Preview

Marijuana Research Paper

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1673 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Marijuana Research Paper
MARIJUANA
(Scientific Name: Cannabis sativa)

INTRODUCTION

Marijuana is one of the world’s oldest economic plants. Besides providing the material hemp, hemp, for a lucrative cordage and cloth industry, it has been a valuable medicinal drug. The ancient pharmacopoeias of China, going back more than 2,000 years, listed marijuana, and the plant found favor around the world for its ability to ease pain, induce sleep, and soothe a variety of nervous disorders. Usually the leaves or seeds were taken, but in medieval Europe physicians prescribed the root to alleviate the agonies of gout and other painful diseases. Mixed with oil and butter, the root also made a salve for burns caused by the new import of the Orient
…show more content…
And as an illegal drug it is known in various slang language as “Bhang” in India; “ganja” in China; “grass” to the Americans; “hashish” in the Middle East; “hemp” in South America; “Mary Jane” to modern social gatherings and to the media; “pot” to the police authorities; and “reefer” to the navigators. Generally, marijuana belongs to the hemp family of Cannabaceae.
It varies with the male and female plant. The male plant has five long toothed leaflets usually shorter than the female plant with robust stalk and lesser flowers. The female plant usually has seven long toothed-leaflets which grows taller than the male and bears more flowers and seeds than the males.

CAUSE AND EFFECT

Marijuana’s use as an intoxicant is not only widespread but also socially acceptable in other countries, like those in the continents of Africa and Asia. The extent to which marijuana can be physically and psychologically damaging remains as a subject of discussion, but there is not dispute that anything that is taken too much could be hazardous to health and life, as espoused by the ancient philosopher

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The marijuana plant, perhaps the most widely-used illicit drug in the world, was once demonized by authorities and the media. In the 1936 film Marijuana: Weed with Roots in Hell, director Dwain Esper portrayed teens smoking marijuana and then engaging in perceived evils such as nude bathing and unchaperoned partying, with one girl becoming pregnant. The film went on to further depict the characters becoming addicted to marijuana and committing serious crimes including a police shootout and kidnapping for ransom. These claims are based on the type of faulty casual analysis that has given rise to anti-marijuana myths that have endured over the years, but they are fortunately starting to abate. While the Western world has lightened up, some misconceptions persist, particularly those based on casual fallacy. An example of such a fallacy can be found in the argument that marijuana is a “gateway drug” which causes users to eventually progress to hard drugs, when that’s not actually the case.…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Lc 6.01

    • 1971 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Marijuana, Cannabis Sativa, has long been used for both medicinal and ritual purposes by many cultures and civilizations. Its modern use is a controversial…

    • 1971 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    There are a numerous number of drugs in the United States. There is a drug like marijuana that you could smoke, get high from, and still pass a urinary test with it in your system. This drug can be called many things: legal spice, spice, legal, potpourri, and anything else someone might come up with. The two most common drugs used in the US have been legal spice and marijuana. The scientific term for legal spice is Synthetic Cannabis it is an herbal and chemical item that when smoked, mimics the effects of marijuana. It is best known as legal spice or K2. (http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=106&sid=59ce6c0d-f7a1-4779-a1b8-6cab4e630f4d%40sessionmgr104&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=mnh&AN=21702397). There has been an increase in drug abuse by the use of legal spice which is mixed with different chemicals such as JWH-018. JWH-018 was first developed in 1995 for research, by organic chemist John W. Huffman at Clemson University in South Carolina. (http://syntheticmarijuana.wordpress.com/). He created this chemical compound and tried to find cannabinoid receptors in the brain. The parts that THC in marijuana bond with to produce feelings of euphoria and research shows he was successful in these findings. (http://syntheticmarijuana.wordpress.com/). These chemicals do not show up in the system but result in having a long term effect on the body. According to Huffman, “it doesn’t hit the brain in the same way as marijuana, and that’s why it’s dangerous.” (http://hightimes.com/news/mmiller/7144). Legal spice is known all around the US and in some places it is legal. In other cities it is not, because of the effects it causes on the body. Many people were smoking legal spice when it was “legal” because of the fact that it didn’t show up in a drug test. It was…

    • 1924 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Marijuana Ethics

    • 2014 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Marijuana is one of the most popular drugs in the United States, third only behind tobacco and alcohol. It is estimated that nearly 80 million residents will try it on at least one occasion in their life. A recent survey shows that a quarter of these individuals have dried Marijuana in the last year and that more than half of these users are habitual users. The idea of marijuana use, whether it is for medicinal or recreational purposes is an ethical issue that is often considered by both the government and citizens. In this paper I will speak to the uses, benefits, possible concerns and possible ethical issues that could be created through the legalization of marijuana.…

    • 2014 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marijuana is the most commonly used illegal substance in United States and in many other countries; this is a statement that seems to be in each article that is written about the legalization of marijuana. This is a subject that has been up for debate for quite a few years now. There are many people who support the legalization of this drug and are strongly convinced that marijuana is not a drug in which one should be punished for, but rather a drug that should not be frowned upon and seen as a way to help our nation economically and medically. On the other end, there are also many people who support the criminalization of marijuana and believe it is a drug that should remain illegal or else further use of the drug may increase and become dangerous. There was a time in history when the use of marijuana was quite popular until it became illegal, like many other substances, it did not stop people from using. The question still remains, should marijuana be legalized? Throughout this writing piece, information regarding different views and opinions on the legalization of marijuana will be presented, along with positive and negative effects this would have on our nation economically and medically.…

