... to calm the nerves and possibly provide added ferocity. Native Americans weren't concerned with the natural aspect at all and quickly found that marijuana could alleviate pain, stimulate the appetite and provide some small comfort in a harsh environment. They used it in their religious ceremonies to ... Nadelman, this strategy would increase public treasuries of at least ten billion a year and maybe much more. These strategies propose that legalizing marijuana would have many economical benefits on the United States. Former Mayor of Baltimore Kurt Schmoke was a strong believer in legaliz...

• Word Count: 1545
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• Has Bibliography

... , and it would boost the economy. I also think some drug crimes and innocent killings would go down an enormous amount. There are many cons to the use of this drug. Marijuana produces immediate, temporary changes in thoughts, perceptions, and information processing, even though there is no convincing scientific evidence that pot causes psychological damage or mental illness in either teenagers or ... adults. Many Americans believe that marijuana plays a role in violent acts while on this drug. Almost all human and animal studies show that pot decreases rather than increases aggression. T...

• Word Count: 1871
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• Grade Level: High School

... for many, many years and has been proven to be safe for medical uses. Despite its useful medical effects for relieving pain and nausea, marijuana is a psychedelic drug that will be looked down upon because of false claims about it. The value of helping the medical world would far ... out weight its potential to be abused. Even though marijuana was illegal, its use continued in the United States. Ernest L. Abel, author of the book Marihuana states, "In 1972, the National Commission ... be the plant that could save the world but we would never know it because the first thing people think ...

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... , its use taking off in the 1960s. It is now one of the most widely used illicit drugs in the world. Carol Nadelson, author of "Through a Glass Darkly," reports that Marijuana is a mixture of leaves, stems and flowers of the Indian hemp plant Cannabis sativa, and is smoked or eaten for its hallucinogenic and pleasure-giving effects. The psychoactive ingredient of ... not been proven to be physically addicting, and no physical withdrawal symptoms occur when its use is discontinued, psychological dependence does develop. Many users describe two phases of marijuana intoxication: initial sti...

• Word Count: 1689
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... sexual pleasure and Psychological dependence requiring more of the drug to get the same effect. (4) Sandra Lacar, executive director of the Coalition for a Drug Free Hawaii says, "The legalization of marijuana as a medicine and the abandonment of our science-based FDA testing and approval process are irresponsible as long as proven, positive alternative treatments are in place." (5) We are supposed to ... find new support for medical research, not use drugs such as marijuana. Secondly, marijuana is a gateway drug. Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States and t...

• Word Count: 1430
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , and it would boost the economy. I also think some drug crimes and innocent killings would go down an enormous amount. There are many cons to the use of this drug. Marijuana produces immediate, temporary changes in thoughts, perceptions, and information processing, even though there is no convincing scientific evidence that pot causes psychological damage or mental illness in either teenagers or ... adults. Many Americans believe that marijuana plays a role in violent acts while on this drug. Almost all human and animal studies show that pot decreases rather than increases aggression. T...

• Word Count: 1838
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... use of cannabis, the United States government has commissioned several studies regarding the properties of cannabis and its effects, and also has considered bills permitting the medicinal use of marijuana. Cannabis was prevalent in America for much of the 18th and 19th centuries. Many apothecaries and doctors proscribed medications containing cannabis. Until 1941, cannabis was part of the ... into the criminal justice system through the prohibition of this drug." The most controversial, and at this point in time plausible, argument for the partial decriminalization of marijuana is the ...

• Word Count: 1639
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... increase the use of substance and further increase problems in society, legalization could in fact be more beneficial than harmful. Actually, there are several benefits with the legalization of marijuana and some of which include: making our streets and homes safer, increasing the economy's revenue, putting an end to prison overcrowding, saving our tax money, crippling organized crime ... , promoting health and safety, reducing official corruption, and using marijuana for medicinal purposes. Legalizing marijuana would first greatly increase our economy's revenue and promote consumer healt...

