... . Drugs are used as a way of In this speech, I willescaping reality and disappearing into another world. assist you in understanding the history and definitions of various drugs. My proposed findings are based upon information I have gathered from a variety of Therefore, according towhat I believed ... original home of cannabis is thought to be Central Asia, but has spread around the globe with the exception Early in itsof the Arctic regions and areas of wet tropical forests. history the Chinese undoubtedly used it as a hallucinogen. 1500 years later when they had their first contact wit...

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... book "Narcotic Culture: A History of Drugs in China," the authors enlighten the reader about opium use and trades in China. Authors Dikotter, Laamann, and Zhou work together on manifesting a contrasting, more elegant side of this historical story, which includes information from the early 1600's all the way through ... a reality into the book. It enlightens the reader by bringing the written words to life with examples of the people, culture, and history. The authors use of photographs gives a break from reading to process the words and see the evidence of what one has just read, ... Thi...

• Word Count: 1062
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... up the issue of differentiating between using, abusing, and being dependent on drugs. Throughout the history of the human race, drug use has been a prevalent factor in cultures; from early civilizations using different plant-derived psychoactive drugs for rituals to the use of alcohol and tobacco in ... early cultures. Evidence from ancient Egypt and the Middle East show references to a liquid that was made in roughly the same process as beer. Opium use was popular for centuries in Asia, and was part of the reason that the "Silk Road" was born. South American ... countries have been pra...

• Word Count: 559
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• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... why marijuana shouldn't be legal and a plethora of arguments that can be made why the drug should be legal. Marijuana has been used throughout history in many different cultures to change mood, perception, and consciousness - in other words, to get high. Its effects range from increasing creativity to ... treat indigestion. It was commonly used in folk medicines in Africa and Asia. The Assyrians began using it as incense in the 9th century. As early as 1611, marijuana was cultivated for its fiber in Jamestown, Virginia. In 19th century America, it was used by the medical profession for ...

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... , and not think. After all, we've been busy all day. The whole argument that television is like an addictive drug is far fetched. In the Nielson survey of American viewers the average American family watched seven hours of television a day. This sounds shocking, until you realize that there are approximately 4.5 people per family. If you divide the seven hours of television ... 't know too many people who watch television every few hours. A lot of the people I know only watch it a few days a week. Hamill uses a study of Michigan State University in the early eighties. In this study, a gro...

• Word Count: 710
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• Grade Level: High School

... 's major psychoactive chemical, delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC), is also almost literally impossible to achieve a fatal dose of and has yet to be witnessed or accounted over the almost millenium-long history of the drug, though modifications can render marijuana potentially deadly, such as being laced with crack cocaine, PCP, and even so far as soaking cigarettes in embalming fluid (Popular Science ... deaths from it and nearly free of detrimental effects, it is surprising marijuana is dealth with as hard and with such serious consequences and penalties. Since marijuana's spread in...

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• Grade Level: High School

... government's war on drugs seems to be accomplishing a lot those in Washington say. The drug war has cost our country billions of dollars, imprisoned people with no criminal past or history of violence and has actually made it easier to obtain drugs, albeit the quality of drugs is not necessarily as pure. Different options need to be considered. Legalization is an ... legalized because it will reduce the great amounts of money spent on enforcement and it will increase our country's revenue. This is something that should be left up to the American people. Let us vote on it during the next...

• Word Count: 1149
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• Grade Level: High School