Marijuana Is A Plant First And Foremost...

After watching the CNN documentary WEED,(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-bYi-LkDTo) I felt brave enough to blog about the cannabis plant. I have been hesitant for some time now to give my opinion on the subject of marijuana because of the controversial nature of the topic, but after almost being moved to tears by the touching documentary hosted by Sanjay Gupta, I could not resist because he only confirmed my thoughts about marijuana.

Let me first start out by saying that I do not advocate the use of dangerous street drugs, neither do I advocate the abuse of prescription drugs. However, I have never, nor will I ever consider marijuana to be a "dangerous drug" and therefore I do not think it belongs in the category of street drugs. I believe it ought to be considered equal to if not better than the consumption of alcohol or cigarettes which are legal but have caused more damages or death directly or indirectly. I say "better than" because in all my life, I have never heard of someone dying directly or even indirectly from marijuana. That is, there are no statistics out there that can link marijuana with accidents or death but the mortality rate that stems from the intake of alcohol and cigarettes are overwhelming.

However, before I expound any further on my perspective of marijuana, I would like to state some facts about marijuana that should enlighten many people that are anti-marijuana simply because they were indoctrinated on the negative effects of marijuana and probably did not take the time out to research credible reports out there on the plant and the use of marijuana.

Many studies show that marijuana has psychoactive effects on users due to the THC property that is found in the cannabis plant. This property travels to the brain in the blood stream by way of the lungs and heart after an individual smoke the substance. Once it reaches the brain, a series of activities takes place that ultimately leads to the release of the chemical Dopamine which is the reason individuals will feel a sense of euphoria, "high or "buzz". Many people actually try to obtain different strains of marijuana with greater THC potency so that they can achieve the ultimate high. However, using marijuana in a controlled environment often times only leads to moments of deep relaxation and increase in appetite.

Another negative effect of marijuana that has been tossed around as a reason to stay away from marijuana is that theory that smoking weed also leads to the decrease in or loss of motivation to complete tasks. While this may be the case for some people, I have found that it is not a guaranteed effect of marijuana. What I have found instead is that many people will wait until they get off from work and are trying to wind down. They will smoke weed in order to quickly reach a state of relaxation. In other cases, people will smoke before work as a way to reduce their tension so that they can face their day with a better attitude. I do in fact notice that the individual might actually be less alert and sometimes slow down their cognitive process and overall movement but they remain quite functional.

Another substance that is found in marijuana but is being accredited more and more for its medicinal property is the compound CBD. It is claimed by Sanjay Gupta and a few other daring doctors that both THC and CBD kill cancer cells. In addition to this, marijuana has been known to help patients suffering from depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), (http://medicalmarijuana.com/experts/expert/title.cfm?artID=65). It has also been used to diminish pain in patients, increase appetite, and even help to reduce high blood pressure. However, the most compelling claim that I have heard was on Dr. Sanjay Gupta's documentary "Weed" where a five year old who suffered from Dravet Syndrome and suffered from over 300 seizures a day was able to live normal life after being treated with cannabis. The parents had exhausted treatment and medical options, none of which improved the child's condition. It was not until the parents decided to try marijuana that was low in THC and high in CBD that the child showed significant improvement. They extracted the oils from the plant and administered doses of the oil to their daughter via syringes. The result was fast acting and effective.

In my personal experience, people that I have observed smoking marijuana have claimed that it treated headaches and toothaches. I have known college students who claimed that they were able to study better and retain more information from studying after smoking the plant because it allowed them to relax and concentrate and even allowed them to understand the material better. One memorable instance I have observed, was when a friend of mine had smoked some marijuana prior to work. This person was a regular smoker of marijuana as well. The person was a landscaper. The person's demeanor was quite mellow for the entire morning and you could tell that they were "buzzing", however, it did not interfere with the job and even more impressive was the fact that each time the person asked for something to be tossed to them, they caught it with such precision, that it was clear that their reflexes were in tact despite their "buzz". It was amazing because people generally expect the opposite. I was able to see the claim by Dr. Sanjay Gupta that regular marijuana users were more functional after smoking marijuana than occasional users, in practice.

I believe that due to the fact that marijuana is a plant, it is possible to find many properties that can cure many ailments that affect the human body as herbs are widely known to do that. In Jamaica, many people could actually go into their backyards or to the market, select a herb or plant root remedies to treat simple ailments. An example of this would be a plant we call "fever bush". I remember occasions when I would get a fever and my mother would acquire the "fever bush" and make some tea with it and give it to me. In about an hour or so I would be feeling better. There are many people in my country that know of natural remedies that could cure high blood pressure or cure blood clots as well as ridding the body of unhealthy toxins overall. This not only saved on hospital bills but also reduced side effects that occurs when we take prescription drugs. It may be a simplistic view to have but considering that marijuana is a plant as well, I believe that it also has the capacity to naturally treat or cure many diseases and ailments and studies have shown that this claim is in fact true. Of course, some plants are poisonous such as poison ivy, and clearly not fit for consumption. Realistically speaking, marijuana is not like such plants.

Of course, organizations are concerned that if states should start legalizing marijuana across the board then the repercussions can be quite devastating because we may not only be encouraging a nation of addicts but would also be making it easy for marijuana users to carry out tasks while under the influence, some of which might be hazardous for themselves and others around them. However, I do not believe that this can be any different from legalization of alcohol which statistically had even more fatalities than ever when it pertains to overdosing or completing tasks such as driving while under the influence. Since the research on marijuana is still a slow and lingering process, making the use of marijuana compatible with the law is clearly the answer. By this I mean, implement regulations that encourages that marijuana users smoke in moderation and smoke responsibly.

Another thing that we need to understand is that marijuana sales are through the roof despite its illegal status. Many people make a living selling the plant for whatever reasons, whether it is for medicinal use or recreational use. With unemployment being a real crises for many individuals, self-employment or creative methods of employment have increased. However, because the use of marijuana is illegal, so is the selling or distribution of the plant. This places added pressure on those that sell marijuana part-time or full-time making it more difficult to benefit from the sale of marijuana. Conventional individuals believe that this is the correct way to go. However, for others who empathize with the struggles of the unemployed or individuals who receive low income, we understand that this is a "necessary evil" for many marijuana sellers.

I believe that people need to recondition their initial ideas and reconsider the potential of this plant. I believe that the study of marijuana should be federally funded if it is not being federally funded already. I think that we are sitting on something that has great potential to improve humanity in it's natural form as well as in it's isolated form. I believe that marijuana can be modified to increase or decrease chemical components that can be used to treat whatever disease at whatever age and as such we cannot ignore the fact that we have the ability to genetically alter this plant to suit our medical needs. We need to also look at the fact that it is a source of income for many individuals. We need to take a practical approach to the marijuana plant and I hope that I will live to see the day when marijuana is legalized world wide.