Sunday, October 19, 2014

Chapter Six: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Frequently Asked Questions
  • What is marijuana?
    • Marijuana is the flower portion of the female cannabis plant that exists it three distinctive subtypes, based on their primary effects. The subtypes are cannabis sativa, cannabis indica, and cannabis ruteralis.
  • What is THC?
    • Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the primary psychoactive agent in marijuana. THC belongs to a family of cannabinoids, which resembles molecules synthesized naturally in the body. It functions primarily by indirectly increasing levels of dopamine, the neurotransmitter associated with the reward and pleasure pathway in the brain. 
  • What are the effects of marijuana?
    • Euphoria, increase in appetite, decrease in short term memory, dry mouth, reddening of eyes, impaired motor skills, coordination, and concentration, relaxed state of muscles, increased heart rate, lowered blood pressure, and possibly paranoia and anxiety.
  • What are the forms of marijuana?
    • Marijuana comes in many forms, such as the normal dried flower form, as kief (powder),  as hashish (resin-like substance), hash oil (solvent extraction), as an infusion (oil containing THC), and as a tincture (extraction in alcoholic substance).
  • How is marijuana consumed?
    • Marijuana can be smoked using rolling papers or a water pipe, it can be inhaled as vapor by heating the plant, it can be eaten as an edible (food made with oil containing THC), or it can be ingested as a tea.
  • What are different uses of marijuana?
    • Marijuana is used recreationally (3rd most popular drug after tobacco and alcohol), is used medically to treat certain ailments, and it is used industrially in the manufacturing of textiles, paper, paints, clothing, plastics, and cosmetics. 
  • Where is marijuana legal?
    • Marijuana is legal medicinally in 21 states, and legal recreationally in only two states (Colorado and Washington). 
  • Is marijuana a gateway drug?
    • Evidence shows that marijuana is not a gateway drug and may even serve as an "exit" drug in which people withdrawing from hard drugs (heroine, cocaine) use marijuana to alleviate symptoms associated with withdrawal. More over, as the number of hard drugs declines, the number of marijuana users increases.
  • Is marijuana addictive?
    • Physically, marijuana is not addictive. However, some evidence suggests that any dependence is psychological in nature. Only 9% of users become addicted, a percentage lower than alcohol, tobacco, and even caffeine. 
  • Is marijuana dangerous or unhealthy?
    • Marijuana is safer than most common drugs, such as alcohol and tobacco. Alcohol is closely linked to higher risk motor vehicle accidents, and smoking cigarettes has been found to be causative of lung cancer. There have been no long term effects on the brain or on the lungs, and has even been shown to induce many health benefits.
  • Can marijuana kill you?
    • Not one person has died by overdosing on marijuana. It would take 40,000 times the normal amount of THC to kill you, meaning smoking 800 joints in one sitting! In reality, if you did overdose, it would be due to the carbon monoxide poisoning, not the THC.
Any questions you have I didn't answer? Let me know! I will do my best to get back to you individually or perhaps add it to this list.

References
  1. http://norml.org/aboutmarijuana/item/good-plant?category_id=730
  2. http://norml.org/aboutmarijuana/item/violent-acts?category_id=730
  3. http://www.drugpolicy.org/drug-facts/10-facts-about-marijuana
  4. http://www.weather.com/health/shocking-things-you-dont-know-about-weed-20140407?pageno=1
  5. http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-medical-marijuana/2013/10/5-amazing-things-you-didnt-know-about-marijuana/
  6. http://www.theweedblog.com/42-0-facts-about-marijuana-and-why-it-should-be-legal/
  7. http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana
  8. Mahmoud A. ElSohly (2007). Marijuana and the Cannabinoids. Springer. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-59259-947-9.
  9. Ethan B Russo (2013). Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Therapeutic Potential. Routledge. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-136-61493-4.
  10. UNODC. World Drug Report 2010. United Nations Publication. p. 198. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  11.  Mitch Earleywine (2002). Understanding Marijuana: A New Look at the Scientific Evidence. Oxford University Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-19-513893-1.
  12. Leslie L. Iversen (2000). The Science of Marijuana. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-515110-7.
  13.  Castle/Murray/D'Souza (2004). Marijuana and Madness. Cambridge University Press. p. 35. ISBN 879-1-139-50267-2.
  14. J. E. Joy, S. J. Watson, Jr., and J. A. Benson, Jr. (1999). Marijuana and Medicine: Assessing the Science Base. Washington, D.C. National Academy of Sciences Press. ISBN 0-585-05800-8.
  15. http://www.drugs.com/illicit/marijuana.html
  16. http://norml.org/marijuana
  17. http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/marijuana
Posted by at

3 comments:

  1. Ruqia AlherzOctober 21, 2014 at 11:30 AM

    I think you covered FAQ perfectly especially the one indicating whether marijuana can kill you or is it addictive or dangerous which got me interested since I actually was not sure or I didn't know some of the answers to these questions. I am wondering if people learn about the safety of marijuana would that lead to misuse of marijuana since practically the fear on one's own health is one of the reason some don't use it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 23, 2014 at 9:10 PM

    I had no idea 21 states had legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes. That is way higher than I thought it was. I really want my dad to read this. He recently asked me if I had ever seen any "marijuana paraphernalia" in my teenage brother's room, and I mentioned Visine. I took 20 minutes of explaining before he caught on. You made some really good points in this article. I feel like you would come across as a little less biased if you also pointed out some of the risks associated with smoking pot. For example, studies show that teenage users can incur lasting impaired brain function because of smoking weed that adult smokers don't have to worry about.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anh HoOctober 24, 2014 at 6:53 AM

    Your FAQ covers most questions and answers to marijuana and cancer. I did not know that marijuana is legal medicinally in 21 states, and legal recreationally in only two states (Colorado and Washington). I think people still have a negative stigma about using marijuana for recreational purpose so only 2 States legalized it. I would use marijuana for medical purpose after I read your posts from the past few weeks.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)