--Original published at HarrysCollegeBlog

With many states arguing over the legality of Marijuana, I’ve decided to cover the topic and give my own thoughts on the subject. Marijuana being used in Medical procedures is a fairly good argument for its legality, although misuse of it can lead to addiction, which is never a good thing. The dosage given by the doctors needs to be nothing over the prescribes amount, although it only takes one time for someone to get addicted. Medical use of marijuana can lead to addiction with recreational usage of it. therefore, without a doctor’s prescription it should be impossible to obtain. The fundamental problem with Marijuana being either legal or illegal is to ignore the possibilities of medical treatment.I propose that Marijuana be obtainable only in medical situations.

Although there’s nothing wrong with recreational use of marijuana, the addiction to drugs has always been a problem. to limit addiction, the usage of such drugs should be limited to medical use, but then there’s the possibility of intentionally getting injured/diseased as to obtain more of it. We cannot have people spending their lives searching for Marijuana, or have them intentionally harming themselves to obtain it either. Its a tough subject, but the use of it only in medical fields seems to be the better choice.

--Original published at Bailey PSY 105 Blog

In my opinion, use of both recreational and medicinal marijuana should be legal. Medicinal marijuana contains different proportions of THC and CBD than recreational marijuana. Medicinal marijuana allows for the pain relief offered by CBD with little to none of the ‘high’ provided by THC. Medicinal marijuana has been proven to provide pain and nausea relief for cancer patients, as well as reducing muscle spasms and increasing appetite in those with conditions such as cancer, HIV, and AIDS. Personally, my family uses CBD oil to help keep my dog’s epilepsy under control, and we have seen a marked difference in her appetite and the frequency and severity of her seizures. In places that medical cannabis has been legalized, people have an opportunity to obtain a medical marijuana card that allows them to purchase any number of cannabis products from dispensaries. I also believe that the legalization of medical marijuana could offer a solution to the opioid epidemic in America right now. Cannabis has had no proven long-term adverse effects on the user, unlike alternate pain relief medications such as Percocet or Vicodin. The cons to legalizing medical marijuana are nobody really knows yet if medical cannabis is safe for long term (or short term for that matter) use, and that young people with medical marijuana cards are more susceptible to side effects and potential addiction later on in life. It is also a concern that people will unnecessarily acquire a medical marijuana card in order to get around the system and use the product for recreational use. I believe however the pros far outweigh the cons, and benefits such as pain and nausea relief, enhanced appetite, helping with PTSD, and creating more jobs within the community are worth more than the minimal risks.

I believe that recreational marijuana should be legalized as well. There are many people that believe that marijuana is a gateway drug and has a high potential to be used and abused illegally, and that if it were to be made legal the situation would only get worse. After living in Colorado for six years, it is my opinion (and the opinion of many in the Colorado community) that the legalization of marijuana truly doesn’t hurt anyone. Marijuana is a relaxant, and unlike a hallucinogenic like LSD or peyote, does not cause the typical user to lose control of themselves and have manic episodes. Although tasks such as driving a car could be far more dangerous under the influence of marijuana, I argue that it’s affects are no more harmful than those of alcohol and in some cases poses even less of a risk. I believe that marijuana should be legalized everywhere in the United States for those above 21.

--Original published at Sydney’s Side

The medical use of marijuana seems more beneficial than harmful if health care providers are actually writing prescriptions for it. With any drug, there are always side effects. For example, ibuprofen is harmful to your liver if you take too much of it but that doesn’t stop some people from popping them like candy. Some negative side effects are that it makes people act differently, if there are individuals using marijuana to stop seizures for example, they would act differently all the time. Additionally, there is a risk of addiction because it is a drug, I’m not saying ‘it’s the gateway drug’ or anything but any drug runs the risk of causing addiction. My point is, medical professionals are trained to weigh out the risky side effects of drugs but they will always do what is in the best interest of the patient, therefore medical marijuana should be legal.

As for recreational marijuana, I have heard many debates over this topic but I am leaning toward the legalization side. The problems with this are the same problems that would happen with medical marijuana but in this case, the people using it don’t need to have it to help their health. There is no medical benefit in this case so it could be compared to the effects of alcohol. On the positive side, it would get rid of the people illegally selling marijuana and the government could tax it and make money off of it. It would also decrease the amount of people arrested for selling it and save money that way. If alcohol is legal and regulated, what is the big difference between the two?

