30 July 2008 - 22:39Marijuana. Part 2.

Marijuana does, over time, have a depressing effect on the brain’s memory centers. With heavy smokers of this drug, there have been cases of respiratory problems. There is also documentation that for the first sixty to ninety minutes chances of a heart attack are alarmingly increased due to the fact that the heart rate and blood pressure both spike. Users also have a period of time in which their perception is altered and their reflexes and responses are impaired which heightens the chance of an accident, particularly if driving. The drug also can make many users paranoid for a short while and it will also magnify any underlying mental problems. The effects of marijuana were once depicted in a movie from the 30s, “Reefer Madness”, which showed outrageous behavior among a group of teens, but these results were later scoffed at. If someone does have an addictive personality, marijuana may be that bridge to other drugs. As a result of being thought of as a “harmless” drug, and distributed as such, it has been possible for marijuana to reach younger and younger groups. It is not a very big step for a 6th grader to go from one smoke (cigarette) to another. This is especially true when one is told that it is just a “little joint”. Marijuana demand has been responsible for many gang and cartel formations in the 70s and 80s as they fought to corral the millions of dollars that were being paid for this relatively simple and inexpensive (to produce) commodity.

There has also been a negative impact on the economy due to lost work hours that can be attributed both directly and indirectly to the use of this drug. It does not matter whether the hours lost are due to tardiness, absences or job accidents while under the influence…..lost hours of any sort are going to impact both families and the economy. Also, long term marijuana use has contributed to many young adults failing to continue or finish their education.

Marijuana legalization is worthy of consideration when you weigh both sides and choose to see the larger picture. We cannot legislate morality and this is a moral question. Those who would seek to abuse this substance will do so one way or another. The people who are in need of the beneficial properties will be allowed their relief and not be made to feel as though they are criminals. The legalization, regulation and taxation of this drug would assure a safe product and would also assure a huge stream of revenue for our government, federal, state and local. The people who would be licensed to grow the crops commercially would have jobs to offer and there would always be those who would be happy with the home-grown variety. Prices would be at a level which could halt the import of the foreign grown crops and there would be no need for people to try and hustle to sell this drug on street corners or in alleys. Merely removing the illegal label would cause the allure of the drug to dim for some. Prohibition did not work for alcohol and it has not worked for marijuana to this point. It is time we heeded the lessons of our past and incorporated them into our present and future. It is time to reconsider our priorities and our commitments. Is there really that much of a difference between nicotine, alcohol and marijuana? Of the three, marijuana has ruined the fewest lives, killed the fewest people and destroyed the fewest families. The glaring difference is that the first two are regulated and taxed and the third is not.

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25 July 2008 - 22:35Marijuana. Part 1.

marijuanaMarijuana, or cannabis sativa, a common hemp plant, is both the most commonly used and the most commonly abused illegal recreational drug in the world today. The history of this unassuming plant can be traced back to the days of the Neanderthal. Archaeologists have recovered burned and blackened seeds from this plant at fire pits which are dated to 10,000 BC. While we have no idea of the exact use these men had for cannabis, we do know that through the years many cultures have used it during religious and other sacred rituals. Today, in some countries, they still use marijuana in this manner. However, in the United States, this drug remains illegal, untaxed and unregulated. Laws making the possession, selling, or use of marijuana illegal, were enacted early in the 20th century. These laws have essentially remained with us throughout the 20th century and into the 21st, although there is now a growing support for the legalization of marijuana. It was thought that once laws were in force, the use of marijuana would be eliminated, but, as with liquor, this thinking proved false.

