Legalisation Of Cannabis Essay

Essay: Legalisation Of Cannabis

Introduction-Essay: Legalisation Of Cannabis

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Cannabis is a type of drug which is also known as weed, dope and pot which are the dried parts of flowers, seeds and stems of a cannabis plant. The cannabis plant is made up of more than hundreds of chemical compounds which are cannabinoids. It has been observed that cannabis is used for the medical purposes of different diseases such as Hepatitis C, chronic pain and for preventing diabetes. However, there are many countries that have not legalized the use of cannabis as it has been found that the use of cannabis can cause various health issues and problems such as addiction, psychological problems, learning, memory and attention (Kusturica et al. 2019). It can be further said cannabis can also act as poison if it is consumed with any kind of drink, alcohol or food. However, the debate in different countries over the legalization of cannabis still exists.

Issues of using Cannabis

Addiction

It can be said that the use of cannabis can also lead to addiction which means that the individuals become so much addicted to this drug that they lose their control and are unable to stop using it. It can be further argued that the overconsumption of cannabis also causes various social and health problems (Kusturica et al. 2019). It can be said from the reports that every 3 out of 10 individuals who had consumptions of cannabis tend to have marijuana use disorder (Gracie and Hancox, 2021). It has also been estimated that 10% of cannabis users have a likelihood of becoming addicted to it. It can be further argued that addiction has become a major problem, especially for the younger generation which is very much addicted to it. The addiction to cannabis also leads to a craving for the cannabis, failure to quit it, problems at home, school and work, overuse of cannabis intake of cannabis while driving and other psychological problems.

Mental Health

The use of cannabis has direct effects on the functioning of the brain which creates even more mental problems and challenges for individuals, especially those who are highly addicted to cannabis (Cdc.gov, 2022). It has been observed from the reports that the intake of cannabis causes problems such as it affects the memory, attention, learning coordination, reaction time and emotions of the individuals. It has been observed that the youth is struggling to remember, paying attention to the things, in their movement and has almost lost perception of time. However, it has been observed that these are the short term side effects of cannabis. The use of cannabis also leads to various types of long term side effects on the brain (Cdc.gov, 2022). Cannabis affects the development of the brain. It can be further argued that the use of cannabis especially before the age of 18 can affect the functioning of the brain affecting tiger learning and memory.

Poisoning

Cannabis is mostly an ingredient of smoking; however the use of cannabis in smoking and other food items or drinks can cause different side effects. It has been observed that the use of cannabis in foods and drinks leads to different risks and it acts like a poison for the body (Cdc.gov, 2022). The intake of cannabis with food or drink can lead to serious injury and intoxicated effects which last for a very long time however depending on the amount of consumption of cannabis. It has been observed that there are many countries and states that have made cannabis legal which has increased the cause of poisoning among children.

Different uses of cannabis

Chronic Pain

It has been observed from the reports that there are hundreds of chemical compounds which are known as Cannabinoids and it is the actual composition of Cannabis. It can be said that Cannabis is used as it provides relief from chronic pains. It can be further argued that Cannabis is also used as a component in medical products for chronic pain relief.

Prevent diabetes

Cannabis is mostly used for different medical purposes. It has been observed that the chemical compounds of cannabis are also effective to prevent different types of diseases including diabetes. The use of cannabis impacts insulin of the body which helps to regulate and prevent diabetes. According to the research of the American Alliance for Medical Cannabis (AAMC), it can be said that cannabis can be used for medical products as it can stabilize sugar and lower blood pressure (Healtheuropa.eu, 2019). It has been observed that it can also improve blood circulation.

ADHD

It has been observed from the reports that people who have ADHD struggle to do different types of activities, especially those required to be done with hands. Patients of ADHD have to face problems and have a lack of concentration which also affects their cognitive performance. However, it can be said cannabis is used for increasing focus and to help individuals with ADHD to develop their capabilities (Fischer, 2020). It can be further argued that the use of cannabis for the medical purposes of ADHD patients has been considered to be way safer than the use of Ritalin and Adderall.

Effectiveness in Hepatitis

The treatment of most complex diseases leads to different kinds of side effects which can be painful as well. The side effects of treatment of diseases especially that require a very long process can also cause mental health issues, anxiety and psychological problems the treatment of hepatitis C has side effects like depression, nausea, fatigue and muscle ache (Dar et al. 2020). However it has been observed that Cannabis has the components that can reduce the side effects of treatment and it also makes the overall treatment very effective.

