Marijuana is the most common used drug in the United States. More than 11 million people that are from age 18 to 25 used Marijuana in 2015. According to the survey from Monitoring the future the use of marijuana among junior and high school students has decreased and leveled down in the past couple of years. Marijuana which is also called weed is a mixture of dried leaves, flowers, and seeds that comes from the Cannabis sativa plant. Marijuana is smoked in rolled cigarettes that are called joints or in pipes or bongs. They can also be smoked in blunts which are cigars that have been emptied and then refilled. People can also mix marijuana with foods such as brownies or cookies. (NIDA)
When marijuana is inhaled THC and other substances go through the lungs into the blood, which carries them all the way through the body to the nervous system. The person starts to feel the effects almost instantly and lasts for 3 to 4 hours. The side effects are different among people. Many people feel relaxed and a sense of euphoria. There are also other effects which include increased sensory perception and appetite. The pleasant feelings of marijuana doesn’t impact everyone. Some people experience high levels of anxiety, fear and panic. These feelings take place when a person smokes too much with a high quality. (NIDA)
Marijuana use has short term and long term effects on the brain. It can reduce short term memory and impairs judgement. It can impair school and work performance and make it hard to drive. It can affect the brains of younger people who are still maturing so if teens continue to use it regularly it can have a negative effect on their mental development which can put them in a disadvantage. A study from New Zealand and researchers at Duke University showed that individuals who started smoking marijuana in large amounts in their teens and had a cannabis use disorder lost 8 IQ points between the ages 13 and 38. The mental abilities that were lost didn’t return in in those who stopped using marijuana as adults. A study from NIDA’s Adolescent Brian Cognitive Development is tracking down a big sample of Americans from late in their childhood too early in their adult years to help show how and to what extent marijuana and other chemical substances affect teenage brain development.
In Australia and New Zealand data from studies found that teens who used marijuana in a regular basis were less likely to finish high school or get a degree than their peers who didn’t use it. They are many studies that have linked high marijuana use to low income, more welfare dependence, unemployment, and illegal behavior. The use of marijuana can have negative consequences at work, such as a greater risk for accidents and injuries. According to National Institute on Drug Abuse employees who tested positive for marijuana on an employment drug screening test had 55 percent more industrial related accidents, more injuries, and were more 75 percent more absent compared with individuals who tested negative. (NIDA)
Marijuana has therapeutic advantages that can outweigh its health dangers. Medical marijuana helps symptoms of sickness and other situations. The marijuana plant consists of chemicals that may treat many illnesses and symptoms and many people argue that it should be legalized for medical reasons. Weed used for medical purposes can bring positive effects. In Canada it is legal for medical treatments and in areas in the US and Europe. Some positive effects of weed that are used for medical benefits is the reduction of eye pressure and decrease in pain. These positive effects have led to its use in medical conditions. It can be used in treating pain and vomiting that are connected with cancer treatment. It can also help with chronic pain when other pain relievers don’t work and treat Glaucoma due to marijuana being able to reduce ocular pressure in the eye. (HealthyPlace)
In The U.S. there are 22 states and Washington, DC who has passed laws to stop putting residents in jail for possessing small amounts of marijuana. Marijuana is legal for adults that are 21 and older in 8 of those states while 14 have decriminalized a small possession of marijuana. In Colton Nutbrown’s blog Best Option for Managing Drug Usage “Decriminalization does mean it is legal to possess, substances however with marijuana as an example, it is not a criminal offense to possess small amounts.” A majority of the decriminalization states give a civil fine, which avoids the consequences that a criminal record holds. (Marijuana Policy Project)
There are some treatments for disorders from marijuana use. Studies show that treating the mental health disorder with treatments that involve medicines and behavioral therapies may help decrease marijuana use, among those who use it heavily and those with more severe mental disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a psychotherapy that teaches people ways to identify and fix difficult behaviors in order to increase self-control, stop drug use, and address problems that follow them. Another treatment is Motivational enhancement therapy, which is a form of intervention made to produce change. The treatment does not attempt to heal the person, but rather mobilizes their skills and abilities for change and their engagement in therapy. (NIDA)
References:
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana
https://www.mpp.org/issues/decriminalization/
https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana-medicine
"In The World of Drugs" 
I think you did a good job giving balanced information about marijuana. Too often one reads articles about marijuana that heavily one-sided, either in favor of or against legalization. Many pro-legalization or pro-marijuana articles lose credibility when they over-emphasize the tentative medical benefits of marijuana (which frankly, we all know is not the real reason many want it legalized), and downplay the risks associated with marijuana use almost to the point of blatant misinformation. Conversely, many anti-legalization articles lose strength in their argument when they overplay the hazards associated with marijuana use, which truthfully are no worse than alcohol or tobacco.
Changing laws with the times is a vital part of any democracy and I support the legalization of marijuana from a criminal justice standpoint but it is important to include all sides of the argument, namely the hazards of habitual marijuana use. Equally outlining the drawbacks as well as the benefits is the most credible way to construct an argument about this issue, and you did that perfectly in my opinion.
– Hannah Hopkins
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