--Original published at Gracie's Blog

There are several pros as well as cons when deciding whether marijuana should be legal or not. There is a difference when talking about recreational marijuana and marijuana used for medical purposes. Medical marijuana actually possesses healing effects while recreational marijuana can be dangerous. In my opinion, medical marijuana should be legal because in many instances marijuana can benefit people who are sick. Years ago, my aunt had cancer and flew to Mexico in order to use medical marijuana. The medicine decreased her nausea and helped relieve pain, she was also given a certain dosage which controlled the amount she took. The medical marijuana also was said to help decrease the growth of cancer cells, which is amazing. Another pro of legalizing medical marijuana is if the doctor has no other options to treat an illness, the sick patient does not need to be sent on a plane to receive the treatment needed. Recreational marijuana can cause danger, and there are other ways to have a good time. Marijuana used for the wrong reasons can do more harm than good. Using marijuana for enjoyment can lead to increased heart rate, panic attacks, and impaired cognition (Source ). There are long term effects from using marijuana, which include mood swings, memory loss, lung infections, and more (Source) . The point is, marijuana is a drug and for people to use it recreationally deaths could be the result and it could negatively impact futures. The hard part is if we legalize medical marijuana, marijuana for recreational purposes will be easier to get access to. Overall, I believe medical marijuana should be legalized for helpful purposes while recreational marijuana does more harm than good.

Source used: https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/marijuana/symptoms-signs/

--Original published at Caroline's Blog

The legalization of recreational marijuana has become a very popular topic of discussion. With medical marijuana being legalized and providing relief for patients using it, the general public wants to be able to use this drug to reach a high and be at peace with their bodies and minds. However, I believe that the legalization of recreational marijuana would not be beneficial for anyone. Medical marijuana is very beneficial for people with chronic illnesses that have shown little to no improvement after other treatments, and I believe that it should stay this way. Allowing the average person to use this drug could lead to them to thinking it provides some sort of relief for a non-existent problem. Eventually, this could lead to addiction which may cause even greater medical and mental illnesses for the rest of their lives. On the other hand, having recreational use of this drug legalized could make marijuana less of a taboo. People who are using the drug for medical purposes may feel uncomfortable talking about this treatment due to the negative connotation behind the drug. The number of criminals in the system who are in jail due to use of this drug and solely this would be minimized, and authoritative figures could focus on other major criminals and problems in society that are far more serious. I believe that legalizing this drug could potentially help out society as a whole however, it could ultimately ruin the personal lives of those individuals yearning to reach a new high.

--Original published at Tyler's Ideas

While dealing with addiction, there are two different approaches one may choose. The abstinence model looks to diminish the addiction and promotes obriety as the goal. This model uses programs such as AA to aid in the process. Another model that could possibly be used is the harm reduction model. This model, instead of eliminating the addiction, attempts to prevent harmful effects and presents a safer way to continue the addiction. An example of this are clean needle programs who attempt to prevent further spreading of diseases.

Personally, I believe that the better approach would be the abstinence model and I would recommend this approach to a loved one needing help with an addiction. I believe this is the better approach because unlike the harm reduction model, it diminishes the addiction and promotes sobriety. While I believe the harm reduction model may be helpful to some, if the goal is to be free of the addiction, this model will not do much. This model just helps the addicted person be safer about their addiction, rather than shrinking it. I think that when handling addiction, the best route is sobriety. Through the abstinence model, most organizations will suggest a 12-step program. Within this program, an addicted person not only find sobriety, but also makes amends with those who may have been harmed by the addiction. I truly believe that this is the best way when best with addiction and if approached by a loved one, I would recommend the abstinence method.

--Original published at RachelsCollegeBlog

My stance in marijuana is, if it is for a medical reason it is okay to be legal. However, for recreational use, that I do not think should be legal.

Medical marijuana can help to put people out of their misery or to help them control their disease so that it is less invasive of their lives and they are able to live a better. Marijuana that is prescribed medically is normally to help those that are in pain. This can include those that get frequent and terrible headaches or even those that have a cancer and their disease is causing them pain. These are times that prescribing medical marijuana is okay and should be legal. It is being prescribed to help those that are in pain and are suffering. The positive to medical marijuana is that those who are in pain, there amount of pain decreases and they are able to live a fuller, happier life. However, a negative to medical marijuana is that it could decrease the intellectual functions, like memories, they could also start to become less interested in the things that they loved so much in the past. Therefore, even though their pain will be decreasing there will to do the things that they love or things that they find interesting.

Recreational marijuana, however, should not be legal. People that are using marijuana for fun are people who should not have it. It can cause those using it to be dependent on it. It can also cause hallucinations as well as health risks to those who do not need it. Those who are given medical marijuana are given a certain amount, allowing them to control their usage of the amount. When it is used in a recreational way, they are free to use as much as they want, and this can lead to dangerous behaviors and health risks as it is known to cause shallow breathing. Though a positive to those using it, it is a chance for those who are social awkward to have a chance to fit in and be more outgoing. However, the negatives seem to outweigh the positives as it has a possibility of causing some serious health side effects.

