Mary Jane
Legalization of marijuana has become a huge topic in
government in the past few years. Although some may argue that it has medicinal
benefits and is not addictive and is safe for consumption. I have seen no
reason why marijuana should be made legal. I think there is no good that can
come from legalizing marijuana; it stands to reason that it would hurt the
people of our country more than it would add value to the medical world.
When marijuana is smoked, THC
rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical
to the brain and other organs throughout the body. It is absorbed more slowly
when ingested in food or drink. 1. I know I would not willing put harmful
chemicals into my body because I would be afraid of how they could affect me.
Marijuana does contain chemicals that go to the brain that cause it to be
dangerous. Marijuana can induce euphoria and hallucinations, relieve pain and
ease nausea. It can reduce anxiety, but it can also create anxiety. Marijuana
increases a person's heart rate shortly after use, which is a risk for certain
heart conditions. The drug can interfere with memory and learning for days, or
even weeks, after the initial high.2. I
have never understood why people would want to lose memory and interfere with
learning. I would not want to be mentally impaired for a few days or weeks. Also,
people with high anxiety can cause others to do drastic things and act
dramatically out of the ordinary. This could cause someone to be dangerous to
themselves and to those around them.
What worries me about legalizing
marijuana is the effects it will have on people’s brains. A recent study of marijuana users who
began using in adolescence revealed a profound deficit in connections between
brain areas responsible for learning and memory. A large prospective study
(following individuals across time) showed that people who began smoking
marijuana heavily in their teens lost as much as 8 points in IQ between age 13
and age 38; importantly, the lost cognitive abilities were not restored in
those who quit smoking marijuana as adults.1. This means that people who smoked
actually lost points in their IQ as they aged due to the long term effects of
marijuana. I know I would never want to smoke something that actually make me
lose intelligence. If marijuana was legalized, the next generation would have
lower IQ points just because they would have such easy access to the drug.
Marijuana raises heart rate by
20-100 percent shortly after smoking; this effect can last up to 3 hours. In
one study, it was estimated that marijuana users have a 4.8-fold increase in
the risk of heart attack in the first hour after smoking the drug. This may be
due to increased heart rate as well as the effects of marijuana on heart
rhythms, causing palpitations and arrhythmias. This risk may be greater in
older individuals or in those with cardiac vulnerabilities.1. If someone was to have a heart attack while
they were high on marijuana, what are they going to do? Since they are under
the influence of drugs, I think they would have a harder time realizing that
they are suffering from a heart attack.
I have
wondered that if marijuana was legalized, what would the laws on driving under
the influence be? Because it seriously impairs judgment and motor coordination,
marijuana also contributes to accidents while driving. A recent analysis of
data from several studies found that marijuana use more than doubles a driver’s
risk of being in an accident. Furthermore, the combination of marijuana and
alcohol is worse than either substance alone with respect to driving
impairment.1. This means marijuana can be just as deadly as driving while
drunk. How would marijuana be tested if someone was to get into an accident or
be caught speeding?
Because
marijuana stays in the bloodstream for a short time, blood tests for marijuana
are usually not used, except in the case of automobile accidents and some
roadside sobriety check points. Blood or saliva tests can show current intoxication.
However, unlike blood alcohol concentration tests, they do not indicate a level
of intoxication or impairment. On the other hand, urine tests for marijuana
metabolites can only show recent marijuana use, not intoxication or impairment,
because of the time required between smoking and the metabolites being
eliminated in the urine. However, because many employers have a zero tolerance
for drug use, most workplaces use urine tests for any recent use of drugs.3.
Since intoxication tests are not totally accurate, police would not be able to
determine if someone was under the influence during an accident like they would
if they were drunk on alcohol. This could mean that some people could get away
with being under the influence while driving if the police could not prove it.
If someone was killed during an accident and the police could not prove the
driver was under the influence, then the driver could possibly get away with
manslaughter.
