The binding of THC to the CB1 receptors within the brain is what causes the psychological effects of marijuana, while the binding of THC to the CB2 receptors causes the majority of the physical effects. These effects can include muscle relaxation, euphoria, increased sensuality, paranoia, an increase in episodic memory and decreased short-term memory.
Unlike caffeine, most evidence suggests that marijuana is not physically addictive. Physical addiction to a drug is caused by the drug physically altering one’s brain chemistry in a way that nurtures dependence. For example, the brain is not accustomed to caffeine. The dependence one develops comes from his brain attempting to compensate for the unnatural chemical reaction.
Since the human brain is already attuned to receive cannabinoids, it does not alter a user’s brain chemistry in any significant way. The binding of cannabinoids to the CB1 and CB2 receptors is an entirely natural chemical reaction. Dr. Jack Henningfield from the National
Institute of Drug Abuse made a chart rating the addictiveness of various substances. On it, he rated marijuana as less addictive than caffeine.
Moreover, marijuana is a relatively nontoxic substance compared to most other drugs (legal or illegal). There has never been a single documented case of death from marijuana overdose in history. In 1988, the U.S. Department of Justice conceded that marijuana is incapable of inducing a “lethal response.”
A 2006 government report in the U.K. concluded that marijuana is less harmful than tobacco, alcohol and many prescription drugs. Furthermore, while it is true that there are many carcinogens in marijuana smoke, a 2006 UCLA study concluded that heavy marijuana smokers do not seem to be at an increased risk of lung cancer compared to non-smokers.
Vaporizing it or cooking it in food can mitigate the majority of the health risks concerned with smoking marijuana.
The reason I introduced this comparison is to make you question where our priorities lie. Caffeine, an addictive and potentially harmful drug, can be purchased and consumed almost anywhere. Even young children have access to caffeine in caffeinated soda and coffee.
On the other hand, billions of government dollars are spent each year to keep marijuana, a drug that is less addictive and toxic than caffeine, illegal.
During the next couple of months when you are filing your tax returns, remember this: A portion of your hard-earned money is going toward financing an operation to keep a substance less dangerous than your morning coffee off of the streets. Isn’t the system great?
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A version of this article appeared in the Mar 2 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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I did a study of the averaged cost of cannabis prohibition to each American citizen. The resultant cost is $800.00/yr per person. But, prohibition itself skews this number due to the profit margin generated by cannabis being illicit in the first place. The actual cost if it was legal for adults to use it & the taxes were imposed at 10% per tare weight would mean a reduced net cost of $80.00/yr per family member. The NIDA home page oddly shows each of the legal recreational drugs (alcohol & tobacco) to have almost exactly the same cost/yr per person as cannabis. This is due to the extremely high taxes placed on them by federal, state, & local govts combined. Considering that over-taxation has the same effect , due to bootlegging & smuggling , as prohibition does of inviting criminal trafficking, I found the govt policy of prohibition or over-taxation actually if to blame for the high cost to each American. So, alcohol, tobacco, & cannabis sales fairly taxed would reduce the cost to each American by 90%. Imagine how that 90% of misdirected man-made inflation could be applied to paying down the national & states debt & we see that the war on cannabis users & the wallets of legal recreational drugs really is taking a major bite out of a family of four's budget.
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So, the next time a cannabis law reform advocate says, "regulate it, legalize it & tax the H*ll out of it", please, explain how this actually encourages criminal organization to re-enter the trafficking of cannabis. Have you noticed the pattern that every time medical marijuana or possession laws are reformed the prohibitionists immediate produce on demand medical studies that show cannabis can cause psychosis, gynamascostia, cancer, or some such nonsense. The 6 year study just happened to be released as N.J. medical marijuana law is about to take effect. Yet, the study admits it shows now proven connection to cannabis & is useless when taken in it's entirety. But, as usual, the MSM took only the bullet points it found to be the most inflammatory. Crying, "marijuana may increase chance of psychosis". Echoes of 'Marijuana Madness' have reverberated in headlines like that every year since the erroneously named 'Marihuana Tax Stamp Act of 1937' was enacted via deception. What your article actually comes down to is that cannabis was made illicit via all manner of demonetization & deception & it's been kept illegal by way of deceptive prohibition hit piece articles ever since. Prohibition created demand for cannabis when it was turned into the 'forbidden fruit'. Thusly, demand for cannabis has increased 5000% since president Nixon declared the war on (some) drugs (& users).
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Regulation via legalization employing reasonable taxation is the only answer to the evils prohibition itself creates. The president could simply announce that the fact that cannabis was only to be temporarily made a class I CSA drug & wasn't ever properly classified. That, henceforth, the federal govt had finally decided to treat & regulate cannabis the same as we already do the legal recreational drugs, alcohol & tobacco. Americans know these regulations & would quickly understand that cannabis sales were going to be regulated & taxed. This system is the 'demon we know' & would be reassuring & reasonable to most Americans. How simple & elegant a solution to the current unwinnable conundrum of cannabis prohibition we find ourselves in. The alternative is to see cannabis prohibition entirely play out the hard way, like the Volstead act did. It's interesting that the NIDA doesn't recognize their own figures for the high cost in dollars to society for cannabis actually shows how ubiquitous it has become. So, how is prohibition even slowing the increase in cannabis use when it's widely & readily available on a nationwide basis? I contend that millions of Americans have found & are finding that cannabis is not as dangerous as & is preferable to the use of alcohol. Excellent article, thank you for your good work.
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Thank you for this information. I am doing an argumentative essay for my final year in high school on legalizing marijuana, and I am for it. This information helps me a lot. It truly is sad, our government fails...
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