The Pros And Cons Of Medical Marijuana
Educate Yourself, Mary Jane While synthetic marijuana such as K2 and Spice are getting used less frequently because of the health risks, views of real marijuana have gone in the opposite direction. Adolescents don’t know where to look today; from marijuana legalization ads, to online reports supporting synthetic marijuana, there’s too many inaccurate and unreliable resources that teens have easy access too. Many see that “pot” is not as addictive as other available drugs and that it will not cause major health problems. With comments from the medical and political words clashing, many, including myself for a while, didn’t really know what to believe. Thanks to class discussions, reliable resources, and sheer curiosity, I know what
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to believe: say no. If teens are more educated in the risks of using marijuana - synthetic or fake - then fewer teens will decide to use it. Forty percent of high school seniors see smoking marijuana as risky, where nearly seventy five percent saw it as risky nearly two decades ago. This could be because young people today aren’t educated of its, possibly deadly, side effects. Furthermore, many adolescents are getting the wrong message from marijuana legalization campaigns, and if this is the only information that they receive on the topic, they may believe that marijuana is not only safe, but healthy. These campaigns only highlight the positives of legalizing and using marijuana. “Young people are getting the wrong message from the medical marijuana and legalization campaigns. “If it’s continued to be talked about as a benign substance that has no ill effects, we’re doing a great disservice to young people by giving them that message,”” says Gil Kerlikowske, director of National Drug Control Policy. Marijuana definitely has its side effects. Tetrahydrocannabinol, the drug in marijuana, has the potential to stop your brain from making dopamine, which is the chemical that makes you happy. No one starts smoking to become addicted, so don’t you think that knowing pot will literally cease your natural happiness will prevent teenagers from smoking? Unfortunately, according to teens themselves, many believe that school systems over exaggerate how bad drugs, particularly marijuana, are for you. Marijuana itself is not a very harmful drug. In fact, many use it for medical purposes. Marijuana is the most harmful to the body when it is smoked, as you are inhaling tar.
This is similar to a cigarette. On the other hand, teenagers are not typically educated on the uses of medical marijuana specifically. While medical marijuana and recreational marijuana are one and the same, “medical marijuana” may just be THC (tetrahydocannabinol) in a pill or other form. What adolescents don’t understand about medical marijuana that it should only be prescribed for a rare eye disease and effects of chemotherapy, not minor pains/diseases such as back pain or headaches. I believe that if teens are able to determine the pros and cons of marijuana, they will be able to make an informed decision to whether or not they should use it. While marijuana can be harmful to those who don’t need it, cancer patients need the best life that they can have, and if marijuana is the way to get that, so be it, and teenagers need to understand that they’re lives are still worth living without marijuana. In all, marijuana is still a drug, no matter how you think about it, and must be treated as such. The more informed and knowledgeable teens are about what’s going in their bodies, they can make a decision that will not only benefit themselves, but those around them. Do you really want the future
of the world to believe that drugs are the solution to everything?
Bibliography:
ProCon.org. "What Is -- and What Causes -- the Marijuana "High"?" ProCon.org. 20 Apr. 2011. Web. 25 Jan. 2014. .
Leger, Donna Leinwand. "Teens Shun Synthetic Marijuana for the Real Thing." USA TODAY 18 Dec. 2013, n. pag. Web. 25 Jan. 2014. .
Weise, Elizabeth. "Is Marijuana More Dangerous than Alcohol?." USA TODAY 20 Jan. 2014, n. pag. Web. 25 Jan. 2014. .
Deputy Martin. Class Notes. Print. 13 Jan. 2014.
to believe: say no. If teens are more educated in the risks of using marijuana - synthetic or fake - then fewer teens will decide to use it. Forty percent of high school seniors see smoking marijuana as risky, where nearly seventy five percent saw it as risky nearly two decades ago. This could be because young people today aren’t educated of its, possibly deadly, side effects. Furthermore, many adolescents are getting the wrong message from marijuana legalization campaigns, and if this is the only information that they receive on the topic, they may believe that marijuana is not only safe, but healthy. These campaigns only highlight the positives of legalizing and using marijuana. “Young people are getting the wrong message from the medical marijuana and legalization campaigns. “If it’s continued to be talked about as a benign substance that has no ill effects, we’re doing a great disservice to young people by giving them that message,”” says Gil Kerlikowske, director of National Drug Control Policy. Marijuana definitely has its side effects. Tetrahydrocannabinol, the drug in marijuana, has the potential to stop your brain from making dopamine, which is the chemical that makes you happy. No one starts smoking to become addicted, so don’t you think that knowing pot will literally cease your natural happiness will prevent teenagers from smoking? Unfortunately, according to teens themselves, many believe that school systems over exaggerate how bad drugs, particularly marijuana, are for you. Marijuana itself is not a very harmful drug. In fact, many use it for medical purposes. Marijuana is the most harmful to the body when it is smoked, as you are inhaling tar.
This is similar to a cigarette. On the other hand, teenagers are not typically educated on the uses of medical marijuana specifically. While medical marijuana and recreational marijuana are one and the same, “medical marijuana” may just be THC (tetrahydocannabinol) in a pill or other form. What adolescents don’t understand about medical marijuana that it should only be prescribed for a rare eye disease and effects of chemotherapy, not minor pains/diseases such as back pain or headaches. I believe that if teens are able to determine the pros and cons of marijuana, they will be able to make an informed decision to whether or not they should use it. While marijuana can be harmful to those who don’t need it, cancer patients need the best life that they can have, and if marijuana is the way to get that, so be it, and teenagers need to understand that they’re lives are still worth living without marijuana. In all, marijuana is still a drug, no matter how you think about it, and must be treated as such. The more informed and knowledgeable teens are about what’s going in their bodies, they can make a decision that will not only benefit themselves, but those around them. Do you really want the future
of the world to believe that drugs are the solution to everything?
Bibliography:
ProCon.org. "What Is -- and What Causes -- the Marijuana "High"?" ProCon.org. 20 Apr. 2011. Web. 25 Jan. 2014. .
Leger, Donna Leinwand. "Teens Shun Synthetic Marijuana for the Real Thing." USA TODAY 18 Dec. 2013, n. pag. Web. 25 Jan. 2014. .
Weise, Elizabeth. "Is Marijuana More Dangerous than Alcohol?." USA TODAY 20 Jan. 2014, n. pag. Web. 25 Jan. 2014. .
Deputy Martin. Class Notes. Print. 13 Jan. 2014.