Marijuana is one of the world's most commonly used illegal drugs. There are approximately 300 million users worldwide and 28 million users in the United States (Diaz, 1997). It comes from a plant called "Cannabis sativa." The chemical in this plant that produces an altered state of consciousness is called tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. Medical marijuana is believed to lessen the symptoms of medical conditions like epilepsy, arthritis, chronic pain, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis and many more. Hemp oil is used to treat neurological disorders. The main difference between Hemp oil, medical marijuana and the marijuana that is sold on the streets is the level of THC. “People associate medical and recreational marijuana with THC, with a street …show more content…
THC acts on the receptors which are found on neurons in many places in the brain. The brain areas involved are the hippocampus (memory), cerebellum (movement), cerebral cortex (concentration, and perception), When THC activates the receptors, it interferes with the normal functioning of these brain areas. In low to mild doses marijuana causes; relaxation, reduced coordination, reduced blood pressure, sleepiness, disruption in attention, an altered sense of time and space. A valuable point anti medical marijuana activists make is that under the influence of marijuana they should not drive or operate machinery while under the influence. In high doses marijuana can cause; hallucinations, delusions, impaired memory, and disorientation. Scientists have known that THC interacts with receptors in the brain, though they don’t understand why they interact. Though they have found Anandamide, a neurotransmitter found in the brain, it acts as the brain's own THC. Still, scientists are not sure what the function of anandamide is in the normal brain, so it's not safe to say the effects of anandamide just …show more content…
The article chosen is more factual than sensational. There is tendency for the press to play up and dwell on stories that are sensational for more viewership. However, the argument for allowing medical marijuana does play on people’s emotions so that they could be swayed to agreeing it should be allowed. As stated earlier a fine example is Governor Christie, he changed his mind after being confronted by a mother who screamed, “Don’t let my child die”, and unfortunately her child passed away soon after from a seizure in her sleep before the the strain she needed became