Marijuana For Medical Purposes Billion A Year Essay - 1,918 words

Prior to the twentieth century, the marijuana plant (then more commonly referred to as hemp) was the single most important industrial plant, or non-food producing crop in America and the world (German 1990). Archeologists report that marijuana was possibly the first plant cultivated by humans. They estimate that date at approximately 8000 BC (Columbia University). As early as 4000 BC, pottery with marijuana markings and hemp textiles were found in North Central China. In those years, such things as clothing, rope, fishnets, pottery, and oils were made from the marijuana plant. The early Chinese also knew about the medicinal uses of marijuana. 2737 BC was the first recorded use of marijuana for medical purposes by the Chinese emperor Shen-nung.


Also, in 105 AD, the worlds first paper, made from hemp, was invented by a Chinese man, Ts a Lon. The first ships to come across the Atlantic Ocean used a lot of materials made from marijuana. To say that America was founded on marijuana would not be at all untrue. Many historic people and items that, to us, symbolize freedom are, or were, closely related to marijuana.


The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution were both written on hemp paper. Betsy Ross used hemp cloth to make the first American flag. Hemp canvas (the word canvass comes from cannabis, Latin for hemp) covered the pioneers wagons as they headed west to settle America. Abraham Lincoln was said to have used a hemp oil lamp to read and study by. In the 1930 s, a corporation called Du Pont and a man named William Randolph Hearst were two major leaders in a quest to make marijuana illegal. They were both afraid that hemp would compete with certain paper and synthetic products of theirs.


Since Hearst owned newspapers, he had a perfect opportunity to write and publish many false stories about hemp and give it an evil face in the eyes of Americans. When Hearst acquired a patent for the sulfuric acid paper-making process to be used with tree pulp, and oddly enough owned timber holdings in Oregon, he had two major reasons to fight for marijuana becoming illegal. He used his money and political influence to make a movie entitled Refer Madness, which falsely exaggerated the negativity of marijuana. In 1938 the US government made marijuana illegal. However, in 1942 the United States Department of Agriculture made its own film which they called Hemp for Victory. This movie was made to reemphasize hemp's usefulness and encourage farmers to grow the plant because of the need for materials during the War.


After the War, however, when hemp was again able to be acquired from Asia, American production again came to a halt. There have been many questions about medical problems that marijuana has said to create. The most popular question is if people have died from smoking marijuana. The answer to that question is no.


From research done by the US Government Bureau of Mortality Statistics in 1987 the following statistics on deaths attributed to substances in a year were found: Tobacco... 340, 000 - 395, 000 Alcohol (excluding crime / accidents ) 125, 000 + Drug Overdose (prescription). 24, 000 - 27, 000 Drug Overdose (illegal)... 3, 800 - 5, 200 The only deaths from an overdose of marijuana recorded were mice. The ratio that doctors came up with for a lethal dose of marijuana is 1 to 40, 000. This means that in order for someone to overdose they would have to consume 40, 000 times as much marijuana as it would take them to get stoned or high. Strangely enough, the ratio of alcohol can vary between 1 to 4 and 1 to 10. Looking at these statistics it is pretty easy to see how nearly 5, 000 people die from alcohol overdoses a year. Many people also believe that marijuana flattens peoples brain waves.


This is untrue. A few years ago the Partnership for a Drug-Free America ran a TV ad that showed a normal brain wave, and then showed a flat brain wave from a fourteen your old supposedly on marijuana. Researchers then complained to the TV networks that the Partnership had faked the second brain wave and then had to pull it from the air. Actually, marijuana slightly increases brain wave activity that is mostly associated with a persons creativity. People also believe that marijuana is more dangerous than tobacco. Marijuana contains the same amount of harmful carcinogens as an equal amount of tobacco.


But, people should also remember that a tobacco smoker smokes more and more often than a marijuana smoker. Thats because smoked tobacco has a 90 % addiction rate. That makes it the most addictive of all drugs, marijuana on the other hand is less addictive than caffeine (Hager). The only harmful thing about marijuana is the possibility of bronchitis. The best way to prevent this from happening is the same way you would from smoked tobacco. Stop smoking.


It has been a proven point that there are over a thousand chemicals in marijuana smoke. The August 31 issue of the magazine Science in 1990 noted that there are over 800 volatile chemicals present in roasted coffee, only 21 have actually been tested on animals and 16 of these caused cancer (Hager). Even with these studies coffee is still legal, has no real uses, and is considered fairly safe. The public has been lead to believe that marijuana makes people violent. This statement is untrue according to the Federal Bureau of narcotics director Harry An slinger. He told congress that just the opposite ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

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Essay Tags: department of agriculture, marijuana for medical purposes, fatty acids, legalize marijuana, billion a year

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