Good Reasons Not to Legalize Pot There has been much debate online and on the legislative floors of the 50 states whether to make Marijuana legal for pain sufferers in modest medical stores around the country that would be certified by the states; much like California and Colorado. This article will point out the reasons why we should not legalize this psychologically additive substance and where it would lead to if we did. What Does Pot Do to the Brain? A lot of the facts & stats in this article are spotlighted from a report from “The National Institute on Drug Abuse.� First off I myself was a digger back in the hippy dippy days of peace & love, the Beatles & the Stones. From what I observed at the time is that marijuana ingestion did indeed lead to the abuse of other substances, was a stairway drug leading to the introduction to psychedelics, downers & uppers, and the freelancing of pot to buy harder narcotics. Heads (stoners) back then
were always searching for new ways to get stoned. Pot was just the low end introduction to the drug world. Ask any homeless person where he started abusing drugs in the Institute report it says 87% started on their drug trip with pot! Now for Some Facts & Stats The active ingredient in marijuana is THC whose chemical structure is quite like anandamide, a brain chemical. When the brain recognizes the similarity when the drug is ingested the body changes the normal brains way of communication. When pot is smoked entering your bloodstream THC targets certain molecules in the brain named cannabinoid receptors. Brain receptors are usually activated by brain chemicals that are like THC. These are natural to the brain and are a part of your nerve transmitting network named the endocannabinoid system. What Pot Does Mariujuana ingestion or the “high� you get then changes part of the brain functions that influence
and intensifies listening pleasure (groovy tunes), memory (short term memory loss), normal thinking (cannot solve problems), concentration (thinking is scatological), sensory & perception of time (lose track of time and sensory reception), mood changes (uncontrollable laughing for no reason), makes you extremely hungry(leads to obesity) and movement that needs coordination (temporarily lose your sense of coordination). Back in the day it was called losing your cool. When continued pot smoking occurs in the teens to the later young adult years and beyond it will affect brain development and will stunt your thinking & memory skills as well as become a permanent affect. Studies Show
Adolescent pot users showed reduced cognitive connectivity around areas of the brain that control memory & learning. The brain cells will not mature as they
should and your mental health is at risk because of delusionary effects (paranoia). Other Health Ailments of Marijuana Recreational pot use has shown effects on mental health & the cardiopulmonary system. A recent article on MailOnLine.com detailed a report that said four college students celebrating a birthday party in Oregon with marijuana laced cake put one person in a coma and cause the other three to become violently ill. The lady in a coma later died! Pot smoke is an irritant to the lungs and can bring on respiratory induced problems like a smokers cough, illnesses of the chest, lung infections, the production of phlegm in the throat, and eventually make you look older than your years because of the wrinkling of the skin or a wasted look. Your heart rate will rise right after you smoke pot to 20-100% and can last up to three hours. People with heart disease are more apt to have a bad reaction
over time. Studies show a four to eight fold increase in heart related problems right after getting high. The chances are even greater the older you are. Mental Health Issues Drug abuse studies have found smoking the chronic can and eventually will cause some form of mental disease. Marijuana today has 15-20% THC content that can produce reactions of temporary psychotic episodes that could range from hallucinations to paranoia. It can also, in some people, cause extreme reactions with users who are schizophrenic causing their conditions to worsen. Heavy pot use has been linked in adolescents to extreme anxiety, severe depression, personality dysfunctions, thoughts of suicide, and a lack of motivation to achieve. This has in turn led to suicide attempts, students dropping out of school, paranoia for no reason in some, and a complete lack of trust towards the older generation. Affects Motor Skills
The institute also showed that using pot while driving raises your risk factor 50 fold because it impairs judgment skills and doubles your chances of becoming involved in an accident. As you know, however, people who abuse drugs will also have drank alcohol along with smoking pot. What you then have is a person that could be hallucinating while intoxicated at the same time while driving impaired. Not a good scenario. THC Content Increasing Some extreme potent breeds of pot are increasing into the 20% potency category. With higher concentrations of the psychoactive drug it means a better possibility of an adverse reaction. With higher potency the THC remains in the system longer causing greater chance at having a negative effect. Exposing your brain to high levels for a longer time with the delusionary & paranoia aspect of the drug called into play only allows more chance for something to go wrong.
Can You Get Hooked? The common knowledge is that it is not addictive. However, drug abuse studies show that it is physiologically addictive to the point that long term users who try to stop have withdrawal episodes that include: sleeplessness – loss of appetite – drug craving – irritability – along with depression. Treatment There has been help in drug rehab clinics with cognitive behavioral therapy along with motivational bribes that have been tested to be effective in the treatment of users. To this date, however, there has been no known drug that helps with the treatment in rehab or helps relapse.