The potency of marijuana has always been a matter of debate. Now, according to the reports of the federal government, the potency level of weed has gone up by 10 to 25 times than it was in the 1960s. Alan Leshner, who is the director of National Institute of Drug Abuse says, “There’s no question that marijuana, today, is more potent than the marijuana in the 1960s. However, if you were to look at the average marijuana potency, which is about 3.5 percent, it’s been relatively stable for the last 20 years. Having said that, it’s very important that what we have now is a wider range of potencies available than we had in the 1970s, in particular.” However, the supporters of marijuana rebuff these reports and say that the facts about marijuana are incomplete as the tests were conducted only on specific origins during the 1960s. They argue that

Many proponents of marijuana seem to forget marijuanas effect on the brain. Recently, a number of studies are being conducted to determine the side effects marijuana creates on the brain. The answer to the question whether marijuana affects the brain is obviously, “Yes”. When one smokes marijuana, the THC in it passes from the lungs to the bloodstream. As a result of this, the chemical is carried to every organ in the body as well as the brain. Consumption of marijuana through food items or drinks makes the passing of the chemical faster. In the brain, Cannabinol receptors (the specific targets of Cannabis) receive the THC elements. In fact, these receptors are designed to receive chemicals similar to THC, in order to facilitate normal neural communication. These natural bodily chemical play an inevitable role in the development and function of the brain. It is the density of cannabinoid receptors that

Bristol University doctor Matthew Jones and colleagues carried out a study to find out marijuanas effect on the brain and they have discovered that prolonged marijuana use can lead to symptoms of schizophrenia. According to the study, the harmful effects of weed occur because of the disruptions in the brain networks. This study result could influence the decisions of many states, which are considering bills to legalize medical cannabis. The researchers say that each part of the brain relates to another at a particular frequency and this helps the brain to process information and act accordingly. They correlated this relationship with that of an orchestra where woodwind, brass, percussion sections and string are connected together. According to the researchers, the brain with similar arrangements follows a particular rhythm and this rhythm in brain controls our actions. However, by smoking cannabis, this rhythm is disrupted. This in turn results in the

Recreational use of marijuana is now legal in the states of Colorado and Washington. Adults over the age of 21 can possess up to one ounce (28 grams) of marijuana, and cultivate pot up to a limited number of plants per person. However, researchers say that daily use of cannabis can lead to many health issues. Roger Roffman, a professor emeritus at the University of Washington’s School of Social Work, and a supporter of legalization of recreational marijuana said concerning the matter, “Daily use of marijuana increases the risk of becoming addicted to the drug.” “There are many positive facts about marijuana, and it provides great relief to the patients, but dependence on the drug can cause impairment and distress to the users,” Roffman added. He also said that people who smoke weed regularly complain about a decline in memory as well as failure to organize their tasks, or do

Even though efforts were being made to promote the medical uses of cannabis, you cannot deny its far-reaching effects on health. It may vary from person to person and is influenced by a number of factors like general health condition, body mass, prevalence of disease and so on. The facts about marijuana, especially the ill effects should to be made known even while taking in for medical purposes. It has been found that exposure to moderate dose of cannabis smoke effects will be retained for a couple of hours. Various effects of cannabis use A number of symptoms may be experienced and as I said earlier, it may vary with people. However, the common symptoms include anxiety, paranoia, changes in vision, reddened eyes, drowsiness, poor memory, difficulty in identifying color and sound, increase in appetite, and reductions in the blood pressure level. When you consume cannabis, the body will show

Our country is facing one of the worst dilemmas of the century, and it seems like the whole of the country is getting divided based on it. The discussions regarding whether to legalize the use of marijuana, although quite old, have found importance in recent years due to the increasing number of states that are legalizing it. Up to now around twenty states, have either legalized it, or are in the final stages of the legalization procedure. Recent polls that were conducted on the subject, all pointed at the changing perceptions of the average American citizen. It also spoke of a growing trend, favoring of the legalization of marijuana. Most news outlets and research analysts are saying that marijuana will be legalized all over the country within a decade or so. It must be noted that marijuana, although known primarily for its recreational uses, is a very effective painkilling drug.

Marijuana legalization is a highly contentious issue in the United States. Many states have passed the laws making its medical use legal, while Washington and Colorado made the recreational use legal, almost in defiance of the federal anti-marijuana laws. While federal government and state governments continue to interpret the facts about marijuana differently, the public opinion is changing in favour of its legalization. The increasing support for marijuana legalization The main reason all these states are ignoring the federal laws and are passing the marijuana laws, is because of the voters’ support for such measures. The politicians and the lawmakers cannot be criticized for heeding to the public’s opinion in their states, as recent polls show that most of the Americans are in favour of marijuana legalization in the country. Almost all of these state laws were passed after they were put to referendums where it garnered the majority votes.

The Justice Department is yet to take a decision on the laws passed by the states of Colorado and Washington, which made the use of recreational marijuana legal. However, the decision of the Justice department is likely to be influenced by the marijuana effects on children. According to the Attorney General Eric Holder, “When it comes to these marijuana initiatives, I think among the kinds of things we will have to consider is the impact on children,” and that “We are certainly going to enforce federal law”. The states of Colorado and Washington legalized recreational cannabis last November; however, the drug remains illegal under the federal laws. The Attorney general is yet to take a decision on whether to take the matter to courts or not. In addition, one of the congressional representatives has already asked Mr. Holder to defy the state laws in court. Last December, in an interview

When synthetic marijuana first hit the markets, many were under the wrong impression that the drug is legal and safe. Some of the synthetic cannabis was prepared using the artificial equivalents of the federally banned cannabinoids mixed with other chemicals making it a cocktail designer drug. Since the DEA ban The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) soon discovered that some of these drugs are even more harmful than the natural marijuana and contained many psychoactive chemicals that made it extremely addictive. The DEA promptly banned it from the market. However, these are still available under different names through different routes. An investigation conducted by the News Channel 5 confirmed this and to make the point loud and clear, the channel investigative journalists went ahead and bought two packets of the drug online. The illegal synthetic marijuana is mainly thriving in the online market where they are available in fancy packets and

Reefer, pot, herb, blanche, weed, sinsemilla, hashish, hash oil, chronic, dagga ganja, grass, old man, bhang, hash, tar- all these are names given to various cannabis derivatives. The major active psychoactive agent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is responsible for the widespread popularity of this drug. The THC content varies in different grades of marijuana. While lower grade marijuana contains 1% to 3% of THC, higher grade marijuana known as sinsemilla contains 7% to 8% of THC. Hashish, one of the most popular derivatives of marijuana contains 7 to 20 percentage of the compound while hashish oil, the most concentrated form may contain up to 70% THC. In spite of the well-known recreational and medicinal facts about marijuana, the federal government still categorizes the drug as a Schedule 1 Narcotic. This means that the DEA does not approve of any of the medicinal qualities of the drug and classifies it as having