The Marijuana plant (also known as Cannabis) brings us many things which are beneficial to the world in many ways, whether that be drug related or otherwise. Unfortunately, American society has a negative view towards Marijuana, and this needs to change in order for humanity to fully discover just how beneficial it can be. Many are scared of it, and believe it to be a highly addictive, brain damaging drug, and this unrealistic view needs to be put in the past, otherwise the full potential of the Cannabis plant may never be discovered.
According to news source CNBC, “both presidents [Thomas Jefferson] and [George Washington] grew hemp—a sister plant to marijuana used mainly as a fiber crop—on their farms [and] both wrote numerous letters about the advantages of growing the crop for fabrics”. Yet, many, many years later, in 1936, “Reefer Madness”, a propaganda film released by the Government, which falsely describes how terrible, destructive, and evil Marijuana. So, where did this fear and hatred of the Marijuana plant come from? Interestingly yet unfortunately, according to , the fear of marijuana originally sprouts from racism, when “after the Mexican Revolution of 1910, Mexican immigrants flooded into the U.S., introducing to American culture the recreational use of marijuana… and the fear and prejudice about the Spanish-speaking newcomers became associated with marijuana”. From this point on, fears and phobias towards Marijuana just increasingly became worse, with generation to generation having these irrationalities passed down to them from their parents, leading us to where we are today, where we fear Marijuana, without exactly knowing originally why. Regardless of what we have yet to discover, we do know that Marijuana can be used for medical and/or recreational purposes, ultimately benefitting the user in a multitude of ways.
Even though “Pot” can be much safer and healthier than alcohol, society views alcohol as acceptable and safe, but Marijuana as an evil and dangerous stepping-stone to drugs like Heroine and Meth. When it comes to Weed (Marijuana), there is CBD and THC, which gives us our “highs”, and while many see getting high as a drug-induced period of early drug addiction, it really is something quite different for most people. While there is a relatively small group of those who use Marijuana as nothing more than a stepping stone to drugs such as Heroine and Meth, most people are using it for medical, or even just recreational purposes. CBD oil, which is derived from the plant, can be rubbed on the body to help with diseases such as Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, and more, meaning one doesn’t even have to eat or smoke CBD to benefit from it. THC, on the other hand, must be either consumed or smoked, but will help with mental purposes, such as Anxiety, Alzheimers, and Migraines. Regardless of how it’s applied, or whether one is using THC or CBD, Marijuana can still benefit the body and mind in many ways.
Many believe smoking too much Pot can lead to memory issues and declination of cognitive abilities, but that could only happen if the user becomes addicted to the given substance, which in itself is extremely rare. UC Berkeley- graduated Psychologist, and science journalist for Healthline.com, R. Sam Barclay proclaims that only approximately “Nine percent of people who use marijuana will become abusers, according to a study endorsed by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)”. The statistics clearly assist in showing that Marijuana does much more good than bad, regardless of how evil many claim it to be.
As previously mentioned, THC derived from the plant can help with mental purposes, such as Anxiety, Alzheimers, Migraines, and Seizures, while CBD will be able to help with Fibromyalgia, Arthritis, Parkinsons, and more. Albert V. Condello III, a former Professor at the University of Houston, and current journalist of imedpub.com explains, Marijuana is very useful for “treatment of degenerative neurological diseases, including Parkinson’s disease (PD) and other medical conditions” and is even “beneficial regarding multiple sclerosis (MS)… and for motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease”. He further elaborates, stating how, “Marijuana contains over 100 pharmacological active compounds and metabolites that can be generated each having a wide variety of physiological effects”. There are so many possibilities for what Marijuana can do for us, the list goes on and on, but it’s up to us as a society to keep exploring the plant’s properties, to further discover how it can benefit us.
