FREE ESSAY ON MARIJUANA

MARIJUANA

Hello my name is Chenoa Gipp, an I'm going to tell you about the drug commonly known as
Marijuana. The scientific name being "Cannabis Sativa." Cannabis is the short name for
the hemp plant. It is thought to have originated in Asia an then reached Europe more than
a thousand years ago. It now thrives in most any climate. Spreading like milkweed or
thistle, crowding out neighboring grasses an reaching heights of 3 to 20 feet at
maturity. Marijuana has been cultivated for the last 5,000 years; it is one of the most
oldest agricultural commodities not grown for food. The stalks of the plant contain
fibers that have been woven millennia to make rope, canvas, an paper. Cannabis is
dioecious, spawning male an female plants in equal proportion. The flowering buds of the
female secrete a sticky yellow resin rich with cannabinoids, the more than 60 compounds
in marijuana. Marijuana, hashish and hashish oil come from this plant.
Marijuana is the Mexican colloquial name for the plant known to botanists as Cannabis
Sativa. In various forms it has long been familiar through out the world: In Africa it is
known as "dagga," in China it is known as "ma," an in Northern Europe it is known as
"hemp." It also has various nicknames in the U.S. such as "weed, pot, reefer, grass,
dope, ganja, Mary Jane, sinsemilla, hash, herb, Aunt Mary, skunk, boom, kif, gangster,
chronic, mull, leaf, green, and bud."
You may ask yourself asking the question, "What is Marijuana?" The answer to that would
be Marijuana is made from dried leaves and flowers of the plant and is the most widely
used form of drug. Its color ranges from grayish-green to greenish-brown. The texture of
the marijuana can be fine, with the appearance of dried herbs or dried parsley, or
course, like tea. It is usually smoked in handrolled cigarettes called 'joints' or water
pipes called 'bongs'. Another way of using the drug is eating it. (Note: eating the
leaves or herbs of the marijuana plant can not have an effect on you if it is not baked
in some sort of way.)
Many people wonder, " What is the drug in cannabis?" The cannabis plant contains a
chemical called THC ( delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol) which affects many of the bodies
functions. The amount of THC varies in different parts of the plant. For example, the
flowers of the female plant have more THC than the stems or leaves. Smoking cannabis is
the most common method of use. When it is smoked, THC is quickly absorbed into the
bloodstream through the walls of the lungs. The "high" effect of the drug is felt when
the THC reaches the brain. The time varies on how long this can last, depending on how
much is smoked (or eaten), an also what kind of marijuana it is, there are many different
types of marijuana some stronger than others. When cannabis is eaten, the absorption of
the THC is much slower, taking 1 to 3 hours for THC to reach the bloodstream, delaying
the onset of the effects. The amount of food in the stomach an other characteristics of
the user will also determine how quickly the user feels the effects. After smoking
marijuana, an occasional user can fail a urine test 3 days after smoking a single joint,
and a heavy user may test positive after abstaining from marijuana for more than a
month.
Cannabis is difficult to classify pharmacologically since its effects vary. It is
primarily a depressant; however, it can have hallucinogenic properties. Several of the
chemicals in marijuana are psychoactive, most prominently THC. According to the Council
of Alcohol an Drug Abuse Association; marijuana contains over 400 toxins an
cancer-causing chemicals( although marijuana is often used to prevent cancer) including
THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, which are stored in the fat cells for as long as
14 to 30 days. Marijuana can also cause the user to develop tolerance, increasing the
need for more and more in order to experience the expected high. Some of the effects of
marijuana use include increased heart rate, dryness of mouth(commonly known as "cotton
mouth") , bloodshot or reddening of eyes, impaired or reduced short term memory, impaired
or reduced comprehension, tendency to talk or laugh more than usual, increased appetite (
the "munchies" ), tunnel awareness( where the person focuses their awareness on one thing
an ignores all others),altered sense of time, restlessness, detachment from reality,
reduced ability to perform tasks requiring concentration an coordination, such as driving
a car. Also altered motivation an cognition, making the acquisition of new information
difficult, paranoia, psychological dependence, impairments in learning and in memory
perception, judgement- difficulty speaking, thinking, retaining knowledge, problem
solving an forming concepts, and intense anxiety or panic attacks, .hallucinations, and
fantasies. These symptoms usually disappear when the effects of the cannabis wears off.
The effects of cannabis will vary from person to person depending on the characteristics
of the:
Individual (user) - for example: Mood, psychical size, weight, health, gender, previous
experience with cannabis , expectations of the drug and personality;
Drug - for example: The amount used, the content of THC an whether the drug is smoked or
eaten;
Setting (environment) - Whether the person is using with friends, or on his/her own, in a
social setting or at home.
