Warning!!!! Really long! Backround info: Final paper I have to write for my entire high school career ! For a biology class and I am really cool with the teacher. We talk out side of school and we both know each other blaze, but never really talk about it. You know, teacher - student relation. Anyways we had a choice to take a multiple choice test over the past semester, or write an essay and take a 20 word vocab test, and he gives us the words. So I choose the paper, with it being Biology, why not write it on weed. He at first kind of didn't like it. Then said if I do it on the negative effects. I said but there aren't any. He replies, well not government negative effects, like actually health problems. So heres my essay, also I added on a page that wasn't required, just thought I could back some things up . Many marijuana activist to legalize the plant believe there are no negative effects of marijuana. However, they are terribly mistaken. Marijuana effects many parts of the body. This includes the brain, lungs, heart, immune system and just the body in general. This paper will give a neutral opinion on the effects, not the biased ideas the government attempts to portray to the public eye. To start, there are short term effects of the drug. In other words, these are the negative effects while being high. Your perception is very distorted. Sights, sounds, time and touch become different, almost enhanced to the “high mind,†however they are not. Learning and memory are at an all time low. Learning and remember becomes very difficult. One who is high can be told to do something and forget almost as quick as he was told. Coordination is lost, almost like you become clumsy. Problem solving and thinking become very hard. The mind “wonders†and hard to stay focused on your thoughts. Heart rate and blood pressure are increased. Some users even experience anxiety, fear, distrust and/or panic. The effects on the brain are caused by the active ingredient delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol or THC for short. THC acts on the cannabinoid receptors on nerve cells and increases the activity of the cells. Cannabinoid receptors are all over the brain. However, some places of the brain have none at all. The majority of the receptors are found in the pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory, time perception and coordinated movement areas. Almost instantly after marijuana is smoked, the hear starts to beat quicker then normal. Also blood pressure drops. While high the heart generally beats 20 to 50 more times then normal. Combining this with the low blood pressure, your risk of a heart attack are four times greater. It can also lead to heart diseases from the smoke, just like any other herb that is smoked. The biggest area of concern comes down to the lungs. Not just the lungs but infrequently the smoke can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat and cause heavy coughing spells. Research shows that regular marijuana users can have the of the same effects as a cigarette smoker. These include: Daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, increased risk of lung infection, and obstructed airways. Marijuana smoke has more carcinogenic hydrocarbons then tobacco smoke. This is caused of how the plant is smoked. It is usually inhaled deeper and held in the lungs longer, creating more exposure to the carcinogenic properties. One study found that marijuana smokers are 3 times more likely to get cancer of the head or neck then non smokers. Babies in the womb of a marijuana smoking mother can even effect the fetus. All of which these problems are effect the neurological development. Prenatal exposure can result in the following: altered responses to visual stimuli, increased tremulousness, problems with sustained attention and memory and poor problem solving skills. One miscellaneous fact that I found, and also completely unaware of, is that marijuana impairs the body's immune system from fighting off disease. Obviously, this will cause a ton of health problems. Another study discovered that a marijuana smoker is more likely to develop bacterial infections and tumors. All and all there is no doubt that marijuana has negative effects. All of these I think are already known by the average marijuana user. I think the marijuana activist like to brainwash the users into thinking there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing it because most of these problems to me seem very obvious. Like with the lungs and heart, obviously any sort of smoke inhaled will cause damage. I think there needs to be more research and studies done on the long term and short term effects on the brain. All the other problems I think should be obvious to anyone smoking anything. Regardless of it being legal or illegal. 2nd part: “The effects on the brain are caused by the active ingredient delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol or THC for short. THC acts on the cannabinoid receptors on nerve cells and increases the activity of the cells.†-Why is this so bad? To me it is just increasing and already natural thing happening in your brain. If it is just activating the receptors, how is that bad? Doesn't our bodily naturally do that when we get excited (plessure)? Viagra treats ED. Something that should happen naturally. “Combining this with the low blood pressure, your risk of a heart attack are four times greater.†– I believe this statement is true 100%. However from what I see, the majority of marijuana smokers are high school and college students. I highly doubt any of these people are prone to heart attacks. To this day no one has even died because of the plant. “Research shows that regular marijuana users can have the of the same effects as a cigarette smoker. These include: Daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, increased risk of lung infection, and obstructed airways.†– I don't really understand this statement. A daily cigarette smoker (which is basically all of them) smoke way more amounts of tobacco then say the daily “toker.†I guess this just really depends on how much you smoke. From my observations though (looking at someone who smokes marijuana and cigarettes daily) does not consume nearly as much marijuana then tobacco. The ratio is probably 1-2 joints to 10-15 cigarettes. So say if you smoke weed 1 time a week, for sake of argument that's 4 joints a month. Or 48 joints a year. Also for sake or argument lets say each joint is equal to 1 cigarette. That's 2 and a half packs of cigarettes smoked in a year. Obviously this is still bad and will definitely hurt your lungs. I just think that by the time it starts to effect, you'll be dead any ways. From the “Bodies†display at Carneige Science Center: “1 pack of cigarettes will take off an hour and 15 minutes of your life†Back to the issue; for sake of argument we'll say 99% of people never smoke anything until 18. Avg life expectancy is around 75. 75 – 18 = 57 years. 2.4 packs x 57 yrs = 137 packs in a life time. 137 packs x 1.25 hours = 171 hours. 171hrs/24 hrs = 7 days. Therefor at that rate, “Bob Marley†will die 7 days earlier then god intended. The Pack a Day smoker. 1 pack x 365 = 365 (7300 cigarettes) packs of cigarettes a year. 365 packs x 57 years = 20805 packs(416,100 cigarettes) in a life time. 20805 packs x 1.25 hrs = 26006 hours/24 hours = 1083 days = Roughly 3 years. “One miscellaneous fact that I found, and also completely unaware of, is that marijuana impairs the body's immune system from fighting off disease. Obviously, this will cause a ton of health problems. Another study discovered that a marijuana smoker is more likely to develop bacterial infections and tumors†– Again just from personal observations. The person I am referring to was somebody who was always sick. Strept throat, flu, colds, etc. He picked up the habit of smoking marijuana, but not cigarettes. He now claims he has not been sick to the point where he cannot go to school ever since he started using the plant.
That was my rough draft, I did go through proofread it twice found many problems haha. But I could of probably turned it in like that and he wouldnt notice. He specialty is pretty much Biology and thats it. I don't mean to sound mean, but otherwise his bio knowledge hes quite an airhead.
You just posted most of what the government says about weed. And pot has now recently been found NOT to have any association with head or neck cancers.
The goverment (STAND) is a bunch of propaganda bullshit. These are just simply scientific experiment results. However, I do believe some things can be false. As wat I read said something like in one study.
