Summary Of Marc Lewis Memoirs Of An Addicted Brain

In Marc Lewis’s novel Memoirs of an Addicted Brain (2012), his experience with marijuana was notably a rollercoaster ride. His first ordeal with the drug occurred when he was a teenager and decided to purchase marijuana from a friend. He began to use it at a period of stress induced by his friends, school and his parents. The first time he decided to take the drug, he dealt with coughing fits until he finally started to feel its effects. His description of his “high”, included the the drug placing him in a more imaginative, creative and happier state. He finds himself paying more attention to certain objects and in a trance where he feels lost as a result of no longer being able to distinguish which room he was located in. He explains that

However, the consumption of marijuana induces an increase in cannaboids which then cause the natural cannaboids and cannaboids from marijuana to fire at the same time. This magnifies the effect the chemical has on the brain, producing a high feeling. Though, at the time Lewis consumed the drug, marijuana was not legalized; therefore, he went from feeling an incredible high which relieved his stress and depression to ending up arrested, placed in a cell, then being served with six months of probation. It is important to recognize a few things from his experience. Firstly, he was a teenager when he first tried the drug and secondly, there were laws which prohibited its use. Therefore, this paper will focus on the frequent use by the teenage population, its risks, the law, and the debate on the legalization of

636). Thus, they argue that the legalization of marijuana, should be similar to those of alcohol and tobacco where there are regulations for the sale to minimize any health related problems it may cause (Joffe & Yancy, 2004, p. 636). Additionally, tobacco and alcohol are among the most abused substances used by adolescents; despite having regulations for their sales through enforcing legal ages for purchase, they still find ways to purchase and consume these substances. Moreover, the legalization of marijuana would assist in pain relief as a less toxic, addictive and essentially safer drug in comparison to what some individuals use for chronic pain such as opiates and alcohol. It has been reported that there has been 25% of a decrease in the deaths related to opiate overdose; essentially, marijuana could contribute to the harm reduction that other substances cause (Mitchell 2016, p. 63) It has also been shown that marijuana contributed to the decrease in alcohol consumption, traffic fatalities and suicides (Estoup, Moise-Campbell, Varma & Stewart, 2016, p. 1881). Some also suggest that with legalization, there should be regulations which could assist with minimize the effects which may arise with daily use. These suggestions include placing taxes on marijuana products based