What is marijuana?

Marijuana is one of the most abused drugs in the world. There is an ever-growing gap between the latest science about marijuana and the myths surrounding it. Some people think that since it is legal in some places, it must be safe. But body doesn’t know a legal drug from an illegal drug. It only knows the effect the drug creates once have taken it. Marijuana comes from the Indian hemp plant, and the part that contains the “drug” is found primarily in the flowers (commonly called the “buds”) and much less in the seeds, leaves, and stems of the plant.

Effects of marijuana

When a person smokes cannabis, THC is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, reaching the brain within minutes. Neurotransmitters affect brain areas involved in memory, thinking, concentration, movement, coordination, sensory and time perception, as well as pleasure.

THC also disrupts the function of the cerebellum and basal ganglia, adversely affecting balance, posture, coordination, and reaction time, which can make it unsafe for a person using marijuana to drive a car, operate heavy machinery, or engage in sports or other potentially dangerous physical activities.

People use marijuana to achieve the feeling of elation (a high), giddiness, and relaxation. Marijuana also produces sensory perception changes; colors may seem brighter, music more vivid, and emotions more profound.

When cannabis is consumed for recreational purposes, the following effects are possible:

• Change in perception – marijuana can have slight hallucinogenic effects, making users see reality in a distorted way
• Alteration in mood – some may experience euphoria, become more animated, while others enter a state of relaxation
• Increased heart rate
• Reduction in blood pressure
• Impairment of concentration and memory
• Reduced psychomotor coordination
• Nausea (despite the fact that cannabis can treat the symptoms of nausea)
• Increase in appetite
• More rapid breathing

Arguments in favour of legalizing Marijuana use in India:

The cannabis plant has tremendous amount of medicinal value and its potential for industrial usage can be tapped by legalizing its usage for this purpose.

Many countries have developed fabrics. It has unlimited usage in diverse fields, including in the field of semiconductors.

It has the potential of becoming a cash crop for poor marginal farmers. If proper research is done and cultivation of marijuana encouraged at an official level, it can gradually become a source of income for poor people with small landholdings.

Taxing marijuana will increase government’s revenue .By legalizing and taxing marijuana, the government will stand to earn huge amounts of revenue that will otherwise go to the Italian and Israeli drug cartels.

Marijuana legalization (or decriminalization) will replace the black market production and distribution with an ‘overboard industry’. There will be rules and regulations but the trade will be ‘populated by the government, farmers, merchants and retails clerks, not by criminals or drug dealers’.

Legalization of marijuana for recreational and medical purposes in Colorado has created 10,000 new jobs in the area. There are a plethora of jobs that can be created by the marijuana industry and help reduce India’s unemployment rate.

In India, dealers often mix hash and weed with chemicals or other drugs like afeem to improve the taste, color, texture or ‘high’ of the stuff. Legalization will improve the quality of marijuana sold to the users because government will regulate the production and sale of the drug.

The Marijuana plant is native to north India and can be planted on bunds and borders of the farms. There is huge scope for legalized Marijuana cultivation in India.

Arguments against legalizing Marijuana:

Cannabis, like other analgesics, can cause dependence and addiction. Over time, the persistent overstimulation of the endocannabinoid system can cause changes in the brain that result in addiction; this is much more likely in people who start using marijuana when young and who are heavy users.

An estimated 9 percent of people who use marijuana become dependent on the drug. Teenage users have a 17 percent risk of becoming addicted, and 25-50 percent of regular (daily) users become addicted. Abrupt withdrawal from cannabis can be uncomfortable but not life-threatening.

The full extent of long-term health risks of chronic cannabis use is currently unknown. There is no determining who will develop serious physical, psychological, or other unwanted reactions.