Marijuana is both plentiful and easily obtained and has never lacked for demand or supply. In the warmer climates it is very easily cultivated and needs little care to grow. It is imported illegally from Mexico and South America as well as other countries, and it can be grown almost anywhere in the world. The drug is very simple in form….it consists of the dried and crushed (or crumbled) leaves, buds and stems of the plant. The flower buds themselves are especially prized for their potent effects on the user. Marijuana is rolled in paper or placed in a pipe and smoked or added to food and eaten. (No preparation is necessary beyond harvesting the plant parts and this is a factor that contributes to the ready availability.) There is an active ingredient in the plant that produces the psychotropic effects or “high” that the user’s desire and it is known by the initials, THC. This substance is found in the highest concentrations in the buds, which is why this part of the plant is of particular value to both seller and user. Marijuana use is not restricted to any social class or geographic area. Some people have even equated its broad use with an “epidemic”.

Marijuana is considered to be at the weaker end of the “bad drug” spectrum and has the advantage of being a natural substance, usually free of adulteration. It has never been conclusively linked with lung cancer although smoking is the primary method of use. Marijuana relaxes or mellows the mood of the user and they are usually content in a passive state and are rarely, if ever, combative or violent. Violent crimes are committed by people who have stated use of marijuana as well as some other substance, often it is alcohol. The use of marijuana is often said to be the gateway to “drug hell”, but it has yet to be proven that the use of this drug leads to any other, heavier drugs. The body is able to clear almost the entire drug from the body within 5-8 hours. For the vast majority of users there is no desire to immediately repeat the experience, and there is no great urge to keep smoking. You do not overdose by smoking marijuana as people do with other drugs. In addition, there are some people with severe, debilitating illnesses such as cancer who can only get relief of their pain and nausea by using marijuana. It has also proved useful in the treatment of some anorexics and some Alzheimer’s patients who were suffering from tremendous anxiety. There are other medical problems which have seen improvement with the use of marijuana cannabanoids as part of their treatment plan. The medical community has become greatly interested in studying some of the cannabanoids other than THC, as these produce beneficial results with no psychotropic effects. Recently there has been one cannabanoid found which counters inflammation of the brain and has no other effects on the brain or body.

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20 July 2008 - 22:27Cocaine. Part 2

Cocaine is an extremely good pain reliever, when it is applied as a topical anesthetic, which makes it an ideal drug to be used for the eye, throat, and tooth or ear pain. It has also even been show to help some people concentrate and perform tasks better. It can and does boost endurance and energy levels as well. But he crowning achievement of cocaine will always be its anesthetic properties. When it was introduced into the medical community and its power was discovered and utilized, this one drug was able to change painful surgical procedures into pain free events. For this one godsend to mankind it will always be remembered.

Cocaine is also able to lull people into feeling as though they have become superhuman. They feel as though they can do anything and often try which ends badly. The use of cocaine will produce extremely intense highs of only 10 to 60 minutes and these are followed by equally intense lows and the lows usually last longer than the highs. This is an amazingly addictive drug and a user will begin to require more and more of it in order to attain a high and the duration of the highs generally become shorter. This drives the user to use even more of the cocaine in an increasingly desperate attempt to attain a better and stronger high. It is a vicious circle that is almost impossible to break. Cocaine use is accompanied by dangerously sharp spikes in both blood pressure and heart rate and this has led to heart attacks and death in many otherwise healthy young adults. People become caught in the “cocaine squeeze” and they lose track of things like life, family and eating, they can only think of the drug. The behavior of someone who takes cocaine can never be predicted. It is quite common for the most docile of people to explode suddenly and become unbelievably strong and violent.

Cocaine is snorted into the nose, rubbed on the gums or injected into veins and each of these has a devastating, cumulative effect on the body. There are people today who have little septum left in their noses as a result of their cocaine habits. Others suffer from chronic nosebleeds, poor dentition, bleeding gums and scars on their arms.

Cocaine is indeed a powerful and explosive drug and perhaps it possesses even more uses than we now know, and it is capable of doing great good in controlled settings. However, this substance is rather like Pandora’s Box. Few, if any, can resist the temptation to take one peek. And just as Pandora discovered, once the box is opened- the contents are freed upon the unsuspecting world. Sometimes a box should remain closed. This is one of those times.

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