Smoke Marijuana example essay topic

Roll it up, light it up, smoke it up, inhale, exhale, is a process of consuming marijuana. Marijuana is known as a gateway drug because it seems to be the first illegal drug teenagers use. It is a theory of drug abuse that there are stages of progression, from tobacco and alcohol to marijuana to other illicit drugs. Marijuana is gaining renewed recognition for medicinal use. It is a medicinal herb that has hundreds of proven, valuable therapeutic uses, from stress reduction to glaucoma to asthma to cancer therapy.

Marijuana was a major active ingredient in forty through fifty percent of patent medicines before its ban. It could replace at least ten though twenty percent of prescribed drugs now in use. Marijuana may be harmful towards the bodies' lungs; it is effective in treating several different illnesses and is cheaper than pharmaceutical medication, such as Marinol. Smoking any substance can cause damage to the lungs. An article in the March, 2001 issue of the Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology, Pages 339-344, states: 'Marijuana tar induced higher levels of CYP 1 A 1 messenger RNA (mRNA) than did tobacco tar, yet resulted in much lower CYP 1 A 1 enzyme activity.

These differences between marijuana and tobacco were primarily due to Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. ' The high levels of CYP 1 A 1 by marijuana smoke and the THC that it contains is a risk of cancer. Cigarettes may have less tar, but they do have more chemicals in them than marijuana. Marijuana is effective in treating AIDS wasting, Alzheimer's, nausea, chemotherapy, epilepsy, glaucoma, pain, muscle spasms, and terminal illness. The substitute for marijuana is Marinol, which provides the THC concentrations and does not provide the high that marijuana often does when it is smoked.

Though people prescribed to Marinol have taken risk upon them selves to smoke marijuana instead for numerous reasons. Some say that Marinol gets them too high, whereas they can smoke as little marijuana as they would like. Jocelyn Elders, M.D., former U.S. Surgeon General, wrote in 3/26/04 an editorial published in Rhode Island's The Providence Journal: 'These other drugs [like Marinol] don't work for everyone... Inhalation gives a more rapid response and better results.

For some very sick people, marijuana simple works better". The Marinol pill just is not effective, or is not as effective as natural marijuana. Marinol makes them too high; they would rather smoke marijuana that allows them to limit their THC consumption to the amount that gives them relief. Also, a pill takes much longer to get into the bloodstream than marijuana's components do when it is smoked.

Furthermore, besides having more complaints, Marinol is more expensive than marijuana. Marinol costs approximately $1.81 per mg. Pills come in 2.5 mg, 5 mg and 10 mg forms. Nausea patients are generally prescribed the 5 mg dose three to four times per day for the time-being of their therapy which can be one to four weeks; AIDS-wasting patients are generally prescribed 2.5 mg twice per day and can increase to a 2.5 mg and 5 mg pill series per day.

For a month, average use of Marinol costs $678.75. On the other hand, marijuana costs patients an average of $11.80 per gram typically costs patients $330.94 per month for a smoked dose that creates comparable nausea-relieving effects. When smoking marijuana, the patient can regulate the amount of doses according to themselves. A patient can smoke less than the average dose and saving more money. Marijuana is harmful towards the bodies' lungs; it is effective in treating AIDS wasting, Alzheimer's, nausea, chemotherapy, epilepsy, glaucoma, etc. and is cheaper than Marinol. Marijuana has more tar compared to cigarettes, but overall not as harmful to the bodies' lungs.

Inhaling marijuana is a fast, natural high to ease the bodies' pain. Marinol does not satisfy the effects of marijuana as it tries to. The price of Marinol is not worth paying, when Marijuana is cheaper and more effective.