The Legalization of Marijuana Essay

The effects of marijuana on the reproductive system are a more complicated issue. In men, a single dose of THC lowers sperm count and the level of testosterone and other hormones. Tolerance to this effect apparently develops; in the Costa Rican study, marijuana smokers and controls had the same testosterone levels. Although the smokers in that study began using marijuana at an average age of 15, it had not affected their masculine development. There is no evidence that the changes in sperm count and testosterone produced by marijuana affect sexual performance or fertility.

     Long-term effects of alcohol are liver cirrhosis, stomach ailments, impotence, vitamin deficiency, increased stroke risk, decreased mental performance, heart disease, peptic ulcers, hepatitis, and various forms of cancer. Alcohols effects on the brain are loss of coordination, poor judgment, slowed reflexes, distorted vision, memory lapses, and even blackouts. Long-term effects of marijuana are mouth, throat, and lung cancer, increased heart rate, decrease in testosterone levels for men, increased testosterone levels for women, diminished sexual pleasure, increased blood pressure, increased stress, decreased motivation, and respiratory problems. The THC in marijuana damages the nerve cells in the part of the brain where memories are formed, making it hard to remember things.

Long-term effects of alcohol are liver cirrhosis, stomach ailments, impotence, vitamin deficiency, increased stroke risk, decreased mental performance, heart disease, peptic ulcers, hepatitis, and various forms of cancer. Alcohols effects on the brain are loss of coordination, poor judgment, slowed reflexes, distorted vision, memory lapses, and even blackouts. Long-term effects of marijuana are mouth, throat, and lung cancer, increased heart rate, decrease in testosterone levels for men, increased testosterone levels for women, diminished sexual pleasure, increased blood pressure, increased stress, decreased motivation, and respiratory problems. The THC in marijuana damages the nerve cells in the part of the brain where memories are formed, making it hard to remember things.

Marijuana is a mixture of the dried parts of the cannabis sativa hemp plant. Excessive marijuana use can lead to an addiction. The main chemical in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which moves quickly through the bloodstream and to the brain, causing mild hallucinogenic effects. THC binds with cannabdnob receptors and activates neurons, which causes adverse effects on the mind and body. THC can mimic or block actions of neurotransmitters and interfere with normal functions. Marijuana use can lead to disturbed thoughts and can worsen psychotic symptoms. The short-term effects of marijuana include impaired coordination; skewed sensory and time perception; difficulty with thinking; shortened attention span and distractibility; impaired learning and memory. Long term users of marijuana often experience lowered motivation and some can experience anxiety, panic attacks, respiratory illness, and increased heart rate and risk of heart attack.

This effect can last up to several hours after the drug has been smoked (National Institute on Drug Abuse ). The brain is another thing affected by smoking marijuana, leading to loss of memory in the brain. The nervous system also is affected when using this drug (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Loss of memory and the effects it has on the nervous system alone should raise concern for the American people. Continuing on with heath issues associated with the use of marijuana, it is proven to impair the immune system and can also promote tumor growth (Taylor). The immune system is essential to keep healthy because this is what fights off other illnesses within the body. Increased risk of lung cancer, and cognitive difficulties all can be associated with the use of marijuana (Wilbur). Research has proven smoking marijuana affects health several ways; even though most have been discussed take a look at the following chart, it will help visualize some health issues that are associated with smoking marijuana.

Fifth effect of using marijuana is that it causes harmful effects during pregnancy. Marijuana consists of an ingredient called THC. It is known that it passes from mother to the fetus through placenta. Hence any amount of marijuana can effect fetus and cause complications. Use of marijuana during pregnancy can also affect children reproduction and studies indicate that it effect the baby’s brain development process. Marijuana also decreases sperm quality and decreases the ability of sperm to move quickly; in addition it also changes the structure of

Why listen to random people when professionals can tell you the truth about the use of marijuana? An article written by Marty Nemko, “Legalize Pot? You Must Be High”, reported on research found from prestigious universities. This article suggests that marijuana eventually influences your memory. When you ingest a substance that is not supposed to be there it will have certain unforgiving affects.

Marijuana over stimulates the parts of the brain that contain the highest number of receptors and can also affect the way the brain develops. When people use marijuana they can potentially impair their thinking, memory, and learning functions that can in turn affect how their brain

Studies have shown that marijuana produces as many, if not more carcinogens than cigarettes do and also deposits four times as much tar into the body. Marijuana smoke is full of toxic gases and particles which can irritate the bronchial passages and lungs causing damage to the respiratory system. Regular marijuana smokers are more likely

smoking marijuana can cause you to lose brain cells and to forget how things were suppose to go

What is the affects marijuana has on the brain? Over the years there has been positive and negative affects shown of how marijuana use can affect your brain. Marijuana has been shown to be helpful to the treatment of patients with Aids, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, and chronic pain. However, research has confirmed that marijuana has harmful affects on the brain and the central nervous system. The prolonged use of marijuana has been shown to hinder the memory and movement of a person’s brain. Marijuana use invades the central nervous system by attaching to the brains neuron. It inhibits the mechanism of normal communication between the overall conductivity of the nervous system.

These short term effects caused by the consumption of marijuana can drastically effect one's ability to complete daily tasks, including working on a construction site or driving on the road. If marijuana were to be legalized, the number of on site accidents and car collisions would increase, as well as other accidents. The use of marijuana should be treated similarly to the consumption of alcohol when it comes to laws. Marijuana also has long term effects on the body. For example, depending on which way you use marijuana it has the potential to put your lungs at risk. Using papers or blunt wraps in order to smoke marijuana is bad for your lungs, because in order to inhale the THC which gives you the high, you must burn and inhale the smoke caused by what you are smoking. Damaged lungs or even cancer can occur from prolonged use of this method. Another long term effect of smoking marijuana is schizophrenia. Research shows that teens of eighteen years old smoking marijuana regularly are much more likely to develop schizophrenia at an older age than those who have never smoked marijuana.

THC from marijuana affects the the brain by disrupting coordination and balance by binding receptors in your brain.If marijuana is used heavily by young people it can also effect on thinking and memory (“National Institute on Drug Abuse”). When you smoke marijuana, you have a 4.8 fold increase in the risk of heart attack in the first hour after smoking (“National Institute on Drug Abuse”). That is sixty minutes people, which may seem like a lot but in reality it isn’t, in sixty minutes or less you have a greater risk of getting a heart attack. If that does not scare you about smoking marijuana I don’t know what

Marijuana should be legalized. There are billions to be made in tax revenue and it gives people freedom to do what they have been wanting to do the last 40 years. People all over the country are arrested every year for marijuana use and it is something they enjoy doing and it is known to be less toxic than alcohol and tobacco. Even though people believe marijuana is a harmful drug. Marijuana should be legalized because it can raise tax revenue and it can lower tax spending to enforce laws on the drug.

Marijuana is a very discussed topic that has been talked about since decades in the past and has not made legal. Weed has been categorized as a harmful drug and was made illegal back in 1937. Even though it was legalized in some states there is still a big amount of states that have not yet legalized it. Cannabis use can be traced back to ancient cultures and still continues in our present society despite legal curtailment, while it does have many medicinal factors, it can also help in many other ways. Weed isn’t as harmful as other drugs, it should be legalized based on all the beneficial factors it contains, which includes helping your system but also helping in many other ways.