22 November 2013
The Legalization of Cannabis Cannabis has been used in the world for thousands of years. It has several uses because of its fibre like stalking. Cannabis is also known as marijuana, hemp or several other “street” names. Hemp can be used to make plastic, fuel, soap, bags, food from the seeds, bedding, or even blocks of charcoal for burning. There are also medicinal uses as well. This list includes treatment of epilepsy, pain relief, herpes, arthritis, AIDS, insomnia, anxiety and the list goes on. But why make it illegal? Scientists say it is “addictive”, many children are smoking cannabis, and it’s dangerous to your health. Yes, children are smoking cannabis because they are stressed at home, but it is not addictive, and it’s not dangerous to your health. The oldest written record of cannabis use dates back to 2727 B.C. by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung. Thousands of years later, after a two-hour committee hearing and a 92-second debate on the house floor; marijuana was de facto criminalized by Congress with passage of The Marijuana Tax Stamp Act of 1937, signed into law by President Roosevelt (Block). Marijuana should be legalized because it provides medicinal uses as well as provides a more natural alternative to our everyday needs. Using cannabis as an alternative for our everyday uses would be a great idea. If we stopped using plastic and cutting down trees, we could have a wonderful and healthy alternative by using cannabis for things such as plastic water bottles and containers, paper, bags, clothes and other things. Cannabis Campaigners’ Guide Information and News Pages said:
Hemp is the English name for the plant cannabis, also known as marijuana. Most people think of cannabis as a drug; the law calls it a dangerous drug and has thrown cannabis and its supply into the hands of criminals often involved with hard drugs. Cannabis cannot truly be considered as a drug - it is NOT ADDICTIVE, NOT HARMFUL and does NOT LEAD TO USE OF DRUGS. Cannabis, unlike drugs, IS NOT POISONOUS - there is no fatal dose. Smoking cannabis has a different effect on the lungs and body than smoking tobacco. The effect is not like the effect of drugs or alcohol. There is no real withdrawals and no drug-like craving from abstinence, even after years of use. Any dependency a person may develop on cannabis is the same type of dependence one has on any medicine which makes one feel better.
“'The smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health'............... The Lancet (Nov. 95) [British Medical Journal] 'Marijuana is one of the least toxic substances'............. Professor Lester Grinspoon, Harvard Medical School.” These were both citations of the block quote above. With real research and real scientists a real answer was received. The answer is that marijuana has no harmful effects to a person’s health. Several other accusations are made about cannabis that are not true. Such as the statement that says marijuana kills brain cells, marijuana can cause lung cancer, and people can die from smoking marijuana. All of these are false. Studies show that the difference between daily/heavy smokers and non-smokers is very minimal (Kirchheimer). There is no proof that marijuana does kill brain cells. There is not one case ever that a marijuana smoker has received cancer from smoking marijuana. There is not one recorded death of a human from smoking too much marijuana. So can people really say marijuana is deadly and dangerous? "We were somewhat surprised by our finding, especially since there's been a controversy for some years on whether long-term cannabis use causes brain damage," says lead researcher and psychiatrist Igor Grant, MD. “I suppose we expected to see some differences in people who were heavy users, but in fact the differences were very minimal." People say more and more children are