Physical, Emotional and Social Impairment Caused by Marijuana :: Use of Marijuana Essays

hemp is a unique and controversial drug. It is a popular mind-bending drug that is easily accessible and relatively inexpensive. Marijuana is often considered a recreational drug despite its outlaw(prenominal) status. It is il licit because there are many uncertainties surrounding this substance. In fact, some raise the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes while others oppose. Opponents of marijuana insist that legal approval will result in serious personal and social problems. There are three species of Marijuana. The about common and most psychoactive is a prepared mixture of the hemp sic, Cannabis sativa. Cannabis indica is cognize to be less potent and Cannabis ruderalis has virtually no psychoactive ingredients. Cannabis sativa will be analyzed in detail since it is the most commonly used species. This plant grows wild but it hind end be cultivated in temperate as well as tropic areas. Cannabis products can be weedd in pipes or cigarettes. They can also be inge sted with food. Manufactured products range from paper to ink (WWW 2). all(prenominal) plant varies slightly in composition and the different parts of the plant vary in chemical constituents. In 1993 researchers discovered 400 to ergocalciferol chemicals. Some of the major types of chemical constituents in marijuana preparations include acids, alcohols, aldehydes, and amino acids. Cannabinoids, esters, enzymes, glycoproteins, hydrocarbons, ketones, lactones, nitrogenous compounds, phenols, pigments, proteins, sugars, steroids, terpenes, and vitamins are others (Carroll 1993). These are among some of the naturally occurring chemicals in marijuana and were derived from the Institute of Medicine and the Marijuana Project from the University of Mississippi. Furtherto a greater extent, researchers have found that when cannabis is burned, additional chemicals are formed and may be found in the gas and smoke. One of the chemicals produced is benzopyrene, which is a known carcinogen. It is approximately 70% more abundant in marijuana smoke than in tobacco smoke (Carroll 1993). Only about 30 of the chemicals in marijuana have been study extensively for their psychoactive effects. Of these delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is known to be the most psychoactive chemical. This chemical is converted into over 60 other psychoactive metabolites by the liver-colored (Carroll 1993). These chemical reactions, however, have either proved insignificant or not enough research has been conducted to prove their importance. Researchers have been mostly concerned with the fundamental interaction of THC in the human form. THC concentration in the human body depends on many factors. First of all, THC concentration varies throughout the plant.