Marijuana: Should It Be Legal For Recreational Use? Hmm...

Marijuana is also referred to by those who use it as weed, reefer, pot, dope, ganja and grass; seems to be entering more and more into the public debate in Ohio. The reason is that a political action committee named “Responsible Ohio” has brought it to the voters in the upcoming election. Issue 3 will legalize recreational use of Marijuana for adults 21 and over. That may sound all well and good, but is it really? Let’s consider the facts as related to the individual user.

The active drug in the marijuana plant is THC. Its primary and secondary effects are numerous. Let’s start with the brain. Short term memory loss is a well-documented effect. While under the influence of this drug, visual perception difficulty is also a well documented effect, especially as it relates to driving. Students that begin to use Marijuana regularly experience a drop in grades and the ability to recall information as efficiently as the non-user. Marijuana use also causes sleep disturbances, making it very difficult to drift off to sleep while impaired. A secondary effect of the short-term memory loss produced by the drug is the tendency to misplace items. Though harmless, this poses a continual challenge to the chronic user. Paranoia and self-isolation are some other common behavioral patterns seen in regular users.

Let’s now look at the habit. Marijuana is touted to be non-physically habit-forming; however the psychological addiction is powerful. It’s no secret that the high is a pleasurable feeling. One of the reasons why it’s so popular is because we are an ever increasing “sensate culture,” that craves to make ourselves feel good, as much as and as often as we can! “It’s all about me,” is a popular cliché. Individuals who live by such a philosophy find that marijuana use fits well with their way of life. When users run out of the drug, they will often scrape their pipes with a paper clip in order to remove the thick, black resin that has formed on the inside. Then they will put the resin ball back into the pipe and smoke it. This is a much more concentrated dose of THC, as one can imagine that resin ball being lit on fire and then re-deposited into the lungs of the user. Again, the force of habit and expected sensations will always override the user’s natural inclination toward safety and health.

Some of the effects of marijuana use on the body are as follows: The active compound THC is a vasodilator, meaning is produces an opening of the blood vessels and pupils of the eyes. Reddening of the eyes is also a pronounced side effect with use of this drug. Hypersensitivity to light is another side affect; with users often preferring low-light areas, shade and use sun glasses when outdoors to compensate. Increased appetite is a pronounced effect. The effect of increased appetite can be so strong, that users are given to eating at all hours of the day or night, thus throwing off a normal 3-square-meals schedule. Although there are exceptions, the combined primary effects mentioned above often lead to an increasing sedentary, indoor lifestyle. Other secondary effects such as loss of motivation and lax personal hygiene cause the regular user to become frustrated with themselves and the way they look when the are straight; so they naturally prefer the way they feel while stoned.

Since the regular user of the drug marijuana prefers to remain high, that powerful psychological draw, makes nearly all other personal and social priorities take a lesser position. Work becomes something they no longer feel like doing, unless it is viewed a means of producing income needed to maintain a supply of marijuana. Generally speaking, when given the choice, an impaired individual will choose to lounge around, instead of work. They tend to get drawn off task, and begin focusing on even the minutest details around them, that non-user would ignore. Motivation is not a word used to describe the regular user. The user’s thoughts are now focused on the sensation or “high,” as responsibilities drop off the radar. A lack of concern for one’s physical appearance and personal hygiene, as previously mentioned, becomes apparent. What does this say about the regular user’s workplace performance? I submit that the regular user of the drug is, by far, a less productive and less self-directed employee than the non-user.

Like birds of a feather, marijuana users tend to flock together, usually small groups. As individuals transition from being a non-user to a user, there are certain social changes that occur. Old friends tend to drop off and new friends arrive on the scene, or old friends are themselves influenced to become users. Users tend to unite around the common goal of getting high and passing time feeding the five senses, which are in a heightened state. Along similar lines, marijuana also seems to create exaggerated perceptions of what is funny. So often the impaired individuals will laugh at things that the straight world sees no humor in at all. They are observed laughing and giggling at socially inappropriate times, simply due to the effects of the drug. The group of impaired users can laugh and joke for hours, finding endless humor in each others quips and clever remarks.

Finally, safety is a major concern in marijuana use. Today’s hybrid strains of the plant are the result of intentional, careful growing that utilizes advanced horticultural methods in order to produce extremely potent forms of the drug. Lacing of marijuana with toxic substances like ammonia, are not uncommon. The second paragraph described how that impaired users experience problems with visual perception as related to driving. Studies have shown a significant crash risk, directly related to the concentration of THC in the user’s blood. When marijuana and alcohol are used in combination, both in quantities that produce serious impairment, the combined level of impairment is compounded to the extent that serious safety hazards are created. Operating a motor vehicle while in that state is extremely dangerous. It is a fact that marijuana users tend to share social networks with users of other drugs. Users of cocaine, crack, opium, hashish, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, and heroin tend to cross into the same social circles where marijuana is found. The same can be said about synthetic drugs and illegal prescription narcotics. After all, don’t all of these drugs alter sensory perceptions and appeal to the same inherent demand for that type of experience in individuals? Many of the named substances circulate in the underground drug markets where violence and crime are present. Although small-time users of marijuana would not be considered a violent offender; the supply networks just a couple levels up, will require the use of violence to secure their monetary interests and enforce their market territory. You may have heard it said, “Who could a marijuana user possibly be hurting?” Hmm…

David Lancaster

David is a happily-married, father of five, that recently underwent a career change. after 17 years in his former profession.

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Volume 7, Issue 11, Posted 8:09 AM, 11.04.2015