Brett Fitzpatrick
Ms. Sutton
Senior Workshop 4A
December 8, 2014
Marijuana and Its Effects
Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America (behind only alcohol and tobacco), and has been used by nearly one hundred million Americans. According to government surveys, some twenty five million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than fourteen million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use (Armentano). Marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. Around fifty thousand people die each year from alcohol poisoning. Similarly, more than four hundred thousand deaths each year are attributed to tobacco smoking. By comparison, marijuana is nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose. However …show more content…
Unlike THC, CBD does not induce a “high”. While this makes CBD a poor choice for recreational users, it gives the chemical a significant advantage as a medicine, since heath professionals prefer treatments with minimal side effects. A two-thousand and eleven review published in Current Drug Safety concludes that CBD “does not interfere with several psychomotor and psychological functions.” The authors add that several studies suggest that CBD is “well tolerated and safe” even at high doses …show more content…
The effects of marijuana according to NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) are a severe “health risk.” They stated that marijuana affects brain development and memory, and when it is consumed by young people, it can lower their IQ by eight points. However the twenty twelve Duke University study was flawed. A follow-up study published six months later in the same journal, found that the Duke paper failed to account for a number of confounding factors: "Although it would be too strong to say that the results have been discredited, the methodology is flawed and the causal inference drawn from the results premature," it concluded. A new study out from the University College of London provides even stronger evidence that the Duke findings were flawed. “The study draws on a considerably larger sample of adolescents than the Duke research, two thousand six hundred and twelve children born in the Bristol area of the U.K. in nineteen ninety one and nineteen ninety two (Ingraham).” Researchers examined children's IQ scores at age eight and again at age fifteen , and found "no relationship between cannabis use and lower IQ at age fifteen.” The United States Department of Health stated that a number of studies have linked chronic marijuana use and mental illness. However in a recent article by Jeremy Spiegel, M.D., cannabis is described to be a viable treatment option
Ms. Sutton
Senior Workshop 4A
December 8, 2014
Marijuana and Its Effects
Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America (behind only alcohol and tobacco), and has been used by nearly one hundred million Americans. According to government surveys, some twenty five million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than fourteen million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use (Armentano). Marijuana is far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. Around fifty thousand people die each year from alcohol poisoning. Similarly, more than four hundred thousand deaths each year are attributed to tobacco smoking. By comparison, marijuana is nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose. However …show more content…
Unlike THC, CBD does not induce a “high”. While this makes CBD a poor choice for recreational users, it gives the chemical a significant advantage as a medicine, since heath professionals prefer treatments with minimal side effects. A two-thousand and eleven review published in Current Drug Safety concludes that CBD “does not interfere with several psychomotor and psychological functions.” The authors add that several studies suggest that CBD is “well tolerated and safe” even at high doses …show more content…
The effects of marijuana according to NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) are a severe “health risk.” They stated that marijuana affects brain development and memory, and when it is consumed by young people, it can lower their IQ by eight points. However the twenty twelve Duke University study was flawed. A follow-up study published six months later in the same journal, found that the Duke paper failed to account for a number of confounding factors: "Although it would be too strong to say that the results have been discredited, the methodology is flawed and the causal inference drawn from the results premature," it concluded. A new study out from the University College of London provides even stronger evidence that the Duke findings were flawed. “The study draws on a considerably larger sample of adolescents than the Duke research, two thousand six hundred and twelve children born in the Bristol area of the U.K. in nineteen ninety one and nineteen ninety two (Ingraham).” Researchers examined children's IQ scores at age eight and again at age fifteen , and found "no relationship between cannabis use and lower IQ at age fifteen.” The United States Department of Health stated that a number of studies have linked chronic marijuana use and mental illness. However in a recent article by Jeremy Spiegel, M.D., cannabis is described to be a viable treatment option