Mary Jane: The Devil Weed :: essays research papers fc

Mary Jane The demon WeedABSTRACT This stem, entitled "Mary Jane The Devil Weed?" attempts toexamine what we know about hemp and what problems are associated with itsuse. The paper examines briefly the history of cannabis legislation,marijuanas known effects, and conclusions about its danger.Early in this century, the government waged a war of terrorism on marijuana,or halter sativa. "By 1937, forty-six states had laws against the use ofmarijuana, and its use had already been made a criminal offense under federallaw" (Jaffe, 659). Andrews pointed out that " non until some time in the early1930s did the Louisianna legislature header a state regulation making use of thedrug vicious" (5). Jaffe noted that "since the early 1900s, marifuana has beenconsidered the one drug that might introduce the fictile to hard drugs."Jaffe pointed out that "since about 1950.... smoking of marijuana has beenlinked statistically to the use of other illicit drugs ....Most observers trainconcluded that the link is sociological rather than biological and...marijuanais a marker for individuals who are more(prenominal) prostrate to seek innovative experiences even whenthese violate social norms and local laws."Andrews link that "sensational newspaper stories relating...to crime isgenerally held to be accountable for the choppy enactment of a law prohibitingits use." He went on to note that "users were a great deal subject to heavy penalties--up to life imprisonment in Texas." "After caffeine, nicotine and alcohol,marijuana is the fourth most popular abused substance" (OBrien, Cohen, Evans,and Fine, 175).does marijuana be this reputation? We must first consider what it isand what effects it has. The active fixings is tetrahydocannabinol, or THC(Andrews). THC, found only in the female plant, produces a mild euphoric effect.Marijuana is considered a hallucinogen, a inscription 1 drup, under the ControlledSubstanc es Act of 1970 (OBrien, Cohen, Evans, and Fine, 177). A Schedule 1drug room there is no known medical use. Recently "a new drug application wasapproved for THC (Marinol) to be used therapeutically for control of nausea andvomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy" (Jaffe, 663). This moved THC fromSchedule 1 to 2 (medical use despite potential for abuse).How dangerous is marijuana? Jaffe notes that "any performance test showsimpairment....although no distinctive biochemical changes have been found inhumans." Andrews writes, "Physical effects of marijuana use is credibly themajor question....The answer? None." OBrien, Cohen, Evans, and Fine, reportedthat the National Institute on dose Abuse found, "Marijunan now available isfive to 10 times more potent than it was a half dozen years ago" (178). firearmthese statements may not sound conclusive, the Institute of Medicine, according