What If Your Son Or Best Friend Smokes Marijuana?

Terrified, of course. Everyone was told marijuana (cannabis sativa) is a killer drug since decades ago. For me, it was since I'm born to this world. In fact, all forms of cannabis are mind-altering (psychoactive) drugs; they all contain at least 3% of THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in marijuana that makes the user high. They also contain more than 400 other chemicals, in which made seemingly so "dangerous".

There are over 200 slang terms for marijuana including "pot," "herb," "weed," "boom," "Mary Jane," "gangster," and "chronic," just to name a few.

"But I do not smoke marijuana."

Within a few minutes of inhaling marijuana smoke, the user will likely feel a dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, some loss of coordination and slower reaction time. Blood vessels in the eye expand, so the user's eyes look red. For some people, marijuana raises blood pressure slightly and can double the normal heart rate, but users do not always know when that happens.

As the immediate effects fade, usually after 2 to 3 hours, the user may become sleepy.

How killer is the killer drug?

Some users, especially someone new to the drug or in a strange setting, may suffer acute anxiety and have paranoid thoughts. In rare cases, a user who has taken a very high dose of the drug can have severe psychotic symptoms and need emergency medical treatment.

Marijuana hinders the user's short-term memory and he or she may have trouble handling complex tasks. Under the influence of marijuana, students may find it hard to study and learn. However, compared to cocaine, it does not cause addiction! Constant consumption by some users may be caused by the crave for the high and kicks of THC.

Can it do good?

Despite the hazards and concerns raised by authorities decades ago, recent studies have began to show its medical usages to cure human dread diseases. If the drug is completely useless, places like Nimbin (Australia) and Amsterdam (Holland) would not have legalized the drug.

THC, manufactured into a pill that is taken by mouth, not smoked, can be used for treating the nausea and vomiting that go along with certain cancer treatments and is available by prescription in the United States. Another chemical related to THC (nabilone) has also been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating cancer patients who suffer nausea. The oral THC is also used to help AIDS patients eat more to keep up their weight by developing a crave symptom called munchies that would raise the user's appetite and craving for food and beverages, especially snacks.

Recent scientific studies published by AFP and AP shown that THC can ease inflammation and slow the progression of coronary artery disease in mice, and possibly humans. Atherosclerosis is a common disorder of the arteries. Fatty materials build up and eventually block the arteries and interfere with blood flow.

Daily low doses of the ingredient, THC, prevented atherosclerosis, a primary cause of heart disease and stroke in western countries, without producing the associated high.

"We have proven that very low doses of cannabis therapy will have an anti-inflammatory effect that will slow the progression of atherosclerosis in mice," said Dr Francois Mach, of Geneva University Hospital in Switzerland.

In a commentary on the research in Nature magazine, Michael Roth, of the University of California in Los Angeles, described the findings as striking.


Mary Jane - An old plant for a new source of medicine

Adapted from Yahoo, AFP & AP