The Impact of Marijuana and Its "Therapeutic Effects"

With the ever-growing opioid epidemic, largely stemming from prescription opioids, researchers have chosen to look elsewhere for relief of pain. One such method is medical marijuana. The use of marijuana for medicinal purposes has been proven to help treat pain and fight diseases that traditional western medicine cannot. However, marijuana used for recreation has more repercussions, such as altering a person’s perception and cognitive abilities and the health problems associated with secondhand smoke. Thus, medical marijuana, not recreational, should be legalized.

Helps ‘Untreatable’ Conditions

Prescription drug overdoses are the leading cause of accidental deaths in society. Medical marijuana can be the source for effective treatment for pain and reduces the chances of dependences on opioid-based medications. Patients claim the use of medical marijuana is more successful for pain than traditional opioid-based medications. Doctors have found that there are two main cannabinoids that the medical field are interested in are THC and CBD. THC increases appetite and reduce nausea, yet it may also decrease pain, inflammation and muscle control issues. CBD though, is a cannabinoid that doesn’t make people “high”, CBD isn’t popular for recreational use because of that. Although CBD , may be useful in reducing pain and inflammation, controlling epileptic seizures and the possibility of treating mental illness & addictions. The FDA has an approved CBD-based liquid medication called Epidiolex for the treatment of server childhood epilepsy, Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Recent studies have shown that marijuana extracts might help kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of others. One study suggests that purified extracts from whole-plant marijuana can slow the growth of cancer cells from one of the most serious types of brain tumors. Research has shown that using purified extracts of THC and CBD when used with radiation, increased the cancer killing effects of the radiation. Scientists are conduction a preclinical and clinical test with marijuana with its extracts to treat symptoms of illness and other conditions like, HIV/AIDS and MS (multiple sclerosis).

Marijuana second-hand smoke

Even though marijuana has the products for being helpful in life as a medical product. If it becomes recreational it also has its downfalls like second-hand smoke. Marijuana can pose harm to users/non-users. The second-hand smoke is seen as the same as a regular cigarette smoker. There are at least thirty-three known carcinogens in marijuana smoke and if the comparison to regular cigarette smoke it’s very similar. It’s known that there’s a difference between smoking a cigarette compared to smoking marijuana, the difference is marijuana smokers will take the smoke in & holds it in longer than regular cigarette smokers thus have a higher exposure to carcinogens and the increase to lung cancer.

Marijuana smoking has been reported to have an increase the risk of respiratory problems, for instance, inflammation of the large airways, increased airway resistance, lung hyperinflation and systems of chronic bronchitis. Five respiratory infections/pneumonia have been reported at increased rates by marijuana smothers. A small number of studies by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found associations between marijuana smoking and cants of the lung, head and neck, bladder, brain and testis. “In a study found people who around a active marijuana smoker and those exposed to second-hand smoke experience a similar pattern of intoxication; however, the latter consistently report weaker drug effects than active smokers” (Holitzki, H. Dowsett, L.E., Spackman, E., Noseworthy, T., & Clement, F. (2017).

Marijuana Alter’s your Perception

Amongst everything known about Marijuana and why it shouldn’t be legalized recreationally is for the fact it alters their perception. Similar to alcohol, it can lead to impaired driving. Impaired driving is simple to happen it doesn’t matter if it’s smoked, dabbed, or even consumed in edibles, recreational or medical, it can lead to impaired driving and lead to something much worse… Jail time. There are various terms used to identify or log driving while intoxicated, be from alcohol, marijuana or even prescription medication. Those terms are the following, Driving While Ability Impaired (DWAI), Driving While Ability Impaired Drugs, Driving While Ability Impaired Combined Influence, Driving Under {The} Influence (DUI), and Driving While Intoxication (DWI). For instance, in Texas, a possession of even a tiny amount of marijuana can land you not only in jail for 180 days but also a fine up to 2,000 dollars.

Conclusion

Taking everything into consideration, medical marijuana should be passed and not recreational. Marijuana based on a medical standpoint is a good thing, it can help patients with their pain (i.e. inflammation, muscle cramps etc.) yet passing for marijuana used for recreation has more repercussions, such as altering a person’s perception and cognitive abilities and the health problems associated with secondhand smoke. Thus, medical marijuana, not recreational, should be legalized.

In this essay is a mixture of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos, a type of template for a writer to use to help get their opinions out easier. The definition of Ethos is the ethical appeal, convince an audience of author’s credibility or character. Ethos can be found in this essay by the words, words that can really help give the persona that the individual who typed this essay has a strong character on the stand of this issue. Including from Ethos is Pathos, Pathos is the emotional appeal. The Emotional appeal is found in the context of the understanding on how marijuana is helping medical patients with their issues (i.e. pain, inflammation etc.). Yet also has the concern for how it can affect the rest of society if it becomes recreational. Lastly would be Logos or the use of logic or reason. Logo is strongly seen in the essay from facts being written out to even the efficient effect it can have on an individual if they are caught with marijuana that isn’t a small fine they have to pay. Using Ethos, Pathos & Logos can easily help anybody get their opinion out there as a valid argument, because it really highlights the main viewpoints that can really hook any reader into your paper, book, or even argument.

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