America has struggled for decades over the legalization of marijuana. On one hand there is the gateway drug argument, the addiction factor, the brain impairment and numerous long-term effects, but on the other hand there are the medicinal benefits, the calming effects, and the possible prescription as an antidepressant. What's true and what's not? Research has the final say.
The Addictiveness of Marijuana
Is marijuana addictive? Yes. Then again, so are caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.
Marijuana vs. Alcohol
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 23,199 U.S. citizens died from alcohol related reasons in 2007, excluding accidents and homicides. 14,406 more died from alcoholic liver disease. To this day there has yet to be recorded one credible case of death due to marijuana, and tests on lab rats show that the amount of chemicals necessary for overdose versus the amount necessary for intoxication is something like 40000:1. For reference purposes, the ratio is 4:1 – 10:1 for alcohol.
Alcohol has been proven to induce violence and aggression, where marijuana tends to relax. While marijuana does cause short term memory loss during intoxication, there are no proven long term effects to date.
Marijuana vs. Nicotine & Tobacco
Research shows that nicotine, the primary drug in tobacco, is far more addicting than marijuana. Long-term smokers have a much harder time and suffer more severe withdrawal symptoms when trying to break free of nicotine addiction. By contrast, marijuana is surprisingly gentle.
Marijuana smokers run the risk of lung cancer, much like tobacco smokers. This is because tar in the smoke coats the lungs, not because of the drugs themselves. Some researches suggest that marijuana smoke is more likely to cause cancer than cigarette smoke, but those researches do not take into account the relative quantities actually smoked, so nothing has been set in stone.
Marijuana vs. Caffeine
In a study where three different doctors rated the addictiveness of 6 different drugs, with 1 being most addictive and 6 being least addictive, marijuana came out on the bottom every time. Caffeine was always 5th (in one case tied with marijuana), with alcohol and nicotine ranging anywhere from 1st to 4th. On a closer breakdown, caffeine was revealed to have slightly higher tolerance (amount needed to satisfy cravings) and dependence, while marijuana causes a slightly higher level of intoxication. In conclusion, marijuana is more or less on the same level as coffee, the "drug" hardly anyone considers harmful.
Marijuana as a Gateway Drug
This is the most common theory taught to unsuspecting teenagers all over the country. "Don't touch marijuana, it will lead you into worse drugs!" A 12-year long University of Pittsburgh study showed that this was entirely untrue -- drug usage tended to depend on which drugs were more easy to obtain, and no especial drug popped out as a "gateway."
In fact, when the Dutch partially legalized marijuana in the 70s, usage in heroin and cocaine declined as more people switched over. This supports the easier-to-obtain theory, and also indicates that commercial access of marijuana may actually lessen abuse of other, harsher drugs.
Marijuana and Brain Damage
There have been no proven long-term effects on marijuana on the brain. There are on alcohol, nicotine, and even some tentative studies for caffeine, but examinations on chronic, long-term marijuana users found no damage to their mind.
Marijuana does cause short-term memory loss during usage, and thus chronic users may appear absent-minded all the time, but even in the most severe cases memory loss will cease within a few months of abstinence.
Marijuana also lessens aggression by stimulating alpha waves, which are generally associated with meditative and relaxed states. Chronic users may appear abnormally "chill" and talk in a dreamy, floaty way. This has no correlation with brain damage, however, and marijuana has actually been shown to heighten the imagination and improve creativity.
Marijuana as Medicine
Experiments with marijuana indicate that it reduces pain when taken in small amounts, but may have the opposite effect when too much is taken as once.
Studies showing that marijuana helps with cancer, MS, and glaucoma are all hypothetical and have not been proven for sure. It is true that marijuana relieves pressure on the eyes, which will help glaucoma, but it also lowers blood pressure overall, which may lead to less blood flow to the eye.
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