Table of Contents
Introduction
Marijuana happens to be by far the commonly illegal drug used. During the 60s and 70s, marijuana happened to be thought harmless contrary to present years. It has secured several slang terms such as, cannabis, dope, green, bud, Mary Jane, weed, pot, and many more.
Thesis: The essay below largely covers the pros and cons of legalizing marijuana. It also covers why people use it. Should it be legalized? Why should it be realized? It also covers a practical observation of it repercussions in some countries where the usage of it is legal.
Many people use Marijuana for entertainment, while others use it for specific medical purposes. There are some cases, when marijuana gets administered to the patients, such as those suffering from nausea and are unable to swallow. Since the 1970s, more than thirty five states have permitted the use of marijuana for the medical purposes (Levit, 1991).
Marijuana, being a light drug, gets many people asking why it should not be legalized. In many countries marijuana is used on a daily basis for religious performances, medicine, recreational use and textiles. At several instances, pot has regards as “the billion dollar crop”. The realization of the benefits of marijuana should further convince states to legalize the crop. The idea of its legalization draws both positive and negative opinions. However, the states that have legalized marijuana should serve as litmus tests determining the consequences. According to the view of countries such as Switzerland, where marijuana was decriminalized, the high rates of drug abuse or alcoholism are on the rise. Marijuana serves as a gateway drug, tending to lead to use of other hard drugs and high-risk behaviors. Prohibitionists use this point as their stepping stone to advocate for marijuana’s prohibition (Levit, 1991). Criminalizing marijuana should be a smart policy on public health. Many of the marijuana users use the medicinal value as an angle to push for its legalization. In Holland, for example, where marijuana is legalized, the research shows that the permission of marijuana use does not lead to use of hard substances as a consequence.
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The drug users argue that marijuana does not cause brain damage but on the contrary increases the brain activity associated to the alpha waves. The alpha waves cause relaxed, creative and meditative state making up the high feeling. The proponents insist that scientists had people believe that the memory impairments are permanent, whereas the condition was temporary (Levit, 1991). Making marijuana illegal would roughly reduce the war against it by about 50 percent. These deductions emanate from observed costs of laying arrests, convictions, imprisonment, and rehabilitations. However, some economists give Holland as an example from the annual 67.5 million collected to indicate the economic benefits to the country.
Legally Available Products
Although the products obtained from this plant are categorized as Schedule I substances, some of its products are derived from, or are related to it may be legally obtained through prescription in Canada or U.S.
Dronabinol (Marinol), a synthetic type of delta-9-THC was permitted by the FDA in early 1985 and today is available in an oral dosage variety. THC is marketed in the form of a soft gelatin capsule with 2.5 or 10 mg of active elements. It is used to relieve vomiting and nausea associated with cancer chemotherapies and to aid the losses of appetite in HIV patients. Their active ingredients are dissolved in the sesame oil in order to help controlling the need for smoking, and is currently classified as a schedule or category III drug (Aggarwal et al, 2009). Clinical test on this product has indicated increasing appetite, although the actual weight gain is low consistently, and can be attributed to an increase in bodily fluids instead of body mass. Adverse CNS side effects (included, feeling “stoned”) have been encountered. It has also been portrayed to be superior to placebo in control of emesis related to cancer chemotherapies. The DEA asserts that dronabinol is better for usage, as it has better quality in comparison to smoked marijuana given that it is a pure drug that does not deliver the chemicals that would be abundant in marijuana smoke, including probable carcinogens (Aggarwal et al, 2009).
Nabilone (Cesamet): This is a synthetic drug, substituting cannabinoid, initially developed by Eli Lilly and then its eventual approval by the FDA in 2006. It treats vomiting and nausea caused by cancer chemotherapy and has the duration of activity from 8 to 12 hours. The side effects include vertigo, dry mouth, drowsiness, dizziness, euphoria, ataxia, difficulty in concentration, and decreases in the blood pressure. Compared to the standard antiemetic elements (such as prochlorperazine, metoclopramide), forms such as dronabinol and nabilone were at least equally effective, with excellent results of patient’s performance. It tends to be especially efficient with children, experiencing lesser side effects. It has also been observed in phase II trials as an element for decreasing intraocular pressures and as antianxiety agents (Amar, 2006).
Delta-9-THC (Sativex) was approved in Canada for treating neuropathic pains in patients with MS or as optional painkillers for chronic cancer patients. The product is currently undergoing pharmaceutical trials on cancer pain. Sativex is derived from a haul out of purposefully bred cannabis types. It is made out of mixture of cannabidiol and delta-9-THC. The treatment differs from the relating products in it’s consistency as a mucosal/oral spray allowing more flexible dosing (Koch et la, 2005).
Synthetic Agonists: The study for synthetic cannabis products has been going on for 30 years. In the 1970s, Pfizer instituted on cannabinoid research programs that resulted in the discovery of a cannabinoid form, levonantradol, which was 1,000 times potent than THC (Amar, 2006). The clinical tests indicated that it was successful for chemotherapy-associated vomiting or nausea and postoperative pains. However, the subject company ceased the production because the side effects were indicated to be excessive. The research was reinvigorated by following the discoveries on the selective cannabinoids binding sites, and several compounds are in development, although none is currently available for commercial purposes (Amar, 2006). A wide volume of chemical categories are being scrutinized which include CB2 or CB1 selective agonists in addition to drugs that improve the effects of endocannabinoid through inhibiting their uptake or degradation.
Despite the accessibility of active synthetic products, the supporters of medical herbal marijuana acknowledge its superiority, given that smoking allows patients to personally titrate their dose along with a highly rapid onset of actions. Moreover, there are claims that the mixture of different substances might produce a different effect compared to pure THC. Besides smoking, medical marijuana can be administered through vaporization using commercially obtainable devices. Marijuana vaporizes temperatures of between 284°F to 392°F, which is below its ignition point, so that the energetic constituents may allegedly be ejected into the atmosphere without burning plants’ products or producing potential carcinogens (Aggarwal et al, 2009).
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Conclusion
To summarize the underlying views of the opponents and the proponents on marijuana’s medical value, the available alternative (THC) doe not fit to to render marijuana. The supporters of marijuana’s legalization jeopardize the existing information on its criminalization through the presentation of more modern discoveries and research. Weighing the facts provided fron the both sides I conclude to stand for legalization of marijuana. The contemporary research brings out the earlier unidentified benefits of marijuana, proving the earlier findings disengaging and disinformative.