Legalisation of Cannabis is more beneficial

The use of cannabis has several risks associated with it such as extended use of cannabis can lead to mental health problems, respiratory disease and testicular cancer among others which has to be mitigated as much as possible. This though cannot be the reason for the prohibition of use of Cannabis in several parts of the world. The use of Cannabis offers several health benefits as well which cannot be ignored and must be considered. The use of Cannabis should be legalised due to this underlying reason of the multiple health benefits that are associated with it. If used in a proper manner, it can be used for the treatment of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain and even cancer. These benefits indicate that if it's accessibility to young individuals are properly managed then it can prove to be of great benefit to the medicinal and healthcare sector.

Countries in this regard should try to optimise the use of Cannabis rather than prohibits its use completely. The healthcare sector should be encouraged to use it in their medicines to find solutions to several health problems that have not yet been found. Cannabis can be of great help in this regard as this if used in the composition and production of medicines can treat extremely critical diseases such as cancer as well (Fischer, G., 2020). The cannabinoids that are found in the Cannabis plants have been found to have evidence of killing some types of cancer inducing substances and inhibiting their growth. Cannabis can also be used to prevent vomiting and nausea that is often an after effect of the chemotherapy treatment process. Rather than focusing on the negatives, countries should try to make best use of the benefits and advantages that are associated with its usage in the healthcare industry.

Doctors, while prescribing cannabis or medicines that have been prepared using cannabis, need to be aware of the harmful effects of the usage of cannabis and must consider their past health history if they ever had any mental health issues. There are many countries around the world where the use of Cannabis has been legalised pertaining to the benefits that it offers especially in the medicine and healthcare sector. Further research needs to be considered in this regard. Cannabis is currently listed under the schedule 1 category by the administration of drug enforcement which needs to be reconsidered if further research has to be carried out to find its other health benefits associated with its usage which can further increase the chances of its adoption and legalisation by realising its true potential and benefits.

Conclusion

Cannabis has always been a subject of debate across the globe for quite some time now. It is being debated whether the use of Cannabis should be legalised or prohibited. This essay dealt with this same debate where several factors associated with its usage were extensively analysed including its benefits and drawbacks. It can be concluded from this analysis that there are multiple benefits if use of Cannabis in the healthcare sector due to which it should be legalised.

Feedback

The essay has a basic structure and the words are also kept simple as an academic article. The essay extracted information from different sources such as journals, books, articles, news reports and medical reports. However, the essay can be improved by providing more information from relevant sources such as scholarly work and research papers of other authors. The essay could have included graphs and data to provide sufficient justifications to the essay. The essay could have highlighted some recommendations in its structures. The information that has been used in the essay can be improved if it could have provided information about a few other countries.

Reference list

Cdc.gov, 2022. Marijuana: How Can It Affect Your Health? Available at https://www.cdc.gov/marijuana/health-effects/index.html [Accessed on 08.02.2022]

Dar, S.A., Bhat, B.A., Khanam, A. and Kousar, S., 2020. A clinical study on risk behaviors and seroprevalence of HIV, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C among injection drug users on opioid substitution therapy: An observational study. Indian Journal of Social Psychiatry, 36(2), p.146. Available at https://www.indjsp.org/article.asp?issn=0971-9962;year=2020;volume=36;issue=2;spage=146;epage=150;aulast=Dar [Accessed on 08.02.2022]

Fischer, G., 2020. The somatic and psychiatric burden of Austrian prisoners with substance use disorder illustrated by Hepatitis C infection and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Doctoral dissertation, Medical University of Vienna). Available at https://repositorium.meduniwien.ac.at/obvumwhs/content/titleinfo/5833519/full.pdf [Accessed on 08.02.2022]

Gracie, K. and Hancox, R.J., 2021. Cannabis use disorder and the lungs. Addiction, 116(1), pp.182-190. Available at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/add.15075 [Accessed on 08.02.2022]

Healtheuropa.eu, 2019. Health benefits of cannabis that everyone should know. Available at https://www.healtheuropa.eu/health-benefits-of-cannabis/92499/ [Accessed on 08.02.2022]

Kusturica, M.P., Tomas, A., Sabo, A., Tomi?, Z. and Horvat, O., 2019. Medical cannabis: Knowledge and attitudes of prospective doctors in Serbia. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal: SPJ, 27(3), p.320. Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6438677/[Accessed on 08.02.2022]