Marijuana: What?s it doing to young people?

2009.04.02

Marijuana has always been a controversial drug. Many people want it legalized, but many also oppose it. The media has been giving it a lot of publicity but most people don't know its history.

Cannabis has been around for many years. A book was written about pharmaceuticals in 2737 BC by the Chinese Emperor Sheng Nung giving reference to Marijuana as a medicine. By 1000 AD, North Africa and the Moslem world had also seen its medicinal benefits as well in aiding meditation levels.

Up until this point the western world had little pubic interest in Marijuana. By the 1920's articles started appearing in the newspapers of North America linking Marijuana use to the increase of crime. A legend states that a religious cult from the Mediterranean produced some the finest assassins and they used a derivative of Cannabis called Hashish to bring them to a clearer state of mind. Upon learning this, the public’s consensus was that this drug could lead to anger and violence and was quickly outlawed.

The main ingredient in Cannabis that gets you high is THC (tetrahydrocannabinol ). There are other compounds called cannabinoids but THC or D-9 is the primary.

When you smoke a joint, the THC is absorbed in the blood, which heads to the brain rather then to rest of the body. You start feeling the effects in about five to ten minutes. The main physiological effects include increased pulse rate, your mouth, throat may feel dry, and your eyes may get red. It can give a relaxed feeling and lessen anxieties or tension and sometimes may make you more introspective.

Some of the problems surrounding Cannabis use are its effects on memory, and motivational syndromes, impaired learning abilities as well as the medical issues such as lung cancer, immune deficiencies (which can lead to disease) and the effects of THC in pregnancies.

Though not proven highly addictive, the drug can stay in your fatty tissue cells for over 30 days from one use and though compared to alcohol it may seem safer, the long term effects have not yet been proven. The only addictive qualities seem to come from a psychological end instead of physical withdrawals. After 30 days its seems memory is restored and there is no long term residual effects thus supporting the implications of brain damage may be less than accurate.

The medical benefits have been proven to aid in the treatment of pain, neurological and movement disorders, glaucoma, eating disorders, nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy to treat cancer and as an analgelesic.

The main problems for the medical field are the damage any kind of smoking can do to your lungs. With this in mind, scientists are looking into a smoke free delivery system, which could still give the benefits Cannabis without causing the medical problems that are still associated smoking.