There
was a time when the use of marijuana was represented by hippies, beach bums and
stoners. Well, those children of the joint have grown up, received an
education, and found a way to gaze through the smoke and are now attempting to
rewrite the law on what may or may not be harmful. Twenty of the 50 states have already approved
the medical use of marijuana and 2 of the 50 have passed the recreational use
of the drug according to the Washington Post, with Oregon, Alaska and
California in the wait.
Marijuana is not a new substance,
there are records dating back to 2727 B.C. regarding the use by Chinese Emperor
Shen Nung. It was also familiar with the Ancient Greeks, Romans and the Middle
East. The Spaniards are reported to have imported it to Chile for its fiber
use. Cannabis has been used in North America as hemp for rope, clothing, and
paper. As deamuseum.org tells us, marijuana and hemp is used in a variety to
products including drinks, candy, coffee, body lotion, makeup, and even
shampoo.
It is become more obvious that
marijuana is gaining popularity, especially in liberal states, but does it come
without a cost? Like anything else that is smoked, there is a negative side to
pot. Dr. Daniele Piomelli, a professor of pharmacology at the University of
California, tells us on www.420magazine.com
that “There is no question that it is dangerous. Smoking is not a natural way
of consuming any substance.” She goes on to say that excessive smoking can be
as or more dangerous than tobacco use. “It can do a lot of things to the body.
The smoke itself, the tar and irritants and toxins and all sort of different
things that have nothing to do with the reason why people smoke marijuana,
which is for the euphoria, the ‘the high’- they are all problematic”
Another problem with the
recreational use of pot is the “cultural attributions” Dr. Piomelii also says
that “the issue is that cannabis produces inhibition of movement, relaxation,
sexual arousal, sensory heightening, and euphoria. All these are phenomena that
are not in line with the work ethics of our society.”
A problem with the symptoms
associated with the overdose of marijuana is that it seems most users have
become desensitized to the effects. www.drug-overdose.com
informs us that contrary to what most people believe, marijuana can be
addictive. A person who takes in too much of the drug may not act like the
person in the 1937 film, Reefer Madness,
but everyone acts differently to different chemicals. If one people smokes and
can perform day-to-day functions like a normal person, does that mean someone
else who smokes won’t plow into a bus load of children because they were high?
Many
proponents of the controlled substance claim that there are no negative side
effects and only positive reasons for smoking it. Medical and personal research has shown that
medical marijuana is useful in easing the pain for some ailments. I know people
who can’t take “traditional” drugs to combat pain; however, they do use special
strains of the plant to ease their suffering. I don’t have a big problem with
marijuana as a medication, as long as it stays that way and is regulated as
such. I don’t need Spicoli to go speeding down the road in a smoke-filled van
and kill someone while trying to reach his next joint just because recreational
marijuana is legal.
Legalizing
medicinal marijuana in more states isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I am worried, however, that the more states
that legalize pot for medicinal use will legalize it for recreational use and
put more people in danger by the hand of someone who has smoked too much and is
not responsible for the outcome of his or her euphoric high. I smoked pot in my early twenties, and I
recall how it affected me and my friends. It’s a feeling I don’t miss and I’m thankful
for outliving it.
The
only good thing about making marijuana legal would be the money from the sales
and taxes, but would anyone risk the danger of having a stoned kid at the wheel
of a 1500 pound vehicle just for a few dollars of tax revenue?
Despite
the popular opinion of the controlled substance, pot isn’t as “harmless” as
many think and the idea of just anyone walking into a pot store buying
something and driving anywhere is freighting. If Oregon passes the “pot law”
just think of the chances that you could become the victim of someone who just
wanted to get high.
Dkhummel.com,
dkhummel.blogspot.com
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