Marijuana Harmless Essay Research Paper Marijuana is

Marijuana Harmless Essay, Research Paper

Marijuana is it harmless? Some doctors have said that it is David

Powelson, M.D., formerly chief of psychiatry, Cowell Hospital,

University of California, Berkeley, at one time advocated legalizing

the use of marijuana. Later, after more evidence was available, be

wrote: “I now believe that marijuana is the most dangerous drug we must

contend with: 1. Its early use is beguiling. The user is given an

illusion of feeling good; he cannot sense the deterioration of his

mental and physiological process. 2. Its continued use leads to

delusional thinking. After one to three years of continuous use, the

pathological forms of thinking begin to take over the thought

process.”-Executive Health Report, October 1977, p.8 Dr. Robert L.

DuPont, former director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse in the

United States, who in the past was quoted as minimizing danger from

marijuana, more recently stated: “The real issue is the health danger

posed by this epidemic [of marijuana use by the younger generation],

danger of at least two kinds. One is the effects of the intoxication,

ranging from the hazardous impact on driving to caring less about

everything. The other area is purely physical. Here the concerns

range from the regular occurrence of chronic bronchitis among marijuana

users to the very real possibilities of harmful hormonal effects,

effects on the immune system and possibly even cancer.” -Montreal

Gazette, March 22, 1979, p.9. Science Digest provided these details:

“Regular marijuana puffing may, in the long run, widen the gaps between

nerve endings in the brain that are necessary for such vital functions

as memory, emotion and behavior. In order for nerves to perform their

functions, they must communicate between themselves.” Then, commenting

on the results of tests involving animals, the article continues: “The

most marked effects occurred in the septal region, associated with

emotions; the hippocampus, concerned with memory formation; and the

amygdala, responsible for certain behavioral functions.”-March 1981, p.

104.

Is use of marijuana any worse than drinking of alcoholic beverages?

Alcohol is a food and is metabolized by the body to provide energy; the

end products are disposed of by the body. However, a

psychopharmacologist said: “Marijuana is a very potent drug, and the

biggest mistake we make is comparing it to alcohol.” “Molecule for

molecule, THC [in marijuana] is 10,000 times stronger than alcohol in

its ability to produce mild intoxication…THC is removed slowly from

the body, and many months are required to recover from its effects.”

(Executive Health Report, October 1977, p.3)