Marijuana
My marijuana research generally came from my struggles and addiction to it. Nonetheless, most people in various societies negatively perceive marijuana or cannabis because of misinformation regarding its role in helping most human beings despite having a form of addiction. An example is most individuals still tend to drink alcohol, although it kills more than marijuana does, and most people still celebrate by drinking or consuming alcohol. Typically, this drug is a plant responsible for treating several diseases and has been used for over a thousand years. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with ingesting marijuana; it is only that in the current regime, we have generally been convinced that cannabis is not suitable for consumption in human health. However, the plant should also not be excessively consumed as it has severe adverse side effects and can alter or affect an individual’s mental state.
Personal Connection
My struggle with marijuana or cannabis addiction began at a very early stage of my life, and I hope it enlightens you because if it were not for it, I probably would not be here. I started using marijuana at a very young age to help me appropriately deal with life stressors while growing up in the projects of San Francisco. My mother was a prostitute, and my father was in and out of jail. Typically, I was one of the frequent users, and it played a vital role in helping me deal with matters surrounding anxiety and mental health. However, I stopped when I joined the army and continued after getting out of the military. I also introduced my grandmother to marijuana to help her deal with the remission arising from breast and stomach cancer.
Nevertheless, smoking marijuana made me happy as I could fit in the flourishing city of San Francisco. It also made me forget all the challenges we were facing as a family. Thus, marijuana gave me a world where I was happy and satisfied. However, smoking in the early stages of life was one of the biggest mistakes as my brain was still developing since marijuana often leads to decreased cognitive function in teens (Han & Palamar, 2018). In addition, it leads to abnormalities and alteration of neural activities. Several studies have also indicated that the use of marijuana may bring respiratory diseases and complications, heart attack, cancer, and the development of Cannabinoid Hyperemesis syndrome.
I used to smoke almost every day; little did I know that this would have made me addicted and influenced my grandmother to consume marijuana to help her overcome the remissions of breast and stomach cancer. It was a tremendous and vital tool towards my transformation and forgetting the challenges my family was undergoing. It also played a crucial role in making me feel better and reducing anxiety in critical social situations (Lincoln, 2019). Whenever I smoked cannabis, it made me connect and link up towards the higher side, making me easily connect and find areas where I need to improve to help my struggling family.
Additionally, it helped me connect well with my fellow local friends in San Francisco. However, although I was using it to ease or forget my trouble feelings and challenges, it brought me some problems and health complications. As a result of this, I began smoking it at a very young age and used it more often. Eventually, I stopped consuming or smoking marijuana when I joined the army, as it was illegal to use cannabis in the military. In the United States, military marijuana is prohibited, but initially, it was used for recreation and as a form of medicine in the twentieth century. However, I support that this drug should be federally legalized because it has medicinal values, as discussed below.
The Medicinal Use of Marijuana
In the United States of America, the most common medical use for marijuana and cannabis is pain reduction and control. However, it is not a strong painkiller for relieving severe pain, especially pain in a broken bone or post-surgical pain. Nonetheless, it is one of the most common and effective chronic pain suitable for millions of people, especially as they continue aging (Amin & Ali, 2019). In addition, it plays a vital role in lessening the pain of multiple sclerosis and general nerve pain. There are also limited options in this section, and the few available options tend to act in a highly sedating manner. However, most patients argue that marijuana only allows them to resume their activities and programs without completely healing or feeling better (Karst, 2018). In addition, marijuana helps in muscle relaxation and lessens the existing tremors in “Parkinson’s disease. It also helps in the process of mitigating weight loss issues and nausea as well as treating glaucoma.
Interviews
I conducted four interviews with different people who smoke and are addicted to marijuana. Three of the individuals I interviewed said that they smoke marijuana mainly because of the social problems in their families. Thus, they use marijuana to forget about these issues and live a happy life in disguise. One of the individuals I interviewed was using marijuana as a form of mitigating and reducing pain.
In conclusion, the medicinal form of marijuana has more benefits and advantages than disadvantages, especially when used correctly and rightfully. If abused by individuals aiming to forget their social and family problems, then there is a higher possibility that it might bring serious complications. For teenagers, it might cause an alteration in the connectivity and cause a reduced volume in some areas of the brain.
References
Amin, M. R., & Ali, D. W. (2019). Pharmacology of medical cannabis. Recent Advances in Cannabinoid Physiology and Pathology, 151-165. Web.
Han, B. H., & Palamar, J. J. (2018). Marijuana use by middle-aged and older adults in the United States, 2015–2016. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 191, 374-381. Web,
Karst, A. (2018). Weighing the benefits and risks of medical marijuana use: A brief review. Pharmacy, 6(4), 128. Web.
Lincoln, G. (2019). An overview of the drug epidemic in the United States with a focus on opioids, cocaine, and marijuana. Web.