Marijuana is dried shredded leaves, stems, seeds and flowers of the hemp plant. I imagine there aren’t too many people who have not heard of it. On the street, it is referred to by many names, such as weed, pot, mary-jane, chronic, buds, crips, sensimilla, etc. The slang terms are countless.
Legalizing marijuana is not going to fix our drug problems. Weed cartels aren’t going to lose their customers. They already have the money, supplies and customers to go public once it’s legalized. Since they’ll have a legitimate venue to sell what they have, marijuana is not going to be the only thing that will be sold there. If we legalize marijuana, I’m betting that the revenue for other drugs will soar.
In the medical field, it is referred to as Cannabis. Medical cannabis is a physician-recommended form of remedy. If you do research on it, the history of it being used for medical purposes goes way back. Supposedly, it is one of the better medical remedies in the market (wherever available) because it has no potential side effects or lethal effects.
Scientifically, I don’t know how medical marijuana can cure a person, or if it has negative effects on people who use it. I’m not going to state my opinion on that particular matter, although I’m not very enthusiastic about it being used for medical purposes. If it’s what the doctor ordered, then it should be fine; right?
One issue that needs to be looked into though is the way doctors are abusing their power to prescribe cannabis to their patients. It’s too easy to attain a license to use. All anyone needs is a slight back pain. For the doctor, it’s money in the bank.
If science claims that marijuana is indeed beneficial and does not, in any way, harm the body, then let us hope that’s the way it is. Just because that may be a fact, it doesn’t mean that marijuana should be legalized. Sure, it might be a money-maker and a good way to help fund our damaged economy, but at what cost? What would happen if we legalize marijuana tomorrow? Will our country be near debt free? Will people be a lot healthier, not to mention, a lot happier as well? Or, will it work the other way around?
Some people claim that marijuana is truly a gateway drug. It’s something that is presented as harmless, but, in fact, people who have used marijuana have more likely to experiment with other drug use and use alcohol as well.
Sarah Kershaw, a news writer for the New York Times, mentions in her article that according to 2007 government data prepared by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “more adults now are being admitted to treatment centers for primary marijuana and hashish addictions.” This is in comparison with heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine addicts.
Matthew, 31, born and raised here on the islands, uses marijuana on a daily basis. His last name is not mentioned because he does not want people to know about his marijuana use. He has been smoking marijuana ever since he was a freshman in high school.
“It was the first form of smoking I did,” Matthew said. “Eventually, I started smoking cigarettes and experimented with drugs as well.”
I don’t disagree that marijuana for medical purposes can be effective, but a little more regulation can’t hurt. It won’t look too good if majority of Americans are “stoners.”
