How are Steemians? This post is made with the intention of informing you as much as possible about one of the most famous drugs of all: Marijuana. Next, we will talk about what it is, what is its history, what are its negative and positive effects, among other things. Without much more to say, let's begin...
What is marijuana?
Marijuana, also known as cannabis, ganja, mota, weed and many other names, is the psychoactive or psychotropic obtained from the hemp plant (O cannabis sativa). It is used for recreational, medicinal and even religious purposes. Marijuana contains more than 500 different chemical compounds, among them there are 113 cannabinoids and the most predominant is the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). According to the UN, this is the most commonly used illicit substance in the world.
Why is it used?
It is commonly used for its physical and psychic effects. These include a change in perception, increased appetite, euphoria, improved mood, complete relaxation of the body, among many other things. These would be the effects that will be had while being "high" or "flown", words used among ganja consumers to define a person who is under the influence of marijuana.
What would be the side effects?
There are short and long term side effects, we explain below both:
Short term:
- Short-term memory loss
- Oral dryness
- Insomnia provoking
- Ravenous appetite
- Dehydration of the eyes (red eyes)
- Loss of motor skills
- Feelings of paranoia or anxiety
Long Term:
- Addiction (Marijuana is not addictive but the human body can become addicted to whatever)
- Decreased mental capacity (Mostly in people who maintain a daily consumption from an early age)
- Behavioral problems in children whose mothers used cannabis during pregnancy.
How long does it take for cannabis to have an effect on the body?
The effects begin a few minutes after having smoked, if it was ingested the effects take between one hour and thirty minutes to arrive. These effects can last from two hours to six, depending on the amount consumed.
History of marijuana
Cannabis originates in Central and South Asia. Evidence indicates that the first inhalations of cannabis smoke were carried out during the third millennium BC (before Christ). This is what the completely charred cannabis seeds found in an old brazier found in a cemetery in Romania tells us. The plant was named as "ganjika" in Sanskrit, a classic language of India. "Ganjika" is translated as "ganja" in modern languages of India.
Marijuana has an ancient and extensive record in religious rituals throughout the world. These performances in religious rituals take life from the time of the Assyrian people (Assyria was an empire of antiquity located in southwestern Asia) where under the name of "qunubu" was used for religious ceremonies.
Marijuana was highly valued in the past, all this was before its prohibition. Then you will see some data that correspond to the United States, since this was the main country that promoted its prohibition:
- Until 1830, in the United States all school textbooks were printed on hemp paper.
- The first maps, Bibles and even the American Constitution were printed on hemp paper.
- In some states of the country, during the sixteenth and seventeenth century, the cultivation of this plant was mandatory due to the benefits that were obtained as raw material
- The hemp was essential for navigation for centuries since 90% of the ropes that were used in this practice were made with this material
In 1916, the United States Department of Agriculture predicted that by 1940 all books would be printed on the basis of hemp. This implied the end of the felling of trees.
To give you a small piece of information, I tell you that it is confirmed that one hectare of hemp cultivation produces 4 times more paper than one hectare of trees.
Prohibition
The use of cannabis began to be penalized at the beginning of the 20th century in different countries. In 1911 it was banned in South Africa, in 1913 in Jamaica (at that time it was an English colony). Already by 1920 it began to be banned in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Canada made cannabis use illegal in 1923 before the consumption of the plant in that country had even been reported.
The first antecedents of the prohibition of the sale of cannabis in the United States date back to 1906, in the District of Columbia. Later they were united Massachusetts (1911), New York (1914) and Maine (1914). In 1913 California joined the aforementioned states and in 1915 Wyoming did the same. Then they joined Texas (1919), Nevada (1923), Iowa (1923), Washington (1923), Oregon (1923), Arkansas (1923), and Nebraska (1927). By 1932 the Uniform State Narcotic Arct had been created in order to encourage the other state governments to join, without exception, the national campaign in favor of the prohibition of marijuana.
Now, if we start thinking for a while we will realize how the United States suddenly and strangely went from living an "amorous" with cannabis to desperately promoting its prohibition and penalty.
Forms of consumption
Marijuana is usually consumed by the respiratory route, either by smoking it or inhaling it through a vaporizer. However, cannabis is consumed in many different ways.
Most people who smoke cannabis do so through small tubes (pipes), bongs or wrapped in paper (the famous "porro").
Cannabis can also be ingested, this is done by joining with some type of food such as cakes, brownies and any type of food. The ingestion of marijuana orally should always be well measured since this way more THC percentage is entered than smoking or vaporizing it, therefore the effects tend to be stronger and longer lasting.
Positive and negative effects of cannabis
Next we will show 5 positive and 5 negative effects produced by the consumption of marijuana
Positives:
1-. Prevents Alzheimer's: THC helps maintain a healthy brain tissue and reduce the chances of developing Alzheimer's.
2-. It works as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic: It is proven that cannabis oil works as an anti-inflammatory and topical analgesic.
3-. Helps treat schizophrenia: Both the mental and physical relaxation obtained by consuming cannabis are two excellent allies when it comes to combating the obsessive and compulsive inclinations of a schizophrenic person.
4-. Reduces the growth and expansion of tumors: Studies conducted in the United States have shown that the use of marijuana helps to prevent the growth and expansion of tumors in the lungs, chest and brain. THC acts on the harmful cells respecting healthy tissue, something that is not yet achieved through chemotherapy.
5-. Reduces headaches: So normal ailments in the daily life of any person are treated successfully using marijuana.
Negatives:
1-. Difficulty to learn: Marijuana has a negative effect on short-term memory problems, which makes it difficult for the person who consumes it to want to learn something. However, this effect is not the same in all people. Some claim that this has never affected them at the time of learning while others confirm it.
2-. Memory failures: According to the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Nortwestern (United States), young people who smoke marijuana for a long period tend to suffer memory problems. That is, they have a deficiency when they retain information or remember something.
3-. Piscological addiction: It is more than proven that cannabis does not have addictive properties, however it is not the same as physical addition than psychological addiction. A person who consumes marijuana in excess can produce an over stimulation of the endocannabinoid system, thus causing a psychological addiction.
4-. Attacks to the cardiovascular system: The main compound of marijuana which is THC. Upon entering the body produces the psycho-affective effect characteristic of marijuana, thus causing an increase in heart rate. This increase in heart rate can last up to an hour. A healthy person has no problem with this, but things are different in a person suffering from heart problems.
5-. Debilitation of the immune system: Marijuana possesses cannabinoid components that release a massive amount of MDSC in the body. The MDSC is a set of cells that interfere in a negative way in the organism annulling its defenses. In short, the use of marijuana can make us more vulnerable to the appearance of harmful microorganisms in our body.