FREE ESSAY ON CANNABIS SATIVA

CANNABIS SATIVA

Hemp is the plant called cannabis sativa which is more commonly called marijuana.Marijuana
has been illegal in the U.S.. ever since the Great Depression. The question we must ask
ourselves is why?Why is a drug that has so many beneficial uses illegal? Is it because
its poisoning the youth of today? Is it because itleads to harder drugs, the health
problems, the addictiveness, the short-term memory impairment, the auto accidents,or is
it simply because politicians tell us it is for our own good? We have grown up learning
that marijuana is aterrible drug, and that using it gives us brain damage, kill all of
our brain cells, and makes us lose our memory.The fact is though, that marijuana does not
effect us in any of the ways listed above. The idea that marijuanaimpairs short-term
memory is true, but misleading. Any signs of short-term memory impairment vanish once the
user isno longer intoxicated. Mainly the reason we think marijuana is bad is because that
is what the Partnership for aDrug-Free America wants us to believe. They tell us that
marijuana will cause brain damage and memory impairment,it will kill brain cells, and
lead to more crime. But what they forget to mention is all the benefits we can receive
fromlegalizing marijuana. For example, the medicinal uses, and the textile and
construction uses. It is very likely thatlegalizing marijuana would decrease the crime
rate, and by legalizing marijuana we will save a lot of money becausewe won't have to
spend it on fighting marijuana as part of the War on Drugs. There are many habits much
worsethan marijuana, one example being cigarette smoking. Tobacco smoking kills more
people each year than AIDS,heroin, crack, cocaine, alcohol, car accidents, fire and
murder combined. Tobacco smoking is the number onecause of preventable death in the US.
Tobacco smokers have 10 times the lung cancer of nonsmokers, twice theheart disease, and
are three times more likely to die of heart disease if they develop it. Does it make
sense thattobacco is legal and marijuana is not, when so many people die from tobacco
smoking each year and there is not onereported case of anyone ever dying from marijuana
use in its 10,000 years of consumption? You have probably heardthat one joint is that
same as 10 cigarettes, but this statement is misleading. ALthough marijuana contains the
sameamount of carcinogens as an equal amount of tobacco and more tar, tobacco is still
worse. Every yr 350,000Americans die from tobacco-related disease according to the
American Lung Association. A tobacco smokerconsumes much more tobacco than a marijuana
smoker consumes marijuana. This is probably because tobaccohas a 90% addiction rate while
marijuana is less addictive than caffeine. Also, tobacco contains nicotine that mayharden
the arteries and may be responsible for much of the heart diseases caused by cigarette
smoking. Marijuana onthe other hand contains the chemical THC which opens up the lungs
and aids in the clearance of smoke and dirt. Ithink it is safe to say that tobacco
smoking is much more dangerous than marijuana smoking. Another bad habit isalcohol, which
in my opinion is the worst of all. 8,000 American teenagers are killed each year and
40,000maimed from driving under the influence. The mortality figures for alcohol use are
100,000 annually, compared to thezero marijuana deaths. The amount of marijuana needed to
kill someone is 1 to 40,000, while the ratio for alcoholfluctuates between 1 to 4 and 1
to 10. Not only do many people die each year from alcohol poisoning, but alcoholhas
caused thousands of fatal car accidents. Although, marijuana, when used to the point of
intoxication, impairsjudgement and reaction time, actual studies suggest that the effect
alcohol has on one's driving ability is muchgreater than that of marijuana. In fact, it
is found that 85% of marijuana related car accidents also involved alcohol. It issad to
think that a legal drug like alcohol, the drug of choice for most teens, causes so many
fatalities on ourhighways each year, yet marijuana is the drug that is illegal. I
personally feel that marijuana is an amazing plant, andit should be being utilized today.
The problem is that most people don't know the benefits that can come frommarijuana.
There are many different beneficial ways for which marijuana can be used. Marijuana can
be used formedical and textile uses, for food, for fuels, and for the economy. First of
all, marijuana could be used for food. It isbelieved that enough food is grown worldwide
to feed everyone and that famine exists because there are not sufficientmeans of
distribution. So why not let people grow their own marijuana? Marijuana grows like a weed
and has fewinsect pests. It is usually grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
Hemp improves the quality of the soilbecause it is grown without pesticides and chemical
fertilizers. Hemp is not finicky and grows under many differentconditions and has one of
the largest worldwide distributions of any plant. It is very nutritious and it contains
highamounts of protein and essential fatty oils. The average adult can receive an
adequate amount of protein and oilsfrom just one handful of hemp seed a day. If this is
the case, which it is, why are people starving around the worldwhen the solution is
marijuana for food? Hemp could also be used for fuel. By using marijuana for fuel wecould
reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. Hemp can also
be used for heatinghomes. Using marijuana for fuel would not only help our environment
save us a lot of money for fuel, but it would alsobenefit our economy by allowing the
country to make huge profits because the cost of growing marijuana isvirtually nothing.
Another way marijuana can be used is for clothes, fibers, and paper. Marijuana has been
used in thepast for textile and construction and should be used today. For example, the
first pair of Levi's jeans weremade from marijuana because it is extremely durable. ALso,
sailors used marijuana in canvas for their sailsbecause it does become corroded from the
sea water. The pulp fibers of marijuana can be used for making paper,which would reduce
the amount of trees that are cut down. One acre of hemp will make the same amount
andquality of paper as 4 acres of 20 yr old trees without the need for chlorine in the
bleaching process and, creating notoxic dioxin pollutants. What I'm wondering in why
haven't we used marijuana for paper all along? I think it is senselessthat are constantly
cutting down trees and destroying rain forests when there is another alternative. There
is only 4%of America's old growth forest still remaining, and yet we are still cutting
them down like they will grow backinstantly. The fact is that it may take a lifetime for
what has already been destroyed to grow back, so why keep ruiningAmerica's old growth
forests when growing marijuana grows much more quickly and it is cheaper?
