From stories of Woodstock to anti-marijuana advertisements, I’ve always been surrounded by the banter of marijuana. Whether it is a good or bad connotation it has always been a hot topic, especially the older I get. This has sparked my interest in researching further into the history of the cannabis plant with medical, psychological, and social aspects of cannabis—more commonly known as the marijuana plant. I know Medical marijuana has been used for many years to help eating disorders, calms Cerebral palsy shakes, and reduces pains.
I also know that people often recreationally smoke marijuana. It is often portrayed in films as a “cool factor” with many celebrities endorsing the “fun” sides to smoking recreationally much like the 2012, comedy “Mac & Devin Go to High School” where famous rapper Snoop Dogg who plays Mac who was a high school student for fifteen years before meeting famous rapper Wiz Khalifa. They bring the school and smoking marijuana together to the finish their final science project but while being portrayed in the media as a dangerous problem because of the war on drugs and how marijuana can be brought into the United States illegally. The cannabis plant’s use goes back as far back as 2727 B.C for medical purposes used by many European countries and even the Chinese Empire to the current day.
Often only used for medicinal purposes many countries would trade hemp grown in other regions for stronger fibers to make ropes and it was cheaper to use to help build ships and sails. The American Colonies grew cannabis for hemp and to make hemp related products such as cloth for clothes and sails, rope, and even paper. The cannabis plant can be grown in different climates, atmospheres, and longer time periods to form products other than hemp such as hashish, hash oil, THC capsules, and also specific strains are bred for recreational purposes. Tetrahydrocannabinol and Cannabidiol are the two main compounds found in cannabis. Cannabidiol otherwise known as CBD helps relieve epileptic seizures, eases body pains and assuages inflammation. CBD has the potential to treat addiction and certain mental illnesses.
However, unlike Tetrahydrocannabinol has more commonly known as THC, CBD is a cannabinoid that lacks the psychoactive compound that gives the effect of feeling ‘high.’ (drugabuse.gov, 2018) THC can help reduce nausea, calms muscle spasms, relieves pain, redness, and swelling from inflammation. THC cannabinoids are the psychoactive extract from cannabis that may impact one’s perception of anything. THC may spike mental illness activity in people who have pre-existing conditions or people who have a genetic history of any mental illness. Much like alcohol, THC has temporary side effects during the intoxication period. It is likely to impair some motor skills like balance and cognitive functions, also heart rate may increase during use in some forms of ingestion. Some long-term effects may occur with habitual use which can lead to a higher risk for a chronic cough and chance of addiction to marijuana and other substances.
People under the age of 25 tend to experience stronger or more permanent side effects due to their lack of development in their brain with prolonged use. People can be arrested and serve two to ten years in prison for any amount of marijuana possession regardless of medical or recreational purposes due to the Boggs Act, the Narcotics Control Act, and the Controlled Substance Act since 1970. (Narconon.org, 2018) In 1996, the Enactment of Compassionate Act was passed which was the first law to legalize medical marijuana use, following shortly behind many states started to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes.
In 2012, a large movement occurred in Colorado and Washington with the legalizing of marijuana for recreational consumption with age restrictions, a prescription from a doctor was not necessary to possess recreational marijuana. In 2018, a few years later while some states still stand strong against the legalization of recreational use, Washington, D.C and nine other states legalize recreational marijuana for adults. Many states have decriminalized small amounts of marijuana as a misdemeanor or even just a small fine. Yet even though many states have become more tolerant and accepting of marijuana it’s still illegal under U.S Federal laws.
Many people agree with the legalization of marijuana but with regulations and for medically diagnosed diseases and must be administered by a trained physician Many people have had success stories with the use of cannabis to assuage side effects from chemotherapy and have shown results that cannabis has helped deplete some cancer cells accompanied with chemotherapy. In a recent interview by PEOPLE magazine, A couple had a three-year-old daughter Cecilia that had one lung filled with many cancerous tumors. Once she finally had her surgery to remove her tumors she was given small doses of both THC and CBD to ease the side effects of her chemotherapy — Almost a year later more tumors had returned to her right lung and the doctors had put her frail body on radiation therapy along with stronger chemo therapy, however, her parents believed the radiation and chemo would kill her before her cancer would. Finally opting out of continuing her chemotherapy they decided to increase the dosage of the THC and CBD oils with the hope of cannabinoid therapy to at least make her comfortable.
Three months later Cecilia’s scans had shown her tumors had disappeared or shrunk a great deal in size. Cecilla is now seven years old and has not shown symptoms or signs of cancer since. The (Dodd, 2018) Cannabis from a medical standpoint is a substance that still holds a lot of questions and wonders behind the entire healing benefits. Many people believe the risk of addiction or cannabis is a gateway to other substance abuse is much too high to be willing to attempt the herbal alternative. When prescribing cannabis only offering it in only oil or pill form to prevent people from illegally selling their prescriptions to other people. Which leads to the views on decriminalization of cannabis. Making a crime less punishable makes criminals feel like they can break the law more often because the reparations aren’t as permanent or enforced strong enough to impact their lives to want to care what they are doing is illegal, which can makes people less interested in wanting to legalize cannabis even for medicinal use especially without regulations or lower THC dose.
People agree more to decriminalization rather than legalizing marijuana. It can lower prison and jail overflows because the people who would be arrested for marijuana-related charges would one receive a fine and not serve jail time freeing up cells for criminals with more heinous crimes and people who could potentially be a danger to society. It could also help the states with fine money collected to go to things in need of more money such as school or road maintains/clean-up. Many people often only worry that decriminalizing marijuana makes it appear to criminals as if it’s okay to keep selling marijuana on the black market if you are willing to pay the right price if you are caught and maybe some probation time. Many people agree with the complete legalization of marijuana medically and recreationally. The government could benefit from the legalization of both because the taxes they could collect and a portion of the revenue from the dispensaries.
On the other hand, legalizing marijuana are viewed as opening up to future of legalizing other drugs in the same drug class as marijuana such as Heroin or Ecstasy just the same as the steps taken to legalize marijuana. Should marijuana be legalized medically and recreationally federally? Upon finishing my research on the cannabis plant itself I’ve learned many things I didn’t know and changed my views of the laws of legalization. I didn’t know how much cannabis affected people who have genetic mental disorders also how long cannabis use has been around and all the way it’s been used. In my opinion, going into starting my research I was kind of with everyone who agreed with the legalization of medically and recreational use. Now I believe medical marijuana should be approved federally giving people the option to less addictive medication alternatives with regulations of course in maybe a form that is at a less interest for the high experience in lower THC doses.
However, I believe recreational marijuana shouldn’t be legalized but it should be decriminalized because whatever someone would like to do in the comfort of his or her household should be found but with the consequence of a fine depending on the amount of marijuana on hand when caught with possession. The government shouldn’t have a say over something someone chooses to do in his or her free time as long as it has no negative impact on others.