• Word Count: 1572
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... undoubtedly every city and town in the United States. But why do people smoke, and is there a difference between smoking tobacco and illegally smoking marijuana? Yes there is, but similarities also run between the two. Before you smoke it is important to realize the dangers involved while puffing away ... at your preferred substance. Even though they are legal, cigarettes are more dangerous to one's health compared to marijuana. Over 390,000 people die each year from the effects of smoking tobacco, and smoking also doubles the risk of a heart attack. Evidently ... rate. After it is smoke...

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... the U.S. "drug war" to no avail, gives proponents to legalization a great slice of credibility. They suggest that with the freeing of marijuana, the billions used to combat drugs could instead be redirected into drug education and drug treatment. The existence of drug treatment in place of prison ... and vomiting that are suffered by chemotherapy patients and alleviating the painful pressure on the eyes of glaucoma sufferers. Anorexia can also be helped with marijuana use, citing the appetite stimulation point used with AIDS patients. Not to be outdone, however, those against legalizatio...

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... up in suburban northeast Columbia, South Carolina, I was raised blind to the stinky, sticky, furry, leafy, potent, dry, green or purple plant of marijuana. The side of town I lived on was very refined and exclusive. Many parents like mine, moved to the northeast side of the capital city to ... alcohol as well as the violent lifestyles of those who lived in the rural cities and ghettos that surround our downtown area. I never heard of marijuana or "weed" until I entered High school in 2010. Neither of my parents smoked or drank regularly, so I had no intentions of ... of the brains funct...

• Word Count: 1315
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... if any. Whether habitual or occasional, the habit Madigan 5 is formed, not by addiction but rather by preference for the altered state. Even though marijuana is technically not as bad for the user as tobacco, there are some long and short term effects. The long term effects include loss of short ... term memory, loss of some long term memory, depleated lung capacity, short-windedness, and lung and heart disease. Some short term effects of marijuana include loss of short term memory, increased appetite, slow reaction time, loss of hand eye coordination, and impaired vision due to dryness....

• Word Count: 2422
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• Grade Level: High School

... it and 47.7% of twelfth graders used it (DEA)." By the senior year almost half of American seniors will have already used or tried marijuana once. Marijuana has also lead to using other illegal drugs. Cocaine, crystal meth and LSD are some of the most popular drugs, which are used also ... but there has to be someone children can talk and listen to. They would not be able to talk to a police officer (D.A.R.E. instructors) about their marijuana addiction (interview)." Teen counselors can advise them how maybe they've been addicted and have now stopped. Teens helping teens is a solution th...

• Word Count: 1314
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• Grade Level: High School

... drugs remain high on the politicians and many organizations list of issues. Stories are constantly on the news about the drug trade, medicinal marijuana, and ecstasy. Drugs affects not only users but non-users as well. It is obvious that drugs are quite present in our ... partake in the uses of drugs and, if so, which drugs should be federally mandated? The two substantial drugs at issue right now are marijuana and ecstasy. Marijuana is a derivative from the top leaves and flowers of the female hemp plant, which can be readily grown on the fields across the nation ... will benefit America...

• Word Count: 1264
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... if the drug was mixed with for example sugar - But more severe if mixed with some type of acidic or poisonous substance or powder. During the first hour after using marijuana the effects are the worst, but the effects can linger around for three hours, sometimes possibly five. Small Dosage: Small amounts of cannabis will cause the person to have a giddy ... ...

• Word Count: 1323
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... that there is only "suggestive evidence that chronic cannabis use may produce subtle defects in cognitive functioning". Two comparisons were more equivocal. The report says that both heavy drinking and marijuana smoking can produce symptoms of psychosis in susceptible people. And, it says, there is evidence that chronic cannabis smoking "may be a contributory cause of cancers of the aerodigestive tract ... rel! evance are findings from animal studies showing that chronic exposure to THC damages and destroys nerve cells and causes other pathological changes in the hippocampus. Someone wh...

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... The legal acceptance of alcohol, however, does not exclude it from the category of a "drug," even in the eyes of the Food and Drug Administration. The prohibition of marijuana is historically counteractive and a direct defiance of First Amendment rights. This prohibition has denied thousands of critically ill patients a drug that would effectively treat their illness and relieve their pain ... is little proven danger of physical or psychological harm from the experimental or intermittent use of natural preparation of cannabis," and recommended then that the personal and medical use of m...

