Cannabis, sold as marijuana, hashish and hash oil, is the mostfrequently used illicit drug in Canada. Roughly one in four Canadianadults report having used cannabis at some time in their lives. Cannabisuse has been on the rise among young people. For example, a 1997Addiction Research Foundation survey found that 25 per cent of Ontariojunior high school students used cannabis in the previous year, up from 13per cent in 1993. (cannabae) Knowing this, should the United Stateslegalize cannabis? There are some questions that must be answered first.
What other uses does cannabis have and how would legalizing affect thedrug rings in the US.
In terms of health risks, some consequences of cannabisare clearly known, while others, such as the effects of chronic exposure,are less obvious. In terms of respiratory damage, marijuana smokecontains higher concentrations of some of the constituents of tar andtobacco smoke. In addition, it is hotter when it contacts the lungs and istypically inhaled more deeply and held in the lungs longer than tobaccosmoke. In terms of physical co-ordination, Cannabis impairs co-ordination.
This brings with it the risk of injury and death through impaired driving oraccidents such as falls. When it comes to pregnancy and childhooddevelopment, Cannabis use by pregnant women may affect the fetus.
As with tobacco smoking, risks such as low birth weight and prematuredelivery increase with use.
Research has shown a link between chronic heavy marijuana useand damage to the respiratory system similar to that caused by tobacco.
Long-term marijuana smoking is associated with changes, such as injuryto the major bronchi, that leave the lungs open to injury and infection.
Frequent, heavy use has been linked with bronchitis. (dope head) ThereIs also no link between marijuana smoking and lung cancer.
Some interesting facts on cannabis; the impact of health problemslinked to cannabis is much less than that resulting from alcohol ortobacco use. Survey data from the U.S., show that dependence onnicotine among smokers is several times more damaging than cannabisdependence among marijuana users. Moreover, the legal drugstobacco and alcohol account for the bulk of the economic costs ofsubstance use. A recent Ontario study found that annual health carecosts resulting from cannabis use were 8 million dollars when compared tothose for tobacco 1.07 billion dollars and alcohol 442 million dollars.
(cannabae)Is Marijuana a gateway drug? Researchers are looking into usingmarijuana to help crack cocaine addicts to quit. There are 40 millionpeople in the United States who have smoked marijuana for a period oftheir lives. (cannabae) Knowing this, Why arent there millions ofheroinor cocaine users? In Amsterdam, both marijuana use and heroin use wentdown after marijuana was decriminalized, even though there was a shortrise in cannabis use right after decriminalization. Unlike addictivedrugs,cannabis causes almost no tolerance. Some people even report reversetolerance. That is, the longer they have used marijuana the less theyneed to get high. (dope head) So users of marijuana do not usually getbored and look for something more powerful.
The idea that using marijuana will lead you to the use of heroin orspeed is called the Gateway Theory. The Gateway Theory was createdby the CIA and anti-drug prohibitionists to try and explain the increase inheroin use after the Vietnam War. There have never been any concretestatistics to back up this idea, but somehow it was the single biggest thingwhich the newspapers yelled about during Reefer Madness II. So thetheory that marijuana is a gateway drug has been thrown out and is nolonger accepted by the medical community.
The marijuana plant is not just used for smoking. It has many otheruses. Hemp is also produced by Cannabis plant. It is the strongest knownnatural fiber. It can be used for ropes, clothing, netting, etc. Also thehemp oil can be used for scents such as patchovel. Cannabis is also usedfor medical reasons such as cancer side effects, migraine head ache,and many other related causes.
If the United States were to legalize cannabis there would have tobe some realistic changes in the law. Taxing cannabis would be a goodway to strengthen the economy. In Canada they only used 8 milliondollars for health care related expenses, therefore, there would be aconsiderate amount of extra money. That money could go tostrengthening the schools, roads, or even lower taxes on property or food.
In Amsterdam when cannabis was decriminalized the popularity rose inthe beginning, but dropped to a new low. Would the same be the casefor the United States? Crime would possibly drop because cannabiswould be legal and it would eliminate the criminal element. If thegovernment was to regulate marijuana, such as alcohol. This wouldeliminate most of the drug dealers. Drug dealers wouldnt be able tomake money off of marijuana, therefore, they would have to work aregular job and be forced to make an honest living.
I purpose that marijuana be legalized and alcohol be illegal. Ibelieve that DUI related deaths would dope to a new low. People canoverdose or die of cirrhosis from alcohol. People cant overdose or diefrom marijuana.
Category: Social Issues
