Benefits of Marijuana
Uploaded by solreal on Sep 4, 2005 |
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Benefits of Marijuana
“According to a 1988 government survey, marijuana is the third most widely used drug used in the United States, after alcohol and cigarettes. An estimated 66 million people - or one-third of all Americans - have tried marijuana; and roughly 12 million of them are current users.”# Marijuana is an illegal drug that is grown throughout the world. It is used for medical treatments, pleasure, and things we use and see today. It also has many side effects, health hazards, and health issues.
Marijuana is the term generally used to describe the flowering tops and leaves of the Indian hemp plant. “Richard Shultes, a Harvard-based botanist has identified three distinct varieties of the plant. The first of the three is cannabis sativa which is loosely branched that can reach a height of 18 feet. The second one is Cannabis indica which is smaller, more densely branched plant, often cone-shaped, and usually no more than four feet in height. The last kind is cannabis ruderalis which is a small dense plant with few or no branches that grows to between one and three feet in height and is indigenous in part of Asia.”# These three types are crossbred freely, allowing hemp growers over the years to develop certain characteristics in their crop. There are two types of hemp, a female and a male. The female usually produces more potent marijuana then the male. The higher the potency, the higher the price. Marijuana grows all over the world naturally and by farmers.
Many doctors use marijuana as a drug for patients. “It is used for cancer chemotherapy , AIDS wasting , multiply sclerosis, epilepsy, glaucoma, and many more. In
cancer chemotherapy the THC in marijuana reduces vomiting and nausea and alleviates pretreatment anxiety. If you have AIDS-related wasting marijuana improves your appetite and forestalls the loss of lean muscle mass. Some of the advantages marijuana has on multiple sclerosis is it reduces muscle pain and plasticity cause by the disease, and may also help some patients with bladder control and relieve tremor. It can also prevent epileptic seizures for epilepsy patients. When marijuana is smoked it reduces pressure within the eye, but may also reduce blood flow to the optic nerve, exacerbating the loss of vision for people with glaucoma.”# Marijuana is also a help to people with chronic pains.# medical marijuana is taken many ways, it is smoked, and even taken in pill form.
Marijuana is also used for pleasure. Many people around the world smoke marijuana to get “high”. Most of which smoke it from either a pipe or marijuana cigarette. First-time users may feel many different things some of which are relaxation, agitation and alienation, some feel more social, others quiet and introspective others even believe it heightens their creativity and ability to concentrate, while others can’t follow a simple train of thought, some don’t even feel nothing at all. When smoked, the effects of marijuana generally comes in two stages. The initial phase occurs within a few minutes of smoking and can last from 30 minutes up to an hour. It’s usually characterized by a jumbled rush of ideas; in addition your five senses become intensified. The sensations may come in waves and are often accompanied by an increase in heart rate. The second phase is usually one of repose and sleepiness, which can last one to three hours or
longer.”# Marijuana is also found in food, which is another way to get you “high”, but is cooked in food to mask its vaguely unpleasant taste. A larger amount is needed to obtain the same high, the effects are slower and the intoxication lasts longer. Marijuana is also a good source of fiber for rope, cloth, and paper, and as a source of food for humans, livestock and birds, and as a source of seed oil for lamp fuel, lubrication, and oil based paints, and more recently, marijuana.
“Marijuana also has many side effects, health hazards, and health issues. As a intoxicant, the drug distorts perception of time and distance and can impair a person’s ability to drive and work machinery. It can also damage short-term memory although it is unclear whether memory improves once marijuana use stops. It can also cause lack of motivation, decreased attention span, and feelings of isolation.” #
Marijuana is going to be used whether it is legalized or not. It is grown all over the world. It’s used for medical patients, pleasure, and stuff we see all around us. But it also has many effects on us. Marijuana is said to be better for us than cigarettes, so I personally think it should be legalized to 18 years olds and up and cigarettes should be illegal. |
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