Marijuana...the FACTS
Recently I commented on Bernie Sanders' Facebook page concerning his support of legalizing marijuana. As you can imagine people defended their precious weed and one woman went into her health history, getting mad at me and telling me to tell her why medical marijuana is bad for her. A man compared marijuana to milk saying the following "How
many times must this be debunked? It is not a gateway drug any more
than milk is. People who are predisposed to addiction are going to find
their drug of choice whether it is alcohol or heroin or cocaine or one
of the many legal opioids." Newsflash, milk is not a drug it is a dairy product most commonly used in cereal and provides us with nutrients. This cannot be compared to a gateway drug and yes, marijuana is a gateway drug. A gateway drug is defined as "a drug (such as alcohol or marijuana) that is thought to lead to the use of more dangerous drugs (such as cocaine or heroin)" (Webster Dictionary). The Oxford dictionary's definition is "a habit-forming drug that, while not itself addictive, may lead to the use of other addictive drugs."
Yes marijuana fits into this category. With the exception of its medical uses, marijuana is commonly used to get high. While many of you find nothing wrong with this but to have a good time, it has a serious effect on your brain. And yes, I'm basing all this on FACT not mere OPINION. These FACTS I've gathered from the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Depending on how you take it (smoke, drink, or eat) will affect how quickly the THC is absorbed in your system. This means that an individual can feel the effects of the drug from 30 minutes to an hour after taking it. This means that while many argue "it's just like alcohol or cigarettes," it doesn't make it any less dangerous arguing this. Just like any drug, it impairs your judgement. Marijuana alters your senses and heightens them giving you that high feeling. Although this and the following are short term effects, it doesn't make them any less dangerous to an individual or those around them. More of these short term effects included an "altered sense of time, changes in mood, impaired body movement, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and impaired memory" (NIDA). Now tell me how "harmless" this drug is. Now for the long term effects. Marijuana can also affect the development of the brain by affecting your ability to learn (keep in mind that this is moreso with teenagers than adults). It disrupts your brain's connectivity with the functions related to learning, thinking, and memory. The NIDA gives the following example of this harmful effect saying, "a study showed that people who started smoking marijuana heavily in their teens and had an ongoing cannabis use disorder lost an average of eight IQ points between ages 13 and 38. The lost mental abilities did not fully return in those who quit marijuana as adults. Those who started smoking marijuana as adults did not show notable IQ declines (Meier, 2012)."
Mental illness is also a long term effect caused by long term usage of marijuana due to its ability to cause hallucinations and paranoia, though temporary it is to the extreme. It can cause anxiety, depression, and even cause suicidal thoughts within teens. Those with schizophrenia whether diagnosed or not, can become worse with marijuana use. WANT TO TELL ME THAT'S A DEBUNKED THEORY?
My ex-husband smoked weed and synthetic weed for most of our relationship and marriage. He threatened me that if I didn't try it then we're done, our marriage is over. I never NEVER tried it. I don't feel the need to rely on a dangerous supplement to enjoy my life. That has always been my stance. He hung around the wrong crowd and his depression as well as suicidal thoughts increased. I had a friend call 911 because he was so impaired and almost killed himself in front of me. I literally got in the way of him and the gun before he put it down. He went to the psych ward, got treatment, came out, promised he changed and took me to Reading where he started weed all over again. He spent all his money and most of my money on weed causing us to struggle from time to time. We fought about his usage a lot and each time he'd tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. I don't understand and pretty much that I'm talking out of my ass. Really? Because the NIDA gives the FACTS of why it's harmful and that's why I'm against legalizing it. It puts it right in people's hands. Just like alcohol makes its way into underage children's hands so will this moreso once legalized. If you're going to legalize it, legalize for medical purposes only. I respect others' views on this but don't stray from the facts just to make a point or to start coming at me because I worry about raising my children in a society where it's okay to get stoned especially when it can lead to worse drug usage. Excuse me for wanting an environment where my children can just enjoy their lives without feeling peer pressure or feel like the "grass" is greener on the other side. I've seen the effects and I don't like it.
For more information on marijuana visit the NIDA website at https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana
And also check out the 2014 article about the harms of marijuana at http://www.dare.org/red-ribbon-week-marijuana-a-risky.../
I'm not talking out of my ass so stop treating me like I don't know what I'm talking about. I also don't think it's right that those who use it for medical purposes should be punished. I do agree with it that much and it is proven to be effective as a fossil fuel but I'm talking the usage of recreational purposes. That is my point and that is my evidence that it's harmful. I never said that alcohol isn't harmful so STOP TELLING ME IT'S JUST AS BAD BECAUSE I DON'T EXCUSE THE HARMS OF ALCOHOL. I RESPECT YOUR VIEW, RESPECT MINE AND THAT I MAKE VALID POINTS AS SOME OF YOU HAVE MADE VALID POINTS. THIS IS MY VIEW. AND IT AMAZES ME THAT WHEN I DO MAKE VALID POINTS IT GOES IGNORED BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE "POPULAR" VIEW OR OPINION.
