The following research paper is an in-depth examination of marijuana as a drug and its use in the United States.

Marijuana

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Abstract

The following research paper is an in-depth examination of marijuana as a drug and its use in the United States. To sustain the relevance of the information, the research points out the main points and uses statistics from reliable sources. The research will focus on primary sections that include the negative and positive effects marijuana has on individuals. Moreover, the research will discuss the symptoms associated with the withdrawal from the use of marijuana, for example, loss of memory. Addiction is also discussed in the research and the probable means of treating it. It is also clear that marijuana abuse has adverse effects on the brain and it is discussed by capturing the chemical aspect of the harmful process. Finally, the research paper has personal contributions that can be applied in dealing with marijuana abuse. These methods include the use of professionals to prescribe the drug in the states that have legalized its consumption. This avoids cases of addiction and helps curb the adverse effects caused by marijuana.

Marijuana

Marijuana is currently the most consumed illicit drug in the United States, with users ranging from the age of 12 years. The prevalence of the drug in the United States can be blamed on different reasons that continuously make it accessible to its users. Peer pressure is one of the reasons behind the drug’s prevalence among the teenagers. Taking the drug is portrayed as an acceptable and prestigious gesture among peers. As such, many teenagers end up consuming it because they want to relate to what their peers are doing. Statistical studies present marijuana as the most abused illicit drug in the United States with 11.5% of all the citizens in the country abusing it. Since 2002, the drug’s abuse rate has been escalating on an annual basis, and the trend has been consistent (Budney, Roffman, Stephens & Walker, 2007). The statistics also reveal that the spread of marijuana abuse is highly occurring in high schools and colleges. Clearly, the schools stand out as the most probable places that the abuse of marijuana prevails because of the gullibility of the students. They are young and curious to try out different substances, including marijuana.

Once people begin abusing marijuana, there are high probabilities that their bodies become addicted to the substance. The chemicals contained in marijuana spread from the lungs to the bloodstream. Sequentially, the chemicals pass through the bloodstreams to the brain where they alter the functionality of the cells. This is the reason why people get used to the drug to the extent of addiction because the chemicals alter the functionality of the brain. An addict is bound to experience severe symptoms, which include a craving for the drug upon withdrawal from the substance. It is also common for a marijuana addict to experience uncontrollable mood swings that affect their thinking and can end up acting in abnormal ways (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2011). Sleep disruption is also an effect that addicts face upon withdrawing from marijuana. Loss of memory is also an effect commonly experienced by marijuana abusers, and this is attributed to the damaged brain cells upon supplying it with harmful chemicals (Onaivi, 2002).

Several effects of the abuse of marijuana have been witnessed among the addicts, which is one of the reasons it is viewed as an illegal substance. Addiction is one of the leading effects of abusing marijuana, where the users find it difficult to stop using the drug. Loss of control of someone’s action is a probable effect seen among marijuana abusers. Once a person abuses the substance, they are most likely to consume it in large quantities. In turn, their thinking capacity is impaired and can act in an uncontrollable manner. Hangovers are common among marijuana users with many experiencing lazy moments and migraines once the substance subsidizes from the body (Onaivi, 2002). Marijuana abusers are at times associated with immoral acts such as stealing and violence because of the impairment subjected to the brain.

Statistics show that marijuana addicts that seek medical help with an aim of quitting the drug must have been using it on a daily basis. Others have tried to quit, but without any success because the pressure is too much or the environment lacks the proper support for them to stop abusing the drug. Checking into a rehabilitation center is a common treatment that marijuana addicts seek to help them overcome the addiction. At the centers, the addicts are subjected to behavioral therapies and medications aimed at reducing craving for the drug. Contingency management and family-based treatments are also solutions that marijuana addicts are subjected to with an aim of dealing with their addictions for the drug.

Currently, some of the states in the United States have legalized the consumption of marijuana because it has some beneficial aspects that medical professionals have discovered. It is a common drug used among cancerous patients undergoing chemotherapy. The chemotherapy process is intense, and the patients smoke marijuana to calm their nerves after exposure to radiation. Marijuana has also been discovered to relieve muscle pain, which is helpful to various ill people. For example, people suffering from multiple sclerosis can take marijuana to relieve their pain. However, it is a requirement that the patient consumes marijuana meticulously to avoid negative effects such as addiction.

Marijuana is composed of chemicals that are readily absorbed into the bloodstream upon consumption. Some of the components channeled to the brain induce negative effects to its cells. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, abbreviated as THC, is a chemical contained in marijuana and highly affects the drug consumer negatively. Once it gets into the brain cells, the chemical creates a euphoric sensation that is transmitted all over the body. The THC also inhibits the brain from forming memories because it affects hippocampus. Upon the release of the THC into the brain cell, the chemical disrupts the function of the cannabinoid receptors. Consequently, the addict’s continuous supply of the THC to the brain cells disrupts the formation of memories (Earleywine, 2002). The addict ends up with blurry images and inconclusive memories about recent activities, especially those moments that unfolded while consuming the drugs.

Marijuana’s prevalence in the United States can be curtailed if the government takes stringent measures to stop its supply. The government is strict about the abuse of marijuana, and for the states that have legalized it, the law is clear that the use has to be monitored by a physician. Indeed, marijuana has advantages that relate to health and has no harm if consumed according to the doctor’s prescription. On the contrary, some people abuse marijuana in the name of entertainment despite the harmful effects exposed to their brains.

References

Budney, J. A., Roffman, R., Stephens, S. R., & Walker, D. (2007). Marijuana dependence and its treatment. Addict Science Clinic Practice, 4(1), 4-16.

Earleywine, M. (2002). Understanding marijuana: A new look at the scientific evidence. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

National Institute on Drug Abuse, (2011). Marijuana. Retrieved on 18 March 2014 from http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/topics-in-brief/marijuana

Onaivi, E. S. (2002). The biology of marijuana: From gene to behavior. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis Inc.