Marijuana Essay, Research Paper

Hemp

is the plant called "cannabis sativa" which is more commonly called

marijuana. Marijuana has been illegal in the U.S.. ever since the Great

Depression. The question we must ask ourselves is "why?" Why is a drug

that has so many beneficial uses illegal? Is it because its poisoning the youth

of today? Is it because itleads to harder drugs, the health problems, the

addictiveness, the short-term memory impairment, the auto accidents,or is it

simply because politicians tell us it is for "our own good?" We have

grown up learning that marijuana is a terrible drug, and that using it gives us

brain damage, kill all of our brain cells, and makes us lose our memory. The

fact is though, that marijuana does not effect us in any of the ways listed

above. The idea that marijuana impairs short-term memory is true, but

misleading. Any signs of short-term memory impairment vanish once the user is no

longer intoxicated. Mainly the reason we think marijuana is bad is because that

is what the Partnership for a Drug-Free America wants us to believe. They tell

us that marijuana will cause brain damage and memory impairment, it will kill

brain cells, and lead to more crime. But what they forget to mention is all the

benefits we can receive from legalizing marijuana. For example, the medicinal

uses, and the textile and construction uses. It is very likely that legalizing

marijuana would decrease the crime rate, and by legalizing marijuana we will

save a lot of money because we won’t have to spend it on fighting marijuana as

part of the War on Drugs. There are many habits much worse than marijuana, one

example being cigarette smoking. "Tobacco smoking kills more people each

year than AIDS, heroin, crack, cocaine, alcohol, car accidents, fire and murder

combined. Tobacco smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the

US. Tobacco smokers have 10 times the lung cancer of nonsmokers, twice the heart

disease, and are three times more likely to die of heart disease if they develop

it. Does it make sense that tobacco is legal and marijuana is not, when so many

people die from tobacco smoking each year and there is not one reported case of

anyone ever dying from marijuana use in its 10,000 years of consumption? You

have probably heard that "one joint is that same as 10 cigarettes,"

but this statement is misleading. ALthough marijuana contains the same amount of

carcinogens as an equal amount of tobacco and more tar, tobacco is still worse.

Every yr 350,000 Americans die from tobacco-related disease according to the

American Lung Association. A tobacco smoker consumes much more tobacco than a

marijuana smoker consumes marijuana. This is probably because tobacco has a 90%

addiction rate while marijuana is less addictive than caffeine. Also, tobacco

contains nicotine that may harden the arteries and may be responsible for much

of the heart diseases caused by cigarette smoking. Marijuana on the other hand

contains the chemical THC which opens up the lungs and aids in the clearance of

smoke and dirt. I think it is safe to say that tobacco smoking is much more

dangerous than marijuana smoking. Another bad habit is alcohol, which in my

opinion is the worst of all. 8,000 American teenagers are killed each year and

40,000 maimed from driving under the influence. The mortality figures for

alcohol use are 100,000 annually, compared to the zero marijuana deaths. The

amount of marijuana needed to kill someone is 1 to 40,000, while the ratio for

alcohol fluctuates between 1 to 4 and 1 to 10. Not only do many people die each

year from alcohol poisoning, but alcohol has caused thousands of fatal car

accidents. Although, marijuana, when used to the point of intoxication, impairs

judgement and reaction time, actual studies suggest that the effect alcohol has

on one’s driving ability is much greater than that of marijuana. In fact, it is

found that 85% of marijuana related car accidents also involved alcohol. It is

sad to think that a legal drug like alcohol, the drug of choice for most teens,

causes so many fatalities on our highways each year, yet marijuana is the drug

that is illegal. I personally feel that marijuana is an amazing plant, and it

should be being utilized today. The problem is that most people don’t know the

benefits that can come from marijuana. There are many different beneficial ways

for which marijuana can be used. Marijuana can be used for medical and textile

uses, for food, for fuels, and for the economy. First of all, marijuana could be

used for food. It is believed that enough food is grown worldwide to feed

everyone and that famine exists because there are not sufficient means of

distribution. So why not let people grow their own marijuana? Marijuana grows

like a weed and has few insect pests. It is usually grown without pesticides and

chemical fertilizers. Hemp improves the quality of the soil because it is grown

without pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Hemp is not finicky and grows under

many different conditions and has one of the largest worldwide distributions of

any plant. It is very nutritious and it contains high amounts of protein and

essential fatty oils. The average adult can receive an adequate amount of

protein and oils from just one handful of hemp seed a day. If this is the case,

which it is, why are people starving around the world when the solution is

marijuana for food? Hemp could also be used for fuel. By using marijuana for

fuel we could reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the

atmosphere. Hemp can also be used for heating homes. Using marijuana for fuel

would not only help our environment save us a lot of money for fuel, but it

would also benefit our economy by allowing the country to make huge profits

because the cost of growing marijuana is virtually nothing. Another way

marijuana can be used is for clothes, fibers, and paper. Marijuana has been used

in the past for textile and construction and should be used today. For example,

the first pair of Levi’s jeans were made from marijuana because it is extremely

durable. ALso, sailors used marijuana in canvas for their sails because it does

become corroded from the sea water. The pulp fibers of marijuana can be used for

making paper, which would reduce the amount of trees that are cut down. One acre

of hemp will make the same amount and quality of paper as 4 acres of 20 yr old

trees without the need for chlorine in the bleaching process and, creating no

toxic dioxin pollutants. What I’m wondering in why haven’t we used marijuana for

paper all along? I think it is senseless that are constantly cutting down trees

and destroying rain forests when there is another alternative. There is only 4%

of America’s old growth forest still remaining, and yet we are still cutting

them down like they will grow back instantly. The fact is that it may take a

lifetime for what has already been destroyed to grow back, so why keep ruining

America’s old growth forests when growing marijuana grows much more quickly and

it is cheaper? Most importantly, marijuana should be legalized for medicinal

reasons. Hemp can be used to treat many diseases, some of which include:

