Sunday, July 17, 2016

Wet Marijuana

By Douglas V. Gibbs
AuthorSpeakerInstructorRadio Host

My position on Marijuana has always been that I am not in favor of the drug being legalized for recreational use.  If it is a beneficial drug for medical applications, then treat it as all other drugs that need a prescription, and is closely guarded.  However, the deeper I dig into the reality of Marijuana, the more I am believing that even for medical reasons the drug should not be used (except in the most extreme cases).

The latest research I conducted followed a story by Fox News about a Pennsylvania man accused of a string of burglaries that also now faces new charges after admitting to using a stolen human brain to make a potent form of marijuana.

Investigators Long uses the human brain to soak marijuana in the preserving formaldehyde.  The "wet" marijuana creates a more intense high that is more intense and dangerous than simply smoking weed, often causing hallucinations.

In a report provided by CALMusa it is explained that Marijuana is a fat soluble, mind altering, highly toxic drug that remains in the body for up to one month, building up with each additional joint. The two organs most affected are the brain and sexual organs. The potency of the most active chemical, delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is 10-20 times stronger than 30 years ago.  In the report it is also explained that marijuana should not be used as a medicine.  The FDA has reviewed scientific studies of marijuana for over 50 years and concludes it is not a safe or effective medicine.  In fact, the drug has the potential for harm and is very addictive. It has been found that marijuana can cause permanent brain damage by disrupting development of the brain.  It reduces the amount of white matter by as much as 80%, and shrinks the hippocampus, the learning, cognition and memory center of the brain. This can create a loss of 8 points of IQ by age 38.  Marijuana is a major factor in the one-third high school dropout rate in America, and may be among the reasons America is 26th in the world academically.  The brain isn’t fully developed until the midtwenties, so adolescent use is particularly damaging.

Smoking marijuana has also been found to be a contributor to cancer of the head, nose and throat, and is a major cause of testicular cancer in young males.  It causes chronic bronchitis and respiratory problems, and elevates the risk of heart attack 4 times.  The casual recreational use of marijuana has been shown to lead to mental illness, crime and violence in some cases.  If mental illness is already present, the use of marijuana exacerbates that mental illness.

Marijuana's greatest danger emerges when it is used by young people.  The use of marijuana affects brain systems that are still maturing through young adulthood.  Its use by teens has been associated with schizophrenia, paranoia and other psychosis leading to depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.  Use while pregnant can kill or permanently harm the child being carried.  Today’s high potency pot (20% plus) can cause fatal brain damage to a child only 2 weeks after conception, before the mother even knows she is pregnant. She can quit using pot, but it’s too late for the baby.

Marijuana causes more cellular damage than even heroin. It also causes mutations to sperm and chromosomal abnormalities that can carry forward and affect future generations. It affects the pituitary gland, a pea size structure at the base of the brain, that is the control center for sex and reproductive hormones and in turn, sexual dysfunction.  Research has revealed that marijuana, despite the argument to the contrary, is addictive.  1 in 6 people who start using marijuana as adolescents become addicted.

Marijuana is a gateway drug that leads to more addictive and dangerous drugs.  17% of those under 18 will become addicted to it, 9% who start after 18 will become addicted, and many will move on to the hard drugs that kill 3,200 Americans monthly by overdose.  68-90% of those using heavier drugs started their drug journey with marijuana. Heavy marijuana use among teens is up 80% since 2008.

Marijuana use doubles the risk of traffic accidents and traffic deaths.  Of drivers in a Maryland Trauma Center, 27% of injured drivers tested positive for marijuana, second only to alcohol at 33%. 50% of drivers under 21 tested positive for pot, compared to 33% for alcohol.  In California, driving deaths from marijuana impairment have doubled since 2004.

When Colorado decided to legalize marijuana, one of the arguments was that legalization would not increase teen usage, and if anything, teen usage would drop.  Years later, teen use has exploded, making Colorado number one in the nation for teen marijuana use.

Amsterdam is world-renowned for being the place where the legalization of pot has been successful. . . except the claim is not true. The citizens of the Netherlands are now alarmed that their children are increasingly being exposed to it.  One unwanted side effect is that Dutch children are frequently exposed to the drug in public areas.  Additionally, contrary to the claims that legalizing it will reduce crime, in Amsterdam it’s been found that crime is now centering around the coffeehouses where marijuana is sold.

The traditional parties of power on the center-right, the Christian Democrats and the Liberal VVD, have also moved against the policies they once promoted.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

1 comment:

Unknown said...

You can cure cancer but you can cure stupid! Can you?