Legalization of Soft Drugs

This essay is to examine both the pros and cons of legalizing “soft drugs”. Hard and Soft drugs are terms to distinguish between psychoactive drugs that are addictive and perceived as especially damaging and drugs that are believed to be non-addictive (or minimally addictive) and with less dangers associated with its use. The term "soft drug" implies that the drug causes no or insignificant harm one such drug is cannabis (marijuana).Cannabis is a psychotic drug. The main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but there are more than sixty related chemicals in marijuana, which are called "cannabinoids." Cannabis also contains other unrelated compounds that have similar psychoactive effects. The psychoactive effects vary but may include fight or flight, sensory distortion, confusion or hallucinatory. Marijuana is also a depressant, when the THC binds with cannabinoid receptors in the brain. This process slows down regular nerve transmission, interfering with normal function. The cannabinoid receptors are located in the areas of the brain involved in muscle control, sexual functioning, vision and hearing, reasoning, hormone release, and memory. THC suppresses neurons in the information system of the hippocampus, which is a component of the brains limbic system. The limbic is crucial for learning, memory and the integration of sensory experiences with emotions and motivations. Our learning behaviors depend on the hippocampus. Short term memory is required to perform one and two step tasks. A study using The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, done by Dr. Harrison Pope, Jr. of McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, found that while the residual cognitive impairments detected in the study were not severe, they could be significant in the day-to-day life of chronic users Dr. Pope says. They showed diminished ability to pay attention and decreased mental flexibility was exhibited in these tests. It is proven to reduce short-term memory,