Marijuana Scourge or Salvation?

One of the most controversial problems in our modern society is what to do with cannabis. Many people use the flowering tops of cannabis, called marijuana, to get to an intoxicated state. In our society there is a taboo against cannabis use and the users are considered criminals and terrorists. But is this really true? Are cannabis users really bad people, or are the people working against the use of cannabis really the bad ones? In this article I will discuss most the uses of the cannabis plant, most the harmful effects, and will try to do this without a bias for either side.

The use of cannabis dates all the way back to pre-history when primitive humans used the plant to make rope, and as a source of food. Unlike many crops, hemp can be grown in most locations and climates with only moderate water and fertilizer requirements. Industrial hemp can be used to make many products that are all eco friendly, and safe. These include organic pesticides that are harmless to humans, paper, glue, textiles, building materials, food, paint, detergent, varnish, oil, ink, biodegradable plastics and fuel. Marijuana grade cannabis is also useful for making medicine, paper, and pesticides. The pesticides are made from the cannabinoids of the plant, which are used as a hormone in the plant and as a natural pesticide. It is also important to know that the paper that is processed from cannabis does not need to be bleached using chlorine, and hydrogen peroxide, which is more eco friendly, can be used instead. Also the plastics refined from the oils of the seeds are biodegradable, and also can be metabolized out of the body. This solves the problem of petroleum based plastics causing sterility. Yet another great thing about cannabis is the ability to make a special kind of lumber made by compacting long hemp fibers with cellulose glue, also made from hemp, into a strong flexible lumber. This lumber is water resistant, fire resistant, drought resistant, bug resistant, and also earthquake resistant. This lumber also does not warp as badly as conventional lumber and lasts much longer. I also want to talk about how harmful marijuana actually is. Is marijuana addictive? Can marijuana kill a person on its own?

Will it cause major permanent brain damage? Will it cause cancer? The answer to all those questions is no not really. Marijuana is about as addictive as ones favorite food. Probably less addictive than pure sugar, and more addictive than say sardines. In fact most of the legal drugs in America are much more addictive than marijuana. Also the cannabinoid receptors that cannabinoids bond to are not located on most the cardiovascular centers of the brain, making a marijuana overdose theoretically impossible. Many studies have shown that although marijuana does affect the short term memory of the user it is not permanent and it may increase the vividness of long term memory in heavy users. Lastly there are multiple studies to show that the cannabinoids in marijuana might be useful in fighting cancer. In a research study done in Madrid, rats with Cancerous brain tumors were injected with large amounts of THC, and they found that some rats had increase longevity and some were cured of their tumors. They also used a synthetic form of THC with near identical results. All control rats died. Marijuana has also been used to treat many illnesses such as glacouma, rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, dystonic state, Huntington's chorea, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE), neuritis, multiple sclerosis, nausea and pain associated with cancer and chemotherapy, and Aids. After reading this article I hope you look at cannabis in a new way. Although there are a few harmful effects from smoking cannabis, users can always eat or vaporize the drug, and the harmful effects from smoking pot are limited.