Marijuana, (Cannabis sativa) weed, ganja, bud, reefer, pot, dope, gage, sess, smoke, skunk, Mary Jane, cannabis, grass, or sens No matter how it's said, it's a controversial issue in America; but why? Why is it that in our culture, no one has a problem with some one who drinks at a social event to loosen up a little, but a person who smokes a little pot at a concert is seen as a social deviant? The value of the negative effects of marijuana is overstated for a few different reasons. Ignorance to the facts of marijuana is the primary source for the perpetuation of the negative social stigma pot carries. Blatant disregard of the similarities marijuana has to alcohol and the classification of pot as a "drug" also continue to uphold the negative attitude towards weed. The actual definition of a drug is any substance that has an effect on the central nervous system causing a change in behavior. Although technically marijuana is a drug, so are caffeine, nicotine and obviously alcohol. Are chocolate and Coca-Cola illegal because they make your heart speed up? Why isn't tobacco illegal since it is so addictive? The prohibition of alcohol, which only lasted a few years, was attempted during a political period in our country called the Progressive Era. The 18th Amendment to the Constitution prohibited the sale, purchase, possession and ingestion of alcohol. Soon after, however, the 18th was repealed by the 21st. .
One of the most important factors to consider, before one forms an opinion on marijuana, is the fact that the drug found in the hemp plant, THC, is not physically addictive. However, this is not to say that one could become psychologically dependent on marijuana. After quitting pot, users have no physical withdrawal symptoms whatsoever, unlike many other drugs, such as crack, cocaine, morphine, heroin, or even tobacco. Withdrawal symptoms related to heroin addiction, for example, include extreme nausea, violent shaking, vomiting, and severe seizures.
