Legalization of Marijuana in the US

Legalization of Marijuana in the US

 The illegality of marijuana is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world. Marijuana also is known as cannabis, are the leaves of cannabis Sativa plant that is used as a drug that can be smoked or consumed to create a feeling of being euphoric. The most common way to use it is by smoking, whereby it is rolled into a cigarette joint added into a cigar casing to form a joint. It can be used as a recreational drug hence its long history of use for medical purposes, and even though it has not yet been approved by the FDA, many states in the US have legalized marijuana for the medical purposes. Classified as a schedule one controlled substance, marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug globally.Additonally,  it has both positive and negative effects such as reduced side effects linked to hepatitis C and increase the effectiveness of treatment, lowered arterial blood pressure in patients with hypertension, can be used as an effective anti-depressant, elimination of nightmares associated with PTSD. On the contrary side marijuana, it leads to addiction, paranoia, heart damages and memory loss.

Hepatitis C is a virus that can lead to chronic liver problems and is transmitted through tattoo needles, blood transfusions, the birthing process (from an infected mother to the baby) and infected blood through sharing needles during drug use. Marijuana doesn’t adequately treat the virus instead promotes the medication used to treat it by reducing Nausea, fatigue, depression and muscle aches (the side effects which might last for months for some hepatitis C sufferers during their treatment). The drug can be absorbed under the tongue as a tincture, ingested by taking cannabis pills or edibles, inhaled by smoking or vaporized by the patients.

Hypertension and high blood pressure are the major risk factors of all diseases mainly related to arteries and the heart. Studies suggest that shortly after the consumption of marijuana, users may experience a mild increase in blood pressure and heart rate then followed by a decrease in blood pressure. Users develop a tolerance to the effects over a while, and the repeated use of marijuana has been associated with lowered heart rate and blood pressure immediately after consumption. Cannabis can calm you down and also your heart rate and blood pressure.

Depression is a complex mental problem that involves a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest and should always be dealt with by looking at the deeper underlying causes. A party runs short of options, and a temporary boost in mood can lead to mental clarity which outcomes to different perspectives on the origins of his or her depression. At low doses, cannabis acts as an effective anti-depressant by increasing the feel-good neurotransmitters: serotonin in your brain. Though at higher doses, marijuana can have a negative effect by increasing the feelings of depression.

Consumption of marijuana before going to bed makes it easy to fall asleep, and cannabis-based medicines can be prescribed as conventional medicines for people with sleep disorders.PTSD can be an alarming mental disorder which a person experiences after a traumatic event. Although marijuana is viewed as a feel-good substance, it can completely eliminate the nightmares associated with PSTD since a party finds it easy to sleep after consuming it. Research states that a cannabis-based medicine named nabilone reduces daytime flashbacks and improves overall sleep quality in PATD patients( Barry,2016).

On the other hand, marijuana has adverse effects on the users, for example, addiction. Addiction is a complex condition that is manifested by compulsive substance use despite harmful consequence. Many marijuana consumers have an intense focus on the drug to a point where it takes over their lives. It reaches a point where they cannot go for certain hours or days without using medicine, and this makes them waste resources such as money in buying the drugs.

Paranoia is a mental condition characterized by exaggerated self-importance, unwarranted jealousy and delusions of persecution.  It is mainly an aspect of personality disorder of drug abuse in which the person loses touch with reality. Marijuana consumers may experience paranoia due to the changes in their sensory perception. They tend to feel uncomfortable and suspicious of the motivations around you with or without cause, and this makes it difficult for them to function or interact with others when they are under the influence. Many users behave erratically due to the belief that someone is actively trying to cause them harm.

Marijuana can significantly raise a person’s heart rate after consumption hence leading to heart damages. Usually, heartbeats about 50 to 70 times a minute, but after consuming marijuana, it might rise to 70 to 120 beats or more per minute for three hours after the effects of it kicking in (Hall & Weir 2017). It is more dangerous if you are older or if you already have heart problems since the added strain plus tar and other chemicals in the weed might raise your chances of heart attack or stroke. The weakening of the heart (cardiomyopathy) may also occur, thus leading to irregular heartbeats and makes the heart prone to many diseases.

Memory loss is an unusual forgetfulness in which one may not be able to remember new events or recall memories of the past. Consumption of marijuana regularly damages the memory centre of the brain, which leads to short-term memory problems, forgetfulness and fuzzy thinking. Many people smoke pot intending to relax or forget their problems, but chronic weed use impairs the short-term memory, and the more marijuana a person consumes, the worse his/her mind will function. Deterioration of the memory centre is the cause of age-related memory loss, and marijuana accelerates the process. According to NIDA, people that consume weed daily for eight months lose as many brain cells in the memory centre as people twice their age.

In conclusion, marijuana has both advantages and disadvantages, but the rate at which people are consuming it illegally brings a lot of harm in society. There are positive effects caused by the weed, but in the long run, it happens to cause damage in the user’s body since it’s addictive hence making the user null or not to function well without consuming it. This, therefore, leads to impaired judgement conducting the consumers to view things in their own ways out of reality. Marijuana should not be legalized so that society can have fresh minds without any stimulation needed.

References:

Hall & Weir (2017). Has marijuana legalization increased marijuana use among US youth? JAMA paediatrics, 171(2), 116-118.

McGinty, Samples, Bandara, Saloner, Bachhuber, & Barry (2016). The emerging public discourse on state legalization of marijuana for recreational use in the US, 90, 114-1