• Word Count: 1707
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... This statement is based on the assumption that all illegal drugs can benefit the economy if legalized and that some illegal drugs include uses of marijuana. Illegal drugs are classified as controlled substances. Controlled substances are any of a category of behavior altering or addictive drugs whose possession and or ... use are prohibited by law. A few examples of controlled substances include heroin, cocaine, hallucinogens, and in the case of this argument marijuana. If a person is found to be under the influence or in possession of any controlled substance, penalization by the state...

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... immune system. Those so-called facts that were being taught to the American public were myths. According to John P Morgan the myth that marijuana kills brain cells came from a brain imaging technique called pneumoencephalography, which forces air into patient's brain through the spinal column, that has been ... is a statistical association between common drugs and uncommon drugs, an association that changes over time as different drugs increase and decrease in prevalence. Marijuana is the most popular illegal drug in the United States today. Therefore, people who have used less popular d...

• Word Count: 1609
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... the disease. Once again, not a very appealing side effect. This is where the treatments for comfort come into play. Medical marijuana falls into this category. Marijuana has five recognized therapeutic effects. The first is its analgesic properties. Cannabinoids have been shown to "block pain signals at their ... by chemotherapy. Since the synthetic THC is in capsule form, it is hard to administer to patients that are nauseated. (Glick 1998) Marijuana also has antispasmodic properties. If administered to epilepsy patients, it has the ability to reduce the severity and frequency of the sei...

• Word Count: 1466
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... the 1980's because the government began to realize the weaknesses of there approach (Caulkins, 9). The main drugs the government has focused on are marijuana, heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, LSD, various tranquilizers, and hallucinogens. The goal of the war on drugs is to decrease usage by ... . Not only would there be more money to be put towards important issues like the national debt and security, but legalization of marijuana would also decrease or eliminate drug specialist's positions within the DEA and other governmental organizations. It is well knows that the government ... users...

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... pain of multiple sclerosis, to alleviate the symptoms of glaucoma, and to improve appetite dangerously reduced from AIDS, are only some to mention. Medical marijuana has taken its toll in improving the health of all. But why is it, that if some is caught in possession of this drug, ... The duty of a police officer is to protect the lives of others. They are not really protecting us when they are focusing on searching for marijuana victims. Marijuana is a harmful drug, yes I agree, but people are doing it illegally anyway. Not like they are going to stop because it is illegal ... Study ...

• Word Count: 1673
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... as being deviant due to its illegality rather than a moral code to the youths of today. Different theories as to why someone would engage in drug use, primarily marijuana use for this particular paper helps give a better understand. One of the sociological perspectives is the Strain theory. According to the Journal of Health and Social Behavior,General ... behavior is seen as deviant, they engage in this activity because it gives some satisfaction to an unfulfilled need in their lives. Bibliography Akers, Ronald L., and John K. Cochran (1985) "Adolescent Marijuana Use: A test of three t...

• Word Count: 1867
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• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... others now available legally. There may be dangers to drug use, but there are also dangers in using alcohol and tobacco. By reasonable standards, marijuana is a mild drug compared to other legal ones, such as alcohol and cigarettes. Consumption of alcohol can cause deterioration to the liver as well ... harm others, as opposed to most crimes. Criminalizing drug use fails to reduce it. One third of those over the age of twelve have used marijuana (Nadelmann 1). Not only does making drugs illegal infringe on peoples rights and freedom to choose, it also creates a black market as well as d...

• Word Count: 1341
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... by the harder drugs and believe that pot is not a gateway drug that may lead to more lethal substances (Sora, 1997, page 71). While marijuana users do not move on to harder drugs, smoking weed does increase a teen's chances of being exposed, according to the National Institute of Drug abuse ... in Washington, D.C (Sora, 1997, page 71). So why do teens smoke marijuana? After many case studies and psychological theories "curiosity" is often the most logical reason. Ecstasy the common name for MethyleneDioxyMethAmphetamine. Ecstasy (E) is a synthetic ... the drug, starting about an hour af...

• Word Count: 1416
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• Grade Level: High School