Yes marijuana fits into this category. With the exception of its medical uses, marijuana is commonly used to get high. While many of you find nothing wrong with this but to have a good time, it has a serious effect on your brain. And yes, I'm basing all this on FACT not mere OPINION. These FACTS I've gathered from the National Institute of Drug Abuse. Depending on how you take it (smoke, drink, or eat) will affect how quickly the THC is absorbed in your system. This means that an individual can feel the effects of the drug from 30 minutes to an hour after taking it. This means that while many argue "it's just like alcohol or cigarettes," it doesn't make it any less dangerous arguing this. Just like any drug, it impairs your judgement. Marijuana alters your senses and heightens them giving you that high feeling. Although this and the following are short term effects, it doesn't make them any less dangerous to an individual or those around them. More of these short term effects included an "altered sense of time, changes in mood, impaired body movement, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and impaired memory" (NIDA). Now tell me how "harmless" this drug is. Now for the long term effects. Marijuana can also affect the development of the brain by affecting your ability to learn (keep in mind that this is moreso with teenagers than adults). It disrupts your brain's connectivity with the functions related to learning, thinking, and memory. The NIDA gives the following example of this harmful effect saying, "a study showed that people who started smoking marijuana heavily in their teens and had an ongoing cannabis use disorder lost an average of eight IQ points between ages 13 and 38. The lost mental abilities did not fully return in those who quit marijuana as adults. Those who started smoking marijuana as adults did not show notable IQ declines (Meier, 2012)."
Mental illness is also a long term effect caused by long term usage of marijuana due to its ability to cause hallucinations and paranoia, though temporary it is to the extreme. It can cause anxiety, depression, and even cause suicidal thoughts within teens. Those with schizophrenia whether diagnosed or not, can become worse with marijuana use. WANT TO TELL ME THAT'S A DEBUNKED THEORY?
My ex-husband smoked weed and synthetic weed for most of our relationship and marriage. He threatened me that if I didn't try it then we're done, our marriage is over. I never NEVER tried it. I don't feel the need to rely on a dangerous supplement to enjoy my life. That has always been my stance. He hung around the wrong crowd and his depression as well as suicidal thoughts increased. I had a friend call 911 because he was so impaired and almost killed himself in front of me. I literally got in the way of him and the gun before he put it down. He went to the psych ward, got treatment, came out, promised he changed and took me to Reading where he started weed all over again. He spent all his money and most of my money on weed causing us to struggle from time to time. We fought about his usage a lot and each time he'd tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. I don't understand and pretty much that I'm talking out of my ass. Really? Because the NIDA gives the FACTS of why it's harmful and that's why I'm against legalizing it. It puts it right in people's hands. Just like alcohol makes its way into underage children's hands so will this moreso once legalized. If you're going to legalize it, legalize for medical purposes only. I respect others' views on this but don't stray from the facts just to make a point or to start coming at me because I worry about raising my children in a society where it's okay to get stoned especially when it can lead to worse drug usage. Excuse me for wanting an environment where my children can just enjoy their lives without feeling peer pressure or feel like the "grass" is greener on the other side. I've seen the effects and I don't like it.
For more information on marijuana visit the NIDA website at https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana
And also check out the 2014 article about the harms of marijuana at http://www.dare.org/red-ribbon-week-marijuana-a-risky.../
I'm not talking out of my ass so stop treating me like I don't know what I'm talking about. I also don't think it's right that those who use it for medical purposes should be punished. I do agree with it that much and it is proven to be effective as a fossil fuel but I'm talking the usage of recreational purposes. That is my point and that is my evidence that it's harmful. I never said that alcohol isn't harmful so STOP TELLING ME IT'S JUST AS BAD BECAUSE I DON'T EXCUSE THE HARMS OF ALCOHOL. I RESPECT YOUR VIEW, RESPECT MINE AND THAT I MAKE VALID POINTS AS SOME OF YOU HAVE MADE VALID POINTS. THIS IS MY VIEW. AND IT AMAZES ME THAT WHEN I DO MAKE VALID POINTS IT GOES IGNORED BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE "POPULAR" VIEW OR OPINION.
I'm with you on this 100%
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