Marijuana has many, many health benefits, whether one is using it to help treat a disease or ailment they currently have, or they are trying to prevent a disease, such as Cancer or Alzheimers. Diane Prentiss, MA, an Epidemiologist at the San Francisco Department of Public Health, and a Journalist for JAIDS, wrote a journal study on the effect of Marijuana on HIV/AIDS and cancer patients. She writes that “marijuana has been shown to reduce nausea and vomiting and to increase appetite in patients debilitated by AIDS and cancer or in patients who suffer effects of potent cytotoxic or antiretroviral treatments”. These results are great for any marijuana supporter, and anyone who is currently using THC or CBD to help them get through an illness. They prove that good things really can come out of a plant that has been hailed as an evil, life-destroying substance. Just using Marijuana daily or even weekly can help prevent many diseases, making it possible that someone who would’ve originally grown old to have Alzheimer’s, ended up not having it, or not having it as severely as they originally would’ve, due to their regular use of Marijuana. Even though there are many benefits through Marijuana, too much usage can have negative effects on the body, such as uncontrollable emotions, and even memory issues.
People need to be properly educated on what is safe Pot usage, and what defines as abuse, which will lead to, as previously stated, uncontrollable emotions, memory issues, and more. Currently, there is little to no proper education on Marijuana, and any education that there is, is just about demonizing the plant, and about telling people the negative effects it could have on them through the rare cases of major abuse. This happens annually, or even more in schools, when officers come to inform students on the dangers of drugs such as Marijuana. Even though they help educate children on the dangers of other drugs, they are often misleading and painfully inaccurate when they get to the subject of pot. Mark S. Wallace, MD & Mark A. Ware, MD, Authors of The Clinical Journal of Pain, explain that the “continuing emergence of evidence supporting medicinal use… suggest that medicinal Marijuana is here to stay, and physicians need to take responsibility in informing patients on its proper use for medical purposes”. They also voice the concern about the abuse of traditional medicine, saying “the mistakes learned from the use of opioids to treat chronic pain do not want to be repeated with medicinal Marijuana, [and that] Marijuana is a potential drug of abuse, and if improperly used can lead to harm”. Simply put, even though Marijuana will be very beneficial for medical and recreational uses, we need to be careful, lest we fall into our previous mistake with opioid medicines; addiction.
Not only is Cannabis useful for the body, but is useful for the U.S. Economy. The taxes accrued through the legal sales of Marijuana will help stimulate the economy, through sales of THC and CBD itself, and also through hemp, which can be used to make a broad range of supplies, such as clothing and paper. Stuart Miller, Author, Ghostwriter, and Journalist of theguardian.com affirms, “Hemp has been hailed as the little plant that could for centuries – for making fabric, rope, sails, paper and canvas. [They] require less chemical spraying than cotton, soy, corn and wheat, [and] can help reduce soil degradation by faring better with less water and in drier climates”. While this is fantastic information, it doesn’t stop there. Miller continues, “Paper made from hemp could help reduce deforestation, and requires fewer chemicals for processing than wood pulp. Hemp fabric has antibacterial qualities that can help it fight staph infections in hospitals”. The uses of Hemp derived from Marijuana are just as bountiful as uses of CBD and THC derived from Marijuana. We can gain so much economically from legal use of hemp to create products and supplies, so imagine how much more America can benefit if we can start growing our own hemp. Miller states, “America already safely consumes $580m worth of products made from imported hemp every year – from milk to T-shirts to soaps”. Note how he says “imported hemp”. America would be able to benefit from Hemp without boundaries if we could grow our own. Unfortunately, since it’s still illegal to grow here, any hemp in products had to have been imported from out of the country. American-grown hemp will result in a positive economic boom, bringing down costs of many products, and also helping the environment, through the lesser use of chemical sprays and deforestation.
From CBD & THC to Hemp, the Marijuana plant has many uses, and will do much more good than it can ever do bad. Those with body and mind issues, along with environmentalists, economists, and even those who simply support recreational Marijuana use will all agree: legalize Marijuana. For ourselves, our environment, our economy: for our future.