Legalization of Marijuana (Essay Sample)

Running Head: LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA
Title: Legalization of Marijuana
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Marijuana (cannabis) is a herbaceous plant whose use is traced back to three millenniums before Christ (Volkow, 2014). It is a plant that grows in all geographical areas of the world. It is prepared and processed from parts of the cannabis plant such as the leaves, flowers, the stems as well as the seeds (Jeniffer & Kevin, 2014). The intentions of using marijuana are diverse ranging from medicine to psychoactive. In psychoactive, it aims at increasing the performance of the brain, which leads to distortion of the moods, insight and consciousness (Volkow, 2014). Marijuana plants are possible to make blocked drugs to patients.Cannabis gets introduced into the body by smoking, as pills, vaporized, or ingested by adding it in foodstuffs. Tetrahydrocannabinol is the primary active component of marijuana, which causes the effects experienced by the users (Patton, 2010). Tetrahydrocannabinol is attributed to have some medicinal benefits hence stirring up the debate of whether to legalize the commodity or not. In respect to critical analysis on research about marijuana, its use has both advantages and disadvantages and has been legalized in several countries. According to Patton, Jamaica is one of the leading producers of marijuana.In fact, in Jamaica, it is one of the cash crops. According to Patton (2010), some states like New York, Arizona Massachusetts Illinois in US and countries like Spain, Netherlands, Colombia, Germany, Mexico and England decriminalized possession of small quantities of marijuana. However, some countries such as Egypt, Japan, China, and Malaysia have perhaps the strictest federal laws on ant possession of the herbs (Joffe & Yancy 2004). In these nations, marijuana is prohibited whether in large or small quantities. The International Opium Convention of 1925 illegalized the use of marijuana to the signatories (Shalala, 1995). However, some nations with time lessen the rules and embrace legalization of marijuana across the globe. Medical cannabis in some US states gets used and grown legally. According to Jennifer and Kevin (2014), medical marijuana is used for curing different diseases such as glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease that upsurges the pressure of the eyeball. Furthermore, use of marijuana diminishes the excess pressure. It can also be used to regulate seizures caused by epilepsy.This regulation is possible due to the presence of cannabinoids such as the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in marijuana extracts (Volkow, 2014). Moreover, it can be used in easing symptoms in case of Dravet’s syndrome. It does this by the help of the cannabidiol present in marijuana that intermingles with cells of the brain to reduce excessive activity that brings about the seizures. Moreover, legalization of marijuana results from extensive research done on the possible benefits of the cannabinoids present in it (Shalala, 1995).Additional factors considered in a bid of legalizing marijuana are its ability to reduce anxiety, countering pains and overwhelming nausea especially after chemotherapy (Joffe and Yancy, 2004). Nevertheless, legalization of marijuana has its blunt end. According to Volkow 2014, continued use of marijuana can result in addiction. Although some individuals can be able to withdraw from its use, some syndromes associated with their move include insomnia, irritability, restlessness, malaise and depression (Volkow, 2014). In the short run, use of marijuana can cause impaired short-term memory, rendering learning and storage of information problematic. It may also lead to compromised motor nerve coordination; hallucina...