Health benefits of Marijuana

Most people use products that are more damaging to the body with out any thought to what they are doing to the body just because they were raised to think it is safe. Although heavy use of marijuana is not safe it is a lot safer than most of the common used drugs in today's market. This is article one and I am going to compare the effects of two popular pain killers, Marijuana and Aspirin. Lets start with the history of Marijuana first. Marijuana can be traced back for thousands of years to almost every culture in the worlds history. Up until the Marijuana was prohibited by the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 the US Pharmacopoeia listed cannabis as the drug of choice for over 100 different diseases. This reference was the reference used by doctors since 1820. Cannabis was added to the US Pharmacopoeia in 1870. Since recorded history Marijuana has never been found to cause death by overdose. The History of Aspirin is not so long and distinguished. Aspirin patented on March 6, 1889 by Bayer who also had the trademark for Heroin. Aspirin causes an average of 500 deaths per year. This is from a Medication that is used for pain and heart disease. Now that we understand the history of the two pain medications lets look at the legality of both While Marijuana does have side effects and is know to assist in over 100 diseases without causing any deaths it has been prohibited by the US Federal Government since 1937. Marijuana side effects include problems with memory and learning; distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch); difficulty in thinking and problem solving; loss of coordination; and increased heart rate, anxiety, and panic attacks. THESE SIDE EFFECTS DO NOT LAST AFTER THE MARIJUANA WEARS OFF. There have been research results that indicate that Marijuana can cause respiratory irritations among heavy marijuana users if smoked. This can be easily solved by switching to vaporized marijuana or taking marijuana orally. Marijuana has not been linked in any research to lung cancer. While marijuana is prohibited in the US, with minor side effects and multiple benefits to the drug, any age child can go to a store and purchase aspirin over the counter. The effects of aspirin can be very dangerous. Heartburn; nausea; upset stomach; rash; hives; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue; black or bloody stools; confusion; diarrhea; dizziness; drowsiness; hearing loss; ringing in the ears; severe or persistent stomach pain; unusual bruising; vomiting; Reye syndrome. In the book, 'The Science of Marijuana' by Dr. Leslie Iversen of the Oxford University Department of Pharmacology said "Tetrahydrocannabinol is a very safe drug," she said. "Even such apparently innocuous medicines as aspirin and related steroidal anti-inflammatory compounds are not safe." So if safety is your concern, cannabis is clearly a much better choice than aspirin. By eating it or using it in a vaporizer, Marijuana would be the wonder drug, Safe and effective.

Marijuana might be good for you

The United States Government has done research on Marijuana in the past and has thrown out many research topics because they prove the benefits of Marijuana. There have been Studies funded by the US Government that have encouraged the citizens to question the current laws. Growing up in the 80's during the Reagan years hearing Nancy talking about saying no to drugs made me very scared to try Marijuana. I also thought that all Marijuana users were worthless and lazy and would become a burden to society. After going to the Netherlands and trying Marijuana because of chronic pain I realized, "this is not that bad." When I came back to the United States of America I decided it was time I did a little research on my own about Marijuana. I soon Found out that US Veterans Affairs Scientists did research to find out if excessive use of Marijuana as a teen would damage your life. They did this by surveying twins were one was a heavy user of Marijuana and the other did not use Marijuana more than 5 times. They Found, "Marijuana use had no significant impact on physical or mental health care utilization, health-related quality of life, or current socio-demographic characteristics." (Eisen SE et al. Does Marijuana Use Have Residual Adverse Effects on Self-Reported Health Measures, Socio-Demographics or Quality of Life? A Monozygotic Co-Twin Control Study in Men. Addiction. Vol. 97 No. 9. p.1083-1086. Sept. 1997) adparams.getadspec('c_billboard1'); The Government provided funding to Federal researchers to study the effect of THC on Cancer induced rats. These rats were treated for Leukemia and lung cancer with canaboids and THC found in Marijuana that increased their life span and decreased the size of the tumors. (Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Sept. 1975. p. 597-602) In 1994 federal researchers studied rats again by giving them massive doses of THC to look for cancer and other toxicity in the rats. Reasearch showed that the more THC the rat received the fewer tumors grew. (NTP Technical Report On The Toxicology And Carcinogenesis Studies Of 1-Trans- Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol, CAS No. 1972-08-3, In F344/N Rats And B6C3F(1) Mice, Gavage Studies) Again in 1997 research funded by the federal government came close to proving Marijuana can prevent cancer. This research followed 65,000 patients for close to 10 years to study the effects of Cigarette smoking, Marijuana Smoking and Non-Smokers on Lung Cancer. This showed that Marijuana smokers did not have an increase in chances to get lung cancer and also showed that they were at a lower percentage to get lung cancer than non-smokers. (Sidney, S. et al. Marijuana Use and Cancer Incidence (California, United States). Cancer Causes and Control. Vol. 8. Sept. 1997, p. 722-728.) Over a year ago the federal government gave Donald Tashkin funds to research Marijuana use and Lung Cancer. This found again that those Heavy Marijuana users had a decrease risk for Lung Cancer. (Tashkin D. Marijuana Use and Lung Cancer: Results of a Case-Control Study. American Thoracic Society International Conference. May 23, 2006.) Over the years the federal government has tried to teach that Marijuana was the most dangerous drugs available with lies and deceptions. The federal Government has been giving grants to research the dangers and hazards of Marijuana but have ended up proving that Marijuana is not only a great medication but that it is helpful to prevent cancers.