Marijuana is one of the oldest and most researched drugs known to humanity. For thousands of years prior to its prohibition in the twentieth century, cannabis, another name for marijuana, was used as a medicine throughout the world, until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. Marijuana, being a powerful topical analgesic, muscle relaxant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-spasmodic agent, was found in virtually all ointments and relaxers. The United States Pharmacopoeia recommended marijuana for over one hundred illnesses including asthma, fatigue, fits of coughing, migraine headaches, cramps, and depression associated with menstruation. This lasted up until 1942 when it ceased to be listed due to increas

Marijuana has been known to tear apart families and friendships. The root of the problem is in the chemicals of the marijuana plant. These same chemicals are in regular cigarettes, but cigarettes do not cause these types of problems. Given the history of marijuana, all the research, facts, and information available right now, this is not the open-and-shut case it should be. The U.S. government has many reasons for not wanting to legalize marijuana. One of the main issues is that marijuana use leads to the us of harder drugs. This is just one of the many myths of marijuana. However, there is no scientific evidence for the theory that marijuana is a gateway drug. The cultures in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America which use cannabis show no need for other harder drugs. The government made the gateway theory in the sixties, when marijuana became the leading new recreational drug. Although there is no evidence that marijuana is a gateway drug, there is evidence that cannibus may substitute for alcohol and other "hard" drugs. The one way marijuana does lead to other drugs is through its illegality. People who deal with marijuana are likely to deal with other harder drugs as well.

Marijuana has over four hundred chemicals. Many of these chemicals are the same as those in regular cigarettes, but marijuana is more potent. The main mind altering chemical is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC for short. This chemical produces the side affects which include dry mouth, rapid heart beat, and a feeling of being "high". In adults physical affects of marijuana use include feelings of relaxation, increase in heart and pulse rate, reddening of eyes, dryness in mouth and throat, and a mild decrease in body temperature. Occasionally there is an increase in appetite. "Except for the harms associated with smoking, the adverse affects of marijuana use are within the range of affects tolerated for other medications." Some users claim that it enhances hearing, vision, and skin sensitivity, but no one has proven these claims yet. Marijuana has also been shown to impair short-term memory temporarily, alter sense of time, and reduce the ability to perform tasks requiring concentration, swift reaction, and coordination. Using marijuana not only has physical affects, but also its mental ones. People suffering from depression or other emotional disturbances who use marijuana to treat these symptoms often cause a worsening of the problem. Many people who use marijuana report it causing disrupt

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