Therefore, my opinion is marijuana should be legal if it is for medical reasons not for recreational usage.

--Original published at Makayla Hockenbrock

 Whether or not the legalization of marijuana is a good or bad thing for society is a very controversial topic now-a-days. I have multiple opinions on the topic. I am in between on the decision. In one case, I am in full support of the use of medical marijuana. I am for it because there is scientific data behind the effects it has had on people with medical issues. If there is nothing else, meaning no other treatment for the patient, and marijuana helps the pain then I am all for it. Now for it being legalized for recreational use, I am more against than I am for it.  I am against it because I believe that it is a gateway drug, however, most people tend to think otherwise. This is my own opinion because I think that the more you use marijuana, or some people abuse, it could lead to the individual becoming a user of a stronger substance.

There are pros and cons to each side, as there are to everything. Pros for medical use would be stress relief and pain relief for sufferers. Some cons would be heavy reliance on the drug instead of other pain meds that could be used for the disease. Pros for legalizing the recreational use or marijuana would be less arrests due to someone having marijuana on them, or high from it, as well as prison overcrowding, and economy. Cons would be increased drug use, more instances of recklessness, and decrease productivity within society.

So that is my standpoint on the uses of marijuana.

--Original published at Manami PSY105blog

Recently, drugs such as marijuana are accepted to use legally in some states. I felt that using drugs in daily in the USA is less strict than doing in Japan when I came here. For first impression prompts of chapter 3, I chose option 1 which is about the use of marijuana.

The news that Canada allowed to use marijuana recreationally made me surprised because using drugs including marijuana is prohibited and people do not use them usually in Japan.

There are two types of usages of marijuana: the medical use and recreational use. The advantage of the medical use is to help people with disabilities and illness such as cancer and Alzheimer. Medical marijuana also helps to heal pains, and increase an appetite and sleeps. On the other hand, its disadvantage is people may be addicted. It also decreases the ability to memorize and think, and have the similar effect to alcohol.

The advantage of the recreational use is it makes people active and happy which is called “High”. People may be able to focus on their stuff such as studying. I am not sure if it actually effects on people’s activity positively because I have never used it before. Compared with them, people tend to be addicted to using marijuana because it may be easier to be high with less the side effect than drinking an alcoholic beverage. (depend on the types of marijuana).

In my opinion, only medical marijuana should be legal because there are people who actually need it with medical proposes. In addition, it is said that the danger of addiction is lower than its caffeine and alcohol to cover the disadvantage of medical marijuana. However, recreational use of marijuana is unnecessary. People should be satisfied with alcohol to get effects to be happy and active. The side effects can work to limit their amount of drinking. It also has the possibility of causing different problems such as driving accidents because of marijuana.

#Drugs

--Original published at Jayln's Perspective

For this week’s first impression post, I decided to choose the second prompt, which deals with the efficiency of the Abstinence Treatment versus the Harm Reduction Treatment in terms of addiction. The Abstinence Treatment is the complete termination of drugs and alcohol usage, whereas the Harm Reduction Treatment is centered around using drugs and alcohol within moderation.

After considering these two treatments, I believe that if I was helping a loved one seek a cure, I would be more inclined to encourage them to consider the Abstinence Treatment. An abstinence-only type of approach to addiction seems to be more effective because of the weekly AA (alcoholics anonymous) meetings that are held, which are mandatory. These meetings promote a sense of accountability and safety to those in attendance. On the contrary, the Harm Reduction Treatment membership is usually online, thus it is more difficult to connect with real people who are going through the same struggles, and it is also harder to feel accountable. Another major critique I have concerning the Harm Reduction Treatment is that since it allows people to drink or use drugs, how do they recommend lowering the number of times someone uses cocaine or heroin? By still being able to take such harmful, addictive drugs, it seems like it would be near to impossible to coax them off of these substances. The Harm Reduction Treatment may be a good course of action for someone to take who has yet to reach their all-time low, in other words, this treatment seems more useful for an individual whose life has not been ruined by drugs or alcohol. If I was watching a loved one struggle with addiction, I would not want them to see them hit their lowest point before they showed signs of recovery.

Although I objectively think the Abstinence Treatment is a better course of action, I am sure that this is not just as simple as it seems. I cannot even begin to imagine how those who are addicted to drugs and alcohol feel as they try to recover. This process is probably excruciating, and I am sure addicts have issues coping with the fact that abstaining is a permanent treatment. All things aside, I still am inclined to believe that by attending AA and working the program, one will have a higher success rate of achieving sobriety.