Is Weed as Bad as They Say?

Is Weed As Bad As They Say?

Illegal drug use is a major problem in the world today. Millions of dollars are spent

every year to prevent the distribution of drugs. All drugs is smuggled into the United States

concealed in false compartments, fuel tanks, seats, tires of private and commercial vehicles,

pickup trucks, vans, mobile homes, and horse trailers (Pierson. 12-8-01) Large shipments is

usually smuggled in tractor-trailer trucks in false compartments and in bulk shipments, such as

agricultural products. The government has created ways to cut down on drugs. Yet the drug

crisis is greater today then ever. Marijuana is one the most widely used illegal drug. Over the

past thirty years the government has condemned Marijuana. So in this paper, I will be describing

the pros and some cons about the use of Marijuana. Marijuana use should be legalized because

of the beneficial uses that our economy can gain from weed.

Marijuana, also spelled Marihuana comes from the Indian hemp plant, cannabis sativa

(Gwinn. Pg.764). It is a crude tobacco like substance produced by drying the leaves and flowery

top of the cannabis plant. It is put into pipes or formed into joints, similar to a cigarette, for

smoking. Recently, it has appeared in cigars called blunts. The drug is a mild hallucinogen

meaning that it distorts sensory perceptions. Marijuana has a wide variety of street names

including pot, tea, grass and weed (Dudley. pg. 21) Marijuana can also be added to foods such

as brownies and beverages.

The intoxication part of the plant is mostly in its strong-smelling, sticky, golden resin.

The hemp flowers, especially those of the female plant, gives the strong smell off. Many users

describe two phases of marijuana effects as initial stimulation, giddiness, and euphoria, followed

by sedation and pleasant tranquility. Mood changes can often accompany altered perceptions of

time and space of one's bodily dimension (Gwinn. pg.765). The hemp plant can be found

growing as a weed or as a cultivated plants in peoples homes. Marijuana can survive in almost

any soils and climates. And the more potent varieties grow in dry, hot, and wasteland type

environments (Pierson. 12-8-01)

Marijuana varies in potency, depending on where and how it is grown and prepared for

use or stored. The active ingredient, tetrahydrocanabinol (THC) or also known as Hashish or

Resin, is present in all parts of both male and female plants, but is most concentrated in the resin

which appears in the flowering tops of the female. Resin is like a goody bag to Marijuana users

because its a sticky, gooey, liquid which is collected in pipes (Gwinn. 764). They scrape it from

the crevasses of the pipe and smoke it out of bongs or pipes. The THC was first identified in the

mid-1960. Its chemical structure is complex and unique making it unlike that of any other

psychoactive drug. There are also four hundred twenty chemicals in the marijuana plant besides

THC, but they do not cause the same effect (Mann. pg. 98) This is the main reason marijuana is

the most frequently used illegal drug.

Marijuana cultivation in the United States can be traced back to at least 400 years ago

(Sloman. pg. 221) For most of our nation's history, farmers grew marijuana for its fiber content.

Colonialists planted the first American hemp crop in 1611 near Jamestown Virginia. Most of the

sails and ropes on colonial ships were made from hemp, as were many of the colonists bible,

clothing and maps (Schaeffer. 12-10-01)

Marijuana first earned recognition as an intoxicant in the 1920's and 1930's (Schaeffer.

12-10-01) The use of marijuana causes destruction of brain tissues and nerve centers, and does

irreparable damage. If continued, inevitable results in insanity, which those familiar with it

describe it as incurable, and, without exception ending in death (Schaeffer. 12-10-01) Marijuana

must be recognized as a deadly drug and American children must be protected against it.

Hemp plants possess several alkaloids, which produce interesting effects in people who

use them in many ways. To put it another way, people can get high from the plant. The hemp

plant it no more dangerous then the coffee bean . Another fact is that Marijuana also happens to

be of significant therapeutic value for a great number of people. Marijuana relieves intra-ocular

pressure, which is useful for those suffering from glaucoma. Marijuana has been shown to be of

significant value in reducing the extreme nausea resulting from chemotherapy, greatly assisting

those who suffer