Illicit drug use has shown a steady increase during the 1990's, particularly for
marijuana.
Among 8th graders, annual prevalence tripled from 6% in 1991 to 18% in 1996.
For 10th graders, that rate has more than doubled from a low point in 1992 of 15% to 34%
in 1996.
12th graders usage increased by nearly two thirds, from 22% in 1992 to 36% in 1996.
Nearly 1 in 20% of high school seniors is a current daily marijuana user; 1 of every 30
10th grader uses marijuana daily.
The long term health effects of chronic marijuana use is a great controversy. Marijuana
does not create a physical dependence in users, but it does create a psychological
dependence in some. People who smoke marijuana are far more likely to experiment later
with other psychoactive drugs. Extended use of marijuana includes risks to the lungs and
reproductive system. Smoking marijuana seems to damage the pulmonary system, in some of
the ways that inhaling tabacco smoke does. The physician Donald Tashkin, of the
University of California at Los Angeles Medical Center, has done a study of people who
have smoked 4 or 5 joints a day for more than ten years, an has found substantial
evidence that marijuana smoke can cause chronic bronchitis, changes in cells of the
central airway which are potentially pre- cancerous, and an impairment in scavenger-cell
function, which could lead to greater risk of respiratory infection. A joint seems to
deliver 4 times as much carcinogenic tar as a tobacco cigarette of the same size. Smoking
both greatly increases the risk of developing emphysema, cancer and other lung diseases.
Tashkin expects that some heavy marijuana users will eventually suffer cancers of the
mouth, throat, and lungs, although none of his research subjects has yet developed a
malignancy. Oddly enough the more potent strains of marijuana may prove less dangerous,
since less of them is needs to be smoked.
Cannabis an pregnancy should not be mixed, most drugs can affect an unborn child. It is
not wise to use any drugs during pregnancy. It is known that THC does pass through the
placenta an reaches the baby. It can also pass into the mother's milk after birth. Some
studies linked reduced growth of the baby, by both weight an length, in the uterus. And
the usage of cannabis by pregnant women.
There is much less disagreement about the short-term health effects of marijuana.
According to physician Leo Hollister, a former president of the American College of
Neuropsychopharmacology, says that the occasional use of marijuana by a healthy adult
poses no greater risk than the moderate consumption of alcohol. However, marijuana should
not be smoked by schizophrenics, pregnant women, an people with heart conditions.
Although the misuse of over the counter medications such as aspirin, acetaminophen, and
antihistamines each year kills hundreds of Americans, not a single death has ever been
credibly attributed directly to smoking or consuming marijuana in the 5,000 years of the
plants recorded use. Marijuana is one of the few therapeutically active substances known
to man for which there is no well-defined fatal dose. It has been estimated that a person
would have to smoke a 100 pounds of marijuana a minute for 15 minutes in order to induce
a fatal response.
The use of cannabis and other drugs increases risks. When cannabis is combined with
alcohol it can frequently lead to behaviour which causes injuries. For example, because
cannabis interferes with a person's motor and coordination skills, vision and perceptions
of time and space, a person's ability to drive safely and complete tasks that require
concentration can be impaired. This impairment increases substantially when cannabis is
used with alcohol.
According to a publishing put out by the Health Department of Western Australia, some
problems associated with the use of marijuana are all drugs can be expensive to buy. The
price of cannabis varies depending on the availability, how it is grown, quality of the
marijuana, and market trends. Drug use can lead to social and emotional problems as well
as the cost. Marijuana can effect a person's relationship with family an friends. For
example, one of the effects of cannabis can be loss of inhibitions. This in turn may lead
to embarrassing or regrettable situations.
When there is illegal drug usage going on there has to be law. In western Australia, it
is against the law to possess, grow, manufacture, trade or use any cannabis products. The
penalties include fines of between $2,000 and $100,000 and/or a prison term of 2 to 25
years. The penalty will vary according to the quantity of the drug involved. It is not
illegal to sell or display water pipes( bongs ) provided that there are no traces of
cannabis in them; however, the use of a bong or possession of used equipment can result
in a $3,000 fine or 3 years imprisonment. Anyone convicted on a cannabis charge will
receive a criminal record. This can cause difficulties in getting a job, credit and
visa's for overseas travel.
It is shown that it is safer not to use cannabis at all. If; however, you use the drug or
know someone who is using the drug remember that:
Smoking cannabis can lead to similar health effects as smoking tobacco.
Don't drive or operate machinery. These activities may be dangerous while under the
influence of cannabis.
Because using cannabis can have harmful effects, users can be in dangerous situations.
Therefore, they should not be left alone. If a situation becomes unsafe call for help
immediately.
This was my report on marijuana, thank you for listening. Goodbye