating Alzheimer’s disease.
      2. Medicines containing THC can be used in the treatment of cancer because the chemical kills cancerous cells as well as quelling nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy (Parmar, Forrest & Freeman, 2016).
   2. Medical marijuana reduces chronic pains and muscle spasms, thus improving the patient’s health. This characteristic makes it suitable for use in children who require pain management medication.
      1. According to Bruce et al. (2018), medical marijuana can be used in its processed form or administered as a component of a pain reliever. The drug is recognized for its effectiveness in treating nerve pains and cancer-related pains.

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   3. From these discussions, it is imperative to conclude that marijuana has medical benefits, thus can be used in the treatment of children. However, the use should be regulated; it can be caused by adverse effects, as discussed below.

• Body Paragraph: Negative Effects of Marijuana.
  1. Abusing marijuana can lead to unintended effects such as; distorted conscious perception and hallucination. Accordingly, the drug can cause mental impairment and truancy in children.
     1. A study by Saloner, McGinty & Barry (2015) showed that children could be adversely affected by marijuana because the drug distorts memory and incites imaginations.
     2. It was acknowledged by Saloner, McGinty & Barry (2015) that children who consume recreational marijuana in any form risks mental illness and transitioning to a violent lifestyle.
  2. Misusing marijuana can cause poor lifestyle associated with withdrawal, increased appetite, and declining health condition.
     1. The justification for this claim was provided by Yap et al. (2015), who affirmed that kids are at risk of developing long-term effects, thereby implicating them persistent health and societal problems.
  3. These discussions prove that marijuana can cause adverse effects in children when used for recreational purposes rather than medicinal value. Worse still, if the long-term effects are not controlled, children can suffer permanent conditions, as discussed in the next section.

1. Body Paragraph: Permanent Effects of Marijuana.
   1. Continued use of recreational marijuana can cause memory and cognition problems in children.
      1. A study by Wang et al. (2011) revealed that marijuana leads to memory loss in users, and the same problems can be replicated in children. Once this adverse level is reached, children might not regain their memory.
      2. The study also confirmed that marijuana interferes with the cognitive process of children, thereby leading to poor development and slow learning habits (Wang et al. 2011).
   2. Marijuana can expose children to risks of schizophrenia.
      1. The condition of schizophrenia causes children to experience memory relapse, delusions, and intermittent psychosis, thus leading to complete disorganization in their development (Wang et al. 2011).
   3. Therefore, it imperative to argue that exposure of children to marijuana can cause adverse mental effects and social behaviors. To avoid these consequences, the effective use of marijuana should be observed, as discussed below.
2. Body Paragraph: Using Marijuana Effectively.
   1. If it is necessary that children must use marijuana for its medicinal value, then proper care must be put in place.
      1. One way of implementing effective use is through the guided use of medical marijuana by healthcare professionals (Onders et al. 2016).
      2. If the prescription is taken at home, then a parent or a caregiver must be present to administer the dosage.
   2. It is also advisable that parents should avoid exposing their children to marijuana if there are effective alternatives that can cure the conditions.
   3. Therefore, this section highlights the importance of parental intervention to help in giving medical marijuana. For recreational marijuana, it can be appropriate if children are completed protected from exposure.
3. Body Paragraph: Protecting Children from Marijuana.
   1. Counterargument: children cannot be protected from marijuana because the drug is readily available in the community.
   2. Rebuttal: children can actually be protected from marijuana by limiting their exposure to social groups and entertainment joints.
      1. Parents can impose strict guidelines pertaining to the interaction of their children, internet use, and inappropriate TV channels.
      2. Parents can protect their children from public entertainment joints where drugs and alcohol are permitted (Onders et al. 2016).

• Conclusion
  1. Restated thesis statement: The impacts of marijuana on children should be reviewed critically so that parents and caregivers can limit the use of medical marijuana while protecting kids from recreational use.
  2. The study has confirmed that medical marijuana is helpful in the treatment of certain diseases, which might affect children while recreational marijuana is harmful to children’s mental health and thus should be avoided. It is important to note that medical marijuana can initiate an addiction; hence its use should be limited.

References

Bruce, D., Brady, J. P., Foster, E., & Shattell, M. (2018). Preferences for medical marijuana over prescription medications among persons living with chronic conditions: Alternative, complementary, and tapering uses. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 24(2), 146-153.

Onders, B., Casavant, M. J., Spiller, H. A., Chounthirath, T., & Smith, G. A. (2016). Marijuana exposure among children younger than six years in the United States. Clinical Pediatrics, 55(5), 428-436.

Parmar, J. R., Forrest, B. D., & Freeman, R. A. (2016). Medical marijuana patient counseling points for health care professionals based on trends in the medical uses, efficacy, and adverse effects of cannabis-based pharmaceutical drugs. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 12(4), 638-654.

Saloner, B., McGinty, E.E., and Barry, C.L., 2015. Policy strategies to reduce youth recreational marijuana use. Pediatrics, 135(6), pp.955-957.

Wang, G. S., Narang, S. K., Wells, K., & Chuang, R. (2011). A case series of marijuana exposures in pediatric patients less than five years of age. Child abuse & neglect, 35(7), 563-565.

Yap, M., Easterbrook, L., Connors, J., and Koopmans, L., 2015. Use of cannabis in severe childhood epilepsy and child protection considerations—Journal of pediatrics and child health, 51(5), pp.491-496.