Mostimportantly, marijuana should be legalized for medicinal reasons. Hemp can be used to
treat many diseases, some of whichinclude: multiple sclerosis, depression, epilepsy,
migraine headaches, asthma, glaucoma, cancer treatment, AIDStreatment, emphysema, and
stress reduction. This list does not even include the many medicines that can be made
frommarijuana, it only includes the illnesses for which marijuana is used today.
Marijuana is commonly used forcontrolling nausea and vomiting in cancer and AIDS patients
that are being treated with chemotherapy or AZT.Because of nausea caused by chemotherapy,
these patients sometimes can't eat, which could kill them. One way ofcontrolling the
nausea is to smoke marijuana, but the problem is that it is illegal. So what are they
supposed to do,starve? I don't think there is anything wrong with smoking marijuana,
especially if it means their happiness. Myneighbor, Jason, has an aunt who is dying of
cancer. She has very little chance of beating this disease, and wants to becomfortable
for the time she has left. She doesn't want to be on all the heavy drugs. She tells Jason
that she wouldrather be in pain than be all drugged up. She hates feeling dizzy,
lightheaded, and sedated. When she smokesmarijuana she feels much better. The pain
doesn't go away completely, but at least she can function. I think the fact that shecould
be put in jail for smoking marijuana is terrible. It is okay for a patient to be on
serious narcotics to kill thepain, but smoking marijuana is out of the question.
Marijuana has no side effects, whereas drugs likeDemerol and morphine have both
short-term and long-term effects on the patient. The short-term effects are
dizziness,sedation, itching and rash, respiratory depression, delirium, decreased
heartbeat, vomiting, disorientation,hallucinations, decreased cough reflex, and problems
with urination. The long-term effects can actually be more seriousthan some of the
illnesses, one example is liver damage. Marijuana, however, has no side affects, except
sometimeseuphoria, which is minor compared to the serious effects of narcotics. Glaucoma
and multiple sclerosis are alsoillnesses in which marijuana is sometimes used. Glaucoma,
the second leading cause of blindness, is caused byuncontrollable eye pressure. Marijuana
helps control the eye pressure and keeps glaucoma from leading to blindness.Another
illness that marijuana is used for is multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is the
disease in which thebody's immune system attacks the nerve cells. Marijuana can stop the
spasms from occurring and can prevent thedisease from getting worse. Marijuana should be
legalized in th US because it has medicinal and textilepurposes which can benefit
everyone. Marijuana can be used as a material for clothing and the effects it has on
bothcancer and AIDS patients are positive. Marijuana is inexpensive to grow, allowing us
to obtain a huge profit on themedicinal and textile industries, and it can be used as an
alternative form of cigarettes. If the US governmentwere to take hold of this operation,
new jobs would open and money for the War on Drugs could be distributed toother programs.
Marijuana must not be ignored or destroyed. Marijuana's many uses are not and
cannotcurrently be used to its fullest potential because of the drug laws. Among the most
important uses of marijuana arefor medical and health reasons, and textile and
construction materials. The undeniable truth is that the benefits thatcan come from
legalizing marijuana greatly outweigh the weak and unsupportive myths that keep this
great resourcefrom being utilized. The solution to this problem is to legalize marijuana
and its many uses today. By legalizingmarijuana, many problems would be solved. The only
way for marijuana to be legalized though, is with the supportand help of everyone. Now
that you have a good understanding of what some of the many uses marijuana has,
you'llhelp to decide. The most important step to making marijuana legal is educating the
public. One of the biggestproblems is that the people who know about marijuana and agree
that it should be legalized are too busy and too paranoidto help. If you are interested
in helping, there are several organizations you could join. These organizationsneed your
help with getting the word about marijuana out, so join one of the many committees in
putting this issueonto the ballots and into legislatures of this country, where everyone
can state their opinions in a straight forwardmanner set forth in our United States' and
individual states constitutions. The Florida Legalization Organization islooking for
sponsors for the Hemp Re-Legalization Act which will re-legalize hemp for food, fuel,
fiber, medicine,recreation, sacramental uses and almost all known purposes. One of the
most important things you can do to helpis talk about marijuana today, talk to friends,
parents, co-workers, etc. Tell them you think marijuana should belegalized, you may
actually be surprised at how many people will agree. Talk about the medicinal uses for
marijuana ,and the many other uses you know about. You could photocopy fliers and
literature and pass them around tofriends or anyone for that matter. Spread the word
about marijuana and have your friends pass the information alongto others. Post fliers
about meetings on campus or in the library. This is an easy way to inform people
aboutmarijuana. Mostly what these organizations need is volunteers, and funding for
office supplies, printing, postage,transportation, telephone, etc. You can also write
letters to elected officials such as the president, senator, or state orlocal officials.
Maybe even spend some time with a local group doing telephone outreach, folding and
mailingliterature, etc. Finally, you can donate money and resources to activist groups
like NORML, BACH, HEMP, etc. Ithink that the best way in spreading the word about
marijuana is by talking about it. Go to the rallies with somefriends that are unsure
about the idea, and they can find out for themselves what it is all about. Also, go to
Hempfest,they are a lot of fun from what I hear. They usually are much more fun than
rallies and they are very educational. So,if there is any question in your mind about
legalizing marijuana you should definitely attend. Every year the numberof people that go
to Hempfest gets bigger and bigger, but it is still not big enough. They need your
support.Whatever you do, do it right away, This is an important issue that needs to be
resolved soon and chances are that if youdon't get started right away, you never will.