I think
that both long term and short term effects of marijuana can be dangerous. A number of studies have shown an
association between chronic or daily marijuana use and mental illness. High
doses of marijuana can produce a temporary psychotic reaction (involving
hallucinations and paranoia) in some users, and using marijuana can worsen the
course of illness in patients with schizophrenia. A series of large prospective
studies also showed a link between marijuana use and later development of
psychosis. This relationship was influenced by genetic variables as well as the
amount of drug used and the age at which it was first taken—those who start
young are at increased risk for later problems.1.
Marijuana
not only causes problems within the brain, but also causes changes in a
person’s personality and daily life. Associations have also been found between
marijuana use and other mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety,
suicidal thoughts among adolescents, and personality disturbances, including a
lack of motivation to engage in typically rewarding activities.1. Those who
smoke marijuana have such an increases risk of mental diseases that I think it
could be a danger to the American people. Legalizing marijuana would mean that
more people would smoke the drug; this means more people would suffer from
mental health problems caused by marijuana.
Even
though pro marijuana groups swear that marijuana is not addictive, many studies
have found that it is just as addictive as any other drug. Estimates from research suggest that
about 9 percent of users become addicted to marijuana; this number increases
among those who start young (to about 17 percent, or 1 in 6) and among daily
users (to 25-50 percent). Thus, many of the nearly 7 percent of high-school
seniors who (according to annual survey data) report smoking marijuana daily or
almost daily are well on their way to addiction, if not already addicted (besides
functioning at a sub-optimal level all of the time).1. The younger that people
start to smoke the more likely they are to get addicted. If they stay addicted
into their adult life, then it is more likely that they will not be functioning
members of society. If marijuana was to legal, younger people would smoke it
which could cause them to become addicted which could lower their IQ. The
generation after marijuana is legalized would probably be less intelligent
compared to the generations before them.
Just
like alcohol and tobacco, marijuana should not be used if a woman is pregnant
due to the effects it could have on the baby. Marijuana use during pregnancy is
associated with increased risk of neurobehavioral problems in babies. Because
THC and other compounds in marijuana mimic the body’s own cannabinoid-like
chemicals, marijuana use by pregnant mothers may alter the developing
endocannabinoid system in the brain of the fetus. Consequences for the child
may include problems with attention, memory, and problem solving.1. Even though
most women would not want to harm their child, some may not realize the harm
that marijuana could have on their unborn child.
The rate of testicular cancer has been
increasing for several decades, but experts are not sure why. The study,
published online Sept. 10, 2012 in the American Cancer Society journal Cancer,
speculates that environmental causes, including recreational drug use, may play
a role. In the study, 163 men diagnosed with testicular germ cell tumors and
292 men not diagnosed with the tumors were interviewed about their recreational
drug use. The researchers found that men with these tumors were about twice as
likely to have a history of using marijuana. Most of the increased risk was
found in men with a germ cell tumor sub-type called non-seminomas. This type of
tumor is harder to treat and usually occurs in men between their late teens and
early 30s. 3. Legalizing marijuana would mean that more men would be diagnosed
with testicular cancer as time went on. I think this means that marijuana could
increase the risks of other types of cancer as well. This would endanger the
wellbeing of the American peoples overall health.
I think
that marijuana has too many negative effects on the body to be legal. Long term
effects can decrease IQ, cause certain forms of cancer and increase risk of
heart attack. The short term effects can cause hallucinations, memory loss and
even anxiety. America should not willingly be exposed to a drug that causes so
many health related complications and poses a threat to the safety of its
citizens.
Source cited
1)http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana
Population-Based Case-Control Study of Recreational Drug
Use and Testis Cancer Risk Confirms an Association Between Marijuana Use and
Nonseminoma Risk. Published online Sept. 10, 2012 in Cancer. First
author: Victoria K. Cortessis MSPH, PhD, University of Southern California, Los
Angeles
