Marijuana
Marijuana is a well known drug world wide and many people have had different views on whether it should be legalized and used as other drugs such beer or not. Many fear it for its adverse effects on our health, social relationships and economy while others do appreciate the effects it creates when one takes it, such as feeling high. There exists much literature on the same issue which is an indication that indeed the drug has a lot that need to be learnt. The main interest of the discussion below is to try and justify whether Marijuana is a relatively harmless drug or rather a dangerous and addictive drug. We shall try and define what a harmless, dangerous and addictive substance is, then equate these definitions to the effects of Marijuana which will later lead to a final conclusion on whether the drug should be welcome for use or not.
It is common knowledge that a harmless substance is one which will not cause any injury or have any adverse effects when used. We can take an obvious example of drinking water to illustrate this. A dangerous substance on the other hand is one that will have adverse or harmful effects to the user. The word dangerous can also incorporate “addiction” which is the burning desire to continue to use a drug after you start using it. Armed with this understanding, we shall now look at Marijuana’s effects starting with the dangerous and addictive ones.
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Health related problems. The use of Marijuana causes so many health related problems. The smoking of Marijuana has acute side effects that relate to psychological effects such as cognitive impairment and altered perception. It also causes blood circulatory problems such as decrease in blood pressure. The risk of increased heart attack is also imminent to drug users. (DrugScience.Org.). There are many other health related problems that are related to the use of marijuana. The psychological effects that impair judgment after the use of marijuana are the ones that cheat the users that they are in high spirits. In my view, our bodies were meant to function normally without the influence of any external substance unless if this substance is meant to correct a certain problem, for example, a diseases attack. We can look at other health effects such as lowered blood pressure and heart attack as tickets to death. Therefore the use of marijuana has extremely adverse effects on our health.
Social effects. The drug also has adverse effects to social relations. Since it destabilizes the state of mind and our ability to judge, we cannot independently interact with other people in the society. It is documented that Marijuana causes a state of confusion to the mind (Raves). If one is not using their brains in a stable state while interacting with other people, we cannot have the full guarantee that all will end up well. Cases of violent reactions such as fighting and rape resulting from the use of Marijuana have been known to take place all over the world. One will definitely lose a lot of friends since many people tend to disassociate with those that they don’t trade places with. If, for example, one starts smoking while his friends do not trust will be lost among them. To this effect, Marijuana has adverse effects on our societal relations.
Economic effects. Dealing in Marijuana, and of course using it involves heavy spending. This is because it is an illegal drug in many countries and therefore a lot legal risks are involved in handling and using the drug. Once someone is addicted or is fully dependant on the drug, they will do anything to make sure that its supply is constant whenever needed. This includes stealing. Most countries spent a lot of money trying to contain the drug and its effects. This drags down the economy as the resources spent could have been used on something progressive. Statistics allover the world show alarming figures of money spent dealing with the drug. In 2008 for example, $46.1 million were spent in Texas state prisons while supervising marijuana related prisoners. (Whitaker). Although Whitaker is of a different opinion that if Marijuana were legalized, all this money could have not been spent on Marijuana prisoners, I am of a different opinion that the drug users and dealers are the ones who bring about all these problems because the states are acting in the best interest of their citizens. Looking at the drug as an economic resource would therefore be an oversight.
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Even though there are so many dangerous effects of Marijuana, research reveals that there are numerous other benefits. One such benefit is spiritual gratification and increased morale. Most of literatures written by the disciples of the drug insinuate that the use of the drug makes one to be in high spirits and have a heightened morale, an idea which they use as a back up to their advocacy. It is noted that the use of this drug triggers the meditation process and enhances the connectivity of one with the spiritual world. One is able to think beyond the visible world which is seen as a very important thing. (Bello). Bello supports the idea that the grace of the spirit is imparted through the cannabis. Most artistes such as the Jamaican reggae singers claim to be inspired by the use of Marijuana. This elevated mental and psychological status can therefore be looked at as an advantage of using the drug.
Reduction of tension and worries. Research has shown that the use of Marijuana causes a relaxed state of mind and reduced worries by reducing the amount of stress that one has. In one of the existing literatures, it is stated that the drug’s net effect is a highly functioning yet relaxed system with better fuel (Mini). Mini borrows his arguments from other proponents such as Bello to drive his support for the drug. With this, the use of Marijuana can be seen to be of advantage.