    • 1383 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    How would you feel if you had a degenerative disease and the one medicine that helped you the most was not allowed to be prescribed to you and was also illegal for you to obtain? That is the case for many Multiple Sclerosis(MS)patients today. MS affects patients in many different ways, but medical marijuana (Cannibis) can help releive the symptoms of MS in these patients, if only it was legal to prescribe.…

    • 563 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes has been an extremely controversial topic, one that has it supporters who have long fought the opposition. Although marijuana has been used for thousand of years to provide relief from many health problems, it still remains an illegal drug in the United States. There are many doctors who support the effectiveness of the use of marijuana as treatment for many medical conditions. People who oppose the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes would claim that legalizing the drug would lead to abuse of the drug for recreational use. This is important claim for the opposition. However, after looking at all the information that has been gathered…

    • 1121 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marijuana has been a part of humanity for almost as long as history has been recorded. Written references to the use of marijuana as a medicine date back nearly 5000 years.(L. Grinspoon and J. Bakalar. 1997 )…

    • 1051 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout history, marijuana “has been used for medicinal purposes all over the world” (Online Pot Organization, 2008). The oldest recorded use of marijuana was about 5000 years ago in China. “In the Chinese culture, one of the earliest uses of hemp was for “absentmindedness”” (Online Pot Organization, 2008). Other cultures used marijuana for pain, anxiety, hilarity, menstrual cycle induction (in women), and to make clothing and paper. Furthermore, “ancient Iranian literature implies that the hemp plant was used as an oil source” (Online Pot Organization, 2008). Marijuana is truly a substance that is versatile and useful in a number of ways.…

    • 2050 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    If something does more good ,than bad ,then is it truly bad? This is the case with marijuana. The United States groups marijuana in with much harsher drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and other opiates which are proven to lead to death. The federal government fails to realize the benefits which marijuana provides. These benefits range from helping the medical field expand into cheaper and more beneficial solutions to helping solve financial issues for state and federal governments. This implementation would be unnerving however most states have already legalized marijuana and their results provide a great pathway for a full legalization. Medical marijuana should be legal because it has legitimate medical uses,…

    • 1806 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Marijuana

    • 1770 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The use of marijuana in human civilization dates back to 6000 B.C. In this era, China found that cannabis seeds are edible and later discovered a greater use as textiles. From that time period, humanity has made significant advancement, and has discovered further uses for the marijuana plant. Today, marijuana can be used as medical cannabis to treat ailments that other medication cannot possibly treat. Although medical cannabis has some great benefits, in the many countries it is still illegal to possess and/or use. Thus the legalization of marijuana should be legalized through its promising and beneficial results.…

    • 1770 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Marijuana Exploratory

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages

    “The Marijuana Initiative Is a Silent Killed and It Should be Defeated – Los Angeles, March 25/PRNewswire/.”_PR Newswire: Press Release Distribution, Targeting, Monitoring and Marketing. _Web. 08 Apr. 2010.…

    • 928 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Medical Marijuana

    • 1773 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The legalization of marijuana has both positive and negative outcomes; although, the benefits of legalization outweigh the risks of the negative impacts. Marijuana is a natural plant with psycho-active properties that is commonly used by Americans as a recreational drug. Additionally, marijuana has been used for medical purpose for thousands of years. Records show that “A native of central Asia, cannabis may have been cultivated as much as ten thousand years go. It was certainly cultivated in China by 4000 B.C. and Turkestan by 3000 B.C.” (Grinspoon 3). Furthermore, from 1900 to 1940, marijuana, including opium and cocaine were considered part of everyday drugs. As time went on, the U.S. cracked down on crack and opium, eventually outlawing them, nut continued to be very “loose” with the…

    • 1773 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Medical Marijuana Research

    • 1930 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The term "marijuana" is a word with indistinct origins. Some believe it is derived from the Mexican words for "Mary Jane"; others hold that "marijuana" comes from. the Portuguese word marigu-ano which means "intoxicant" (Geller and Boas, 1969: 14). This section outlines the many and varied uses of marihuana through history, and deals with its use in medicine and its use as an intoxicant. The experience of the 1960's might lead one to surmise that marihuana use spreads explosively. The chronicle of its 3,000 year history, however, shows that this "explosion" has been characteristic only of the contemporary scene.…

    • 1930 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The use of illegal drugs in the twenty-first century is very common. Cannabis, also known as marijuana, and other well-known names, are among the most frequently used drugs today. Marijuana comes from cannabis sativa, which is a hemp plant. The plant contains a chemical which is known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Some people smoke marijuana in hand-rolled cigarettes or in pipes or water pipes while other mix marijuana in foods such as brownies, cookies, or candy, or brew it as a tea. There are a few benefits of using cannabis. It’s used as a medicinal drug and can minimize physical pain and alleviate psychological disorders, such as anxiety and depression. However, the use of cannabis…

    • 1806 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays