oil: a thick, concentrated oil made by dissolving, filtering, and then evaporating the resin. This is much stronger than all of the above and is classified as a Class A drug in the UK, the same as heroin or cocaine.
Why Cannabis should be legalized?
Some people may find the effects of cannabis a good thing.
The desired effects experienced by users are talkativeness, cheerfulness, relaxation and greater senses of colour and sound.
Cannabis users often describe the experience of smoking the drug as initially ‘Relaxing and mellow’, creating a feeling of haziness and light headedness. This is known as being ‘High’ or ‘Stoned’.
Cannabis is also proven to be less addictive than amphetamines, tobacco, or alcohol and less harmful to the body. The effects of cannabis generally last for up to four hours depending on the amount used, and the body resumes normal service after that. There is no 'hangover' as with alcohol, instead users describe the feeling as being 'woolly-headed'.
A government report shows that high use of cannabis isn’t associated with major health or sociological problems, unlike harder drugs such as cocaine, heroine, ecstasy etc..
A leading oxford scientist reports that Cannabis is less harmful than Aspirin. The Science of Marijuana, by Dr Leslie Iversen of Oxford University's department of pharmacology, found many "myths" surrounding cannabis use, such as extreme addictiveness, or links with mental illness or infertility are not supported by science.
Cannabis is sometimes used in medicines. These medicines provide relief of spasticity for patients with Multiple Sclerosis. It has been shown to significantly reduce intractable spasticity (spasms and stiffness) in people with Multiple Sclerosis.
He also found cannabis is an inherently "safe drug" which does not lead to cancer, infertility, brain damage or mental illness. Legalization of the drug for medical conditions should be considered, he says.
Why cannabis shouldn’t be legalized.
However, Cannabis has many bad side effects.
It becomes physiologically addictive and can cause heavy users to display aggressive behaviors if their supply stops.
The fear.
Not all the effects of cannabis are pleasant. High doses can cause mild hallucinations and sensory distortions. Users refer to this as ‘Getting fear’.
Other side effects can also be mild panic attacks and paranoia. These are usually experienced by people who take the drug while already feeling anxious or depressed.
Nausea and vomiting can occur; this is far more likely if cannabis has been used in conjunction with alcohol. His is known as a ‘white’ or ‘Spinout’.
According to a recent study, 10-15% of people who smoked cannabis reported feelings of confusion or paranoia as a disadvantage of taking the drug. Around 30% gave these negative experiences as their reason for permanently quitting cannabis.
Users can also experience short term memory loss, mild hallucinations and reduced coordination. This is due to the temporary confusion of parts of the brain which normally control these functions: the hippocampus, cerebellum and basal ganglia.
Taking cannabis for a long time may have lasting effects on the memory. According to new research, the memory and attention span of users seems to get worse the longer they take the drug. Long-term users also show an impaired ability to learn, and it is not clear whether giving up cannabis enables hem to recover.
Cannabis contains more than 400 chemicals, including 'cannabidiolic acid' - an antibiotic with similar properties to penicillin. However, the main psychoactive ingredient is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC. To simplify a very long and complicated story, THC mimics the actions of receptors in the brain called 'neurotransmitters' and interferes with normal functions – rather like a child randomly pressing buttons on a control panel.
Many doctors and scientists have discovered cannabis can cause many illnesses such as HIV, Cancer, multiply sclerosis and glaucoma.
Lung cancer
One of the main illnesses caused from cannabis is Lung cancer. Cannabis smokers inhale more smoke for loner than cigarette smokers, so they take in four times as mush tar. If you also smoke normal cigarettes on top of this, your tar intake can be extremely high. Additionally, the tar phase of cannabis smoke contains higher concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) than tobacco smoke. As PAHs are carcinogenic, the lung cancer risks get even higher. A Recent study by the British Lung Foundation found that just three cannabis joints a day cause the same as 20 cigarettes.
In the UK Cannabis plants and resin are class C drugs. Cannabis is a schedule 1 Drug meaning that it is considered to have no legitimate therapeutic use.
Despite declassification, production, possession and distribution of cannabis is still illegal and you can be arrested. In most cases of possession, arrest is less likely; usually the drug would just be confiscated and a warning would be given. The likelihood of being arrested increases depending on the area you are in. For example... public areas or schools.
Personally, I feel that cannabis shouldn’t be legalized. Many people who don’t need to use cannabis for any medical reasons could take it, and this could case unnecessary harm.
I feel that there are other ways in which people can feel ‘high’ from doing exercise or laughing.
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