Causes and Effect of Recreational Marijuana
The use of marijuana for recreational purposes has been on a continual rise. More than 50% of the states in the US have legalized its use (Desai, Rupak, et al. 2018). Also, many other countries of the world have legalized their consumption for the same purposes. One may wonder what would push such vast numbers of individuals to use such a potent drug. The answers could be that these users have discovered more benefits than the limitations it causes to them. That is the only reason that would push states governed by institutions to legalize such a drug. It has risen significant attention in the recent past. Researchers have endeavoured to investigate this situation to come to a consensus as many other states and countries have remained adamant as far as legalizing its use is concerned. As we speak now, more than 60% of Americans are in favour of legalizing the use of recreational marijuana (Desai, Rupak, et al. 2018). This significant proportion of the population does not think that recreational marijuana is harmful. Whether these people are right or wrong is subject to thorough discussion and research.
When smoked, marijuana releases a chemical known as cannabinoids into the body. There are many forms of these cannabinoids, and one notable type is the THC. They then move from either the lungs or the stomach into the bloodstream. Once in the blood, they move very fast to other parts of the body, such as the brain, nerves, and other areas. In these parts of the body, they make the users feel high (Desai, Rupak, et al. 2018).
The use of marijuana has both long and short term effects on the functioning of the body. Among the short term effects are the inability to think and solve problems, coordination problems, long time to react, difficulty in making the judgment, memory loss, and increased mood alteration. Long term adverse effects of using recreational marijuana include memory loss, trouble in learning and thinking changes in the structure of the brain, and problems at work (Desai, Rupak, et al. 2018).
Health effects of recreational marijuana include mental disorders such as drug-induced psychosis, depression, and anxiety. Others include increased heart rates, heart attack, breathing problems, lung problems, and chronic coughing.
Despite these adverse effects, many positive results encourage multiple people to use recreational marijuana. Several conditions have inspired many people and states to legalize its use. It began colorado where it was legalized in 2012, and then in Washington the same year (Anderson, Mark, and Daniel Rees 2014: 221-232)
Firstly, stakeholders noticed that the use of the streets would continue to rise. Such use would be unregulated and would associate with many illegal activities. The unlimited form of the drug would possibly have increased adverse effects on the users (Volkow, Nora D., et al. 2014: 2219-2227). Also, as statistics have shown the increased demand for the use of the drug, people would keep on quarrelling with authorities. It is, therefore, necessary to allow the use of the drug to regulate it and to avoid the ever-increasing conflicts with police. Moreover, such regulations would permit users to use tested bands that would not have extremely adverse effects on the body.
Regulation of the use of this drug is also necessary to eliminate cartels and drug barons from the streets of major cities and towns with such cartels in the streets associates with increased crime rates. The regulation would give governments and relevant authorities the chance to have clean streets with no illegal businesses. It could contribute to peace and the smooth running of other activities.
Moreover, the legalization of recreational marijuana would boost the economy of a state. According to (Cerdá, Magdalena, et al. 2017: 142-149), the legalization of cannabis would provide revenues exceeding $24 billion by 2025. Moreover, the regulation would minimize teen use, as a minimum age is necessary for one to use it on legal grounds. Rules would make it safer for consumer use, and free up the enormous resources used by police in chasing criminal cases of the drugs. Researchers in the healthcare sectors have also shown that legal marijuana is safer than tobacco and alcohol. Nonetheless, the two are legal everywhere. On legitimate grounds, a considerable number of individuals would work on marijuana jobs.
In conclusion, the use of marijuana has many adverse effects on the bodies of the users, yet its use keeps on rising. It is apparent, however, that many states have considered regulating its use to mitigate some of the challenges its use in the criminal case brings to societies. Many countries are still debating on whether to legalize its use or not. It is necessary to weigh the cause and effects the use of the drug brings about to come to the right consensus on its use. It is essential to consult stakeholders from different sectors such as healthcare, business, government institutions, non-governmental organizations and other crucial areas before deciding on the best cause of action. It is pivotal to weigh the adverse effects of drug use on legal and illegal grounds to propose the most appropriate solution.
References
Anderson, D. Mark, and Daniel I. Rees. “The legalization of recreational marijuana: how likely is the worst-case scenario?.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management (2014): 221-232.
Cerdá, Magdalena, et al. “Association of state recreational marijuana laws with adolescent marijuana use.” JAMA pediatrics 171.2 (2017): 142-149.
Desai, Rupak, et al. “Primary causes of hospitalizations and procedures, predictors of in-hospital mortality, and trends in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events among recreational marijuana users: a five-year nationwide inpatient assessment in the United States.” Cureus 10.8, (2018).
Volkow, Nora D., et al. “Adverse health effects of marijuana use.” New England Journal of Medicine 370.23 (2014): 2219-2227.