The Effectiveness of Medical Marijuana Essay -- Drugs

Marijuana, also commonly referred to as pot, weed, cannabis, or a variety of other names, has been cultivated as early as 4000B.C. in China, from the hemp plant cannabis sativa (Miller, 2012). There have been reports of it being used for medicinal purposes dating as far back as 1500B.C. (ProCon.org, 2012a). Although cannabis contains a variety of different chemicals, the main, and most understood, ingredient is THC, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. The amount of THC in marijuana determines the drug’s strength and can be affected by the growing conditions. Marijuana is usually smoked by being rolled into â€Å"blunts† or â€Å"joints† or by being smoked through a pipe or bong. The difference between blunts and joints is that joints are rolled in cigarette paper, while blunts are wrapped in a cigar shell. Smoking is not the only route of administration. Often times marijuana is baked into brownies or other baked goods. Marijuana, in the form of baked goods, has become very widely used, so much in fact, that some high schools banned students from bringing baked goods from home (Villarosa, 2012). The legality of use of marijuana for recreational as well as medicinal purposes has been a controversial issue for a long time, dating as far back as 1913, and still remains a controversial issue today (Gieringer, 1999). So far, 16 states and Washington DC legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and 18 states are still pending legalization (ProCon.org, 2012b). Some major reasons why legalization of marijuana remains such a controversial issue is because of its previous advertisement as a drug that will cause you to be committed to a mental asylum and also the potential harmful side effects. A review of the FDA Adverse Events from 1... ...rce.php?resourceID=000145 ProCon.org. (2012a, March 8). Historical Timeline. MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org. Retrieved from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000143 ProCon.org. (2012b, March 9). 18 States with Pending Legislation to Legalize Medical Marijuana. MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org. Retrieved from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002481 Solowij, N., Stephens, R., Roffman, R., Babor, T., Kadden, R., Miller, M., & ... Vendetti, J. (2002). Cognitive functioning of long-term heavy cannabis users seeking treatment. JAMA: The Journal Of The American Medical Association, 287(9), 1123- 1131. Villarosa, L. (2012). Brooklyn Tech Students Broiling Mad over Baked Goods Ban. The Local. Retrieved from http://fort-greene.thelocal.nytimes.com/2012/02/16/brooklyn-tech- students-boiling-mad-over-baked-good-ban/