What is marijuana?
Marijuana—also known as weed, herb, bud, ganja, pot, grass, Mary Jane, and many more colloquial names for dried Cannabis sativa flowers—is a greenish-gray combination. Some people use pipes, water pipes (also known as bongs), or blunts, which are simply hand-rolled cigarettes wrapped in cigar paper, to smoke marijuana. Marijuana can also be used to brew tea, and it is frequently blended with sweets such as brownies, cookies, or candies, especially when promoted or used as medicine. In addition, the use of vaporizers to consume marijuana is increasing. Stronger strains of marijuana include sinsemilla (from specially maintained female plants) and concentrated resins with high quantities of the drug’s active ingredients, such as waxy budder, hard amber-like shatter, and honey-like hash oil. These resins are gaining popularity among those who use them recreationally and therapeutically. The principal psychoactive (mind-altering) element in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is what most people use to get high. The majority of the substance is resin produced by the female cannabis plant’s leaves and buds. More than 500 additional compounds, including more than 100 cannabinoids that are chemically connected to THC, may be identified in the plant (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020).
The effects of marijuana on humans
Your body may react to cannabis in a variety of ways. Marijuana components enter your bloodstream as soon as you inhale marijuana smoke, and they quickly reach your brain and other organs. The effects could begin to take effect in seconds or minutes. The effects of marijuana on the body are currently being debated. People describe a variety of physical and psychological effects, such as damage and discomfort, as well as pain relief and relaxation (Pietrangelo, 2021).
Positive effects
The most popular illicit narcotic in the Western world is marijuana, which is mostly used for the “high” that it produces. Read more about marijuana here. This intoxication includes marijuana’s advantageous benefits, such as euphoria, calming effects, reduced anxiety, increased sensory perception, laughter, and talkativeness.
Negative effects
The fact that marijuana is banned contributes to some of its most serious downsides. Marijuana cultivation, sales, and purchases are illegal, and individuals who do so face legal consequences. It is likely that the precise active chemicals in marijuana consumed by users will never be discovered. When tolerance develops and marijuana is misused, the most harmful repercussions become apparent. As a person becomes resistant to the effects of a drug, they will typically raise their dosages, increasing the likelihood of marijuana addiction and other undesirable outcomes. The level of tolerance also shows that the user might experience marijuana withdrawal symptoms if they did not utilize drugs. Marijuana addicts prefer marijuana usage over other substances, which has a negative impact on their lives (Tracy, 2023).
Medical usage of marijuana
Marijuana appears to greatly reduce the discomfort caused by multiple sclerosis and the pain in the nerves that it causes. There are few alternatives, and those that do, such as opiates, Neurontin, and Lyrica, are extremely sedating. Patients say marijuana allows them to pick up where they left off without feeling utterly disconnected and bewildered. Marijuana has been shown to lessen Parkinson’s disease-related tremors and to be a great muscle relaxant. Marijuana has also been used successfully in the majority of illnesses, such as fibromyalgia, endometriosis, and interstitial cystitis, all of which have chronic pain as a final common pathway. In addition, marijuana is used to manage nausea and weight loss in addition to treating glaucoma. Using it to treat PTSD in troops who have recently returned from battle zones is a highly promising area of research. Many veterans and therapists detect a noticeable improvement and demand more research as well as a relaxation of the legal limits on the subject’s study. Medical marijuana is reported to help patients with Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and the pain and wasting conditions associated with HIV. Although medical marijuana has certain benefits, effectiveness claims should be evaluated and handled with caution, as with any remedy (Grinspoon, 2020).
Legality of marijuana
The International Opium Convention of 1925 was the first international accord to govern the marijuana trade. By the late 1960s, most countries had banned marijuana usage and trafficking, as well as heavy penalties for illegal possession, sale, or supply. The International Opium Convention of 1925 was the first international accord to govern the marijuana trade. While some of these laws were subsequently repealed or expired, various states in the United States passed legislation in the late 1970s and early 1980s to promote research on marijuana or to legalize its use for therapeutic purposes. As a result of fresh decriminalization campaigns in the 1990s, more than a dozen states, including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, approved medicinal marijuana. The US Department of Justice issued new guidelines to federal prosecutors in countries where the use of marijuana for therapeutic purposes is legal. In 2009, Attorney General Eric Holder mandated that federal resources be directed primarily toward prosecuting marijuana use and trafficking crimes, making cases of medical use—where those in possession of the drug are in compliance with state laws—less likely to undergo extensive legal investigation (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2019).
Marijuana production, possession, and use for medical and industrial purposes are all now legal in Thailand. Several cafés now sell marijuana-infused dishes and beverages. Thailand now has the most extensive and advanced marijuana control policies in Asia (Pritzker, 2021).
Conclusion
Marijuana is more widely known as cannabis, but over recent years, both its positive and negative effects have grown in popularity. It is also increasingly being utilized for medical purposes as well as to calm the body and mind. Although marijuana use may become legal in more nations and regions in the future, people must first grasp what marijuana is and how to use it properly.
References
Grinspoon, P. (2020). Medical marijuana. [online] Harvard Health Blog. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/medical-marijuana-2018011513085 [Accessed 7 September 2023].
National Institute on Drug Abuse (2020). What is marijuana? [online] National Institute on Drug Abuse. Available at: https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/what-marijuana [Accessed 1 September 2023].
Pietrangelo, A. (2021). The Effects of Marijuana on Your Body. [online] Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/effects-of-cannabis-on-body#Central-nervous-system [Accessed 6 September 2023].
Pritzker, S. (2021). Is weed legal in Thailand? [online] The Cannigma. Available at: https://cannigma.com/regulation/thailand-cannabis-laws/#:~:text=The%20use%20of%20recreational%20cannabis%20in%20Thailand%20is [Accessed 9 September 2023].
The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2019). marijuana | History, Effects, THC, & Legality. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/science/marijuana [Accessed 8 September 2023].
Tracy, N. (2023). Is Marijuana Harmful? Positive and Negative Effects of Marijuana, Weed | HealthyPlace. [online] www.healthyplace.com. Available at: https://www.healthyplace.com/addictions/marijuana-addiction/is-marijuana-harmful-positive-and-negative-effects-of-marijuana-weed#:~:text=Other%20negative%20effects%20of%20weed%20include%3A%204%201 [Accessed 6 September 2023].