multiple sclerosis, depression, epilepsy, migraine headaches, asthma, glaucoma,

cancer treatment, AIDS treatment, emphysema, and stress reduction. This list

does not even include the many medicines that can be made from marijuana, it

only includes the illnesses for which marijuana is used today. Marijuana is

commonly used for controlling nausea and vomiting in cancer and AIDS patients

that are being treated with chemotherapy or AZT. Because of nausea caused by

chemotherapy, these patients sometimes can’t eat, which could kill them. One way

of controlling the nausea is to smoke marijuana, but the problem is that it is

illegal. So what are they supposed to do, starve? I don’t think there is

anything wrong with smoking marijuana, especially if it means their happiness.

My neighbor, Jason, has an aunt who is dying of cancer. She has very little

chance of beating this disease, and wants to be comfortable for the time she has

left. She doesn’t want to be on all the heavy drugs. She tells Jason that she

would rather be in pain than be all drugged up. She hates feeling dizzy,

lightheaded, and sedated. When she smokes marijuana she feels much better. The

pain doesn’t go away completely, but at least she can function. I think the fact

that she could be put in jail for smoking marijuana is terrible. It is okay for

a patient to be on serious narcotics to kill the pain, but smoking marijuana is

out of the question. Marijuana has no side effects, whereas drugs like Demerol

and morphine have both short-term and long-term effects on the patient. The

short-term effects are dizziness, sedation, itching and rash, respiratory

depression, delirium, decreased heartbeat, vomiting, disorientation,

hallucinations, decreased cough reflex, and problems with urination. The

long-term effects can actually be more serious than some of the illnesses, one

example is liver damage. Marijuana, however, has no side affects, except

sometimes euphoria, which is minor compared to the serious effects of narcotics.

Glaucoma and multiple sclerosis are also illnesses in which marijuana is

sometimes used. Glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness, is caused by

uncontrollable eye pressure. Marijuana helps control the eye pressure and keeps

glaucoma from leading to blindness. Another illness that marijuana is used for

is multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is the disease in which the body’s

immune system attacks the nerve cells. Marijuana can stop the spasms from

occurring and can prevent the disease from getting worse. Marijuana should be

legalized in th US because it has medicinal and textile purposes which can

benefit everyone. Marijuana can be used as a material for clothing and the

effects it has on both cancer and AIDS patients are positive. Marijuana is

inexpensive to grow, allowing us to obtain a huge profit on the medicinal and

textile industries, and it can be used as an alternative form of cigarettes. If

the US government were to take hold of this operation, new jobs would open and

money for the War on Drugs could be distributed to other programs. Marijuana

must not be ignored or destroyed. Marijuana’s many uses are not and cannot

currently be used to its fullest potential because of the drug laws. Among the

most important uses of marijuana are for medical and health reasons, and textile

and construction materials. The undeniable truth is that the benefits that can

come from legalizing marijuana greatly outweigh the weak and unsupportive myths

that keep this great resource from being utilized. The solution to this problem

is to legalize marijuana and its many uses today. By legalizing marijuana, many

problems would be solved. The only way for marijuana to be legalized though, is

with the support and help of everyone. Now that you have a good understanding of

what some of the many uses marijuana has, you’ll help to decide. The most

important step to making marijuana legal is educating the public. One of the

biggest problems is that the people who know about marijuana and agree that it

should be legalized are too busy and too paranoid to help. If you are interested

in helping, there are several organizations you could join. These organizations

need your help with getting the word about marijuana out, so join one of the

many committees in putting this issue onto the ballots and into legislatures of

this country, where everyone can state their opinions in a straight forward

manner set forth in our United States’ and individual states constitutions. The

Florida Legalization Organization is looking for sponsors for the Hemp

Re-Legalization Act which will re-legalize hemp for food, fuel, fiber, medicine,

recreation, sacramental uses and almost all known purposes. One of the most

important things you can do to help is talk about marijuana today, talk to

friends, parents, co-workers, etc. Tell them you think marijuana should be

legalized, you may actually be surprised at how many people will agree. Talk

about the medicinal uses for marijuana , and the many other uses you know about.

You could photocopy fliers and literature and pass them around to friends or

anyone for that matter. Spread the word about marijuana and have your friends

pass the information along to others. Post fliers about meetings on campus or in

the library. This is an easy way to inform people about marijuana. Mostly what

these organizations need is volunteers, and funding for office supplies,

printing, postage, transportation, telephone, etc. You can also write letters to

elected officials such as the president, senator, or state or local officials.

Maybe even spend some time with a local group doing telephone outreach, folding

and mailing literature, etc. Finally, you can donate money and resources to

activist groups like NORML, BACH, HEMP, etc. I think that the best way in

spreading the word about marijuana is by talking about it. Go to the rallies

with some friends that are unsure about the idea, and they can find out for

themselves what it is all about. Also, go to Hempfest, they are a lot of fun

from what I hear. They usually are much more fun than rallies and they are very

educational. So, if there is any question in your mind about legalizing

marijuana you should definitely attend. Every year the number of people that go

to Hempfest gets bigger and bigger, but it is still not big enough. They need

your support. Whatever you do, do it right away, This is an important issue that

needs to be resolved soon and chances are that if you don’t get started right

away, you never will.

31a