РефератыИностранный языкHeHemp Essay Research Paper Hemp Hemp is

Hemp Essay Research Paper Hemp Hemp is

Hemp Essay, Research Paper


Hemp


Hemp is the plant called “cannabis sativa” which is more commonly called marijuana.Marijuana has been illegal in the U.S.. ever since the Great Depression. The question we must ask ourselves is “why?”


Why is a drug that has so many beneficial uses illegal? Is it because its poisoning the youth of today? Is it because itleads to harder drugs, the health problems, the addictiveness, the short-term memory impairment, the auto accidents,or is it simply because politicians tell us it is for “our own good?” We have grown up learning that marijuana is a terrible drug, and that


using it gives us brain damage, kill all of our brain cells, and makes us lose our memory.


The fact is though, that


marijuana does not effect us in any of the ways listed above. The idea that marijuana


impairs short-term memory is


true, but misleading. Any signs of short-term memory impairment vanish once the user is


no longer intoxicated.


Mainly the reason we think marijuana is bad is because that is what the Partnership for a


Drug-Free America wants


us to believe. They tell us that marijuana will cause brain damage and memory impairment,


it will kill brain cells, and


lead to more crime. But what they forget to mention is all the benefits we can receive from


legalizing marijuana. For


example, the medicinal uses, and the textile and construction uses. It is very likely that


legalizing marijuana would


decrease the crime rate, and by legalizing marijuana we will save a lot of money because


we won’t have to spend it


on fighting marijuana as part of the War on Drugs. There are many habits much worse


than marijuana, one example


being cigarette smoking. “Tobacco smoking kills more people each year than AIDS,


heroin, crack, cocaine,


alcohol, car accidents, fire and murder combined. Tobacco smoking is the number one


cause of preventable death


in the US. Tobacco smokers have 10 times the lung cancer of nonsmokers, twice the


heart disease, and are three


times more likely to die of heart disease if they develop it. Does it make sense that


tobacco is legal and marijuana is


not, when so many people die from tobacco smoking each year and there is not one


reported case of anyone ever


dying from marijuana use in its 10,000 years of consumption? You have probably heard


that “one joint is that same


as 10 cigarettes,” but this statement is misleading. ALthough marijuana contains the same


amount of carcinogens as


an equal amount of tobacco and more tar, tobacco is still worse. Every yr 350,000


Americans die from


tobacco-related disease according to the American Lung Association. A tobacco smoker


consumes much more


tobacco than a marijuana smoker consumes marijuana. This is probably because tobacco


has a 90% addiction rate


while marijuana is less addictive than caffeine. Also, tobacco contains nicotine that may


harden the arteries and may


be responsible for much of the heart diseases caused by cigarette smoking. Marijuana on


the other hand contains


the chemical THC which opens up the lungs and aids in the clearance of smoke and dirt. I


think it is safe to say that


tobacco smoking is much more dangerous than marijuana smoking. Another bad habit is


alcohol, which in my


opinion is the worst of all. 8,000 American teenagers are killed each year and 40,000


maimed from driving under


the influence. The mortality figures for alcohol use are 100,000 annually, compared to the


zero marijuana deaths.


The amount of marijuana needed to kill someone is 1 to 40,000, while the ratio for alcohol


fluctuates between 1 to


4 and 1 to 10. Not only do many people die each year from alcohol poisoning, but alcohol


has caused thousands of


fatal car accidents. Although, marijuana, when used to the point of intoxication, impairs


judgement and reaction


time, actual studies suggest that the effect alcohol has on one’s driving ability is much


greater than that of marijuana.


In fact, it is found that 85% of marijuana related car accidents also involved alcohol. It is


sad to think that a legal


drug like alcohol, the drug of choice for most teens, causes so many fatalities on our


highways each year, yet


marijuana is the drug that is illegal. I personally feel that marijuana is an amazing plant, and


it should be being utilized


today. The problem is that most people don’t know the benefits that can come from


marijuana. There are many


different beneficial ways for which marijuana can be used. Marijuana can be used for


medical and textile uses, for


food, for fuels, and for the economy. First of all, marijuana could be used for food. It is


believed that enough food is


grown worldwide to feed everyone and that famine exists because there are not sufficient


means of distribution. So


why not let people grow their own marijuana? Marijuana grows like a weed and has few


insect pests. It is usually


grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Hemp improves the quality of the soil


because it is grown without


pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Hemp is not finicky and grows under many different


conditions and has one of


the largest worldwide distributions of any plant. It is very nutritious and it contains high


amounts of protein and


essential fatty oils. The average adult can receive an adequate amount of protein and oils


from just one handful of


hemp seed a day. If this is the case, which it is, why are people starving around the world


when the solution is


marijuana for food? Hemp could also be used for fuel. By using marijuana for fuel we


could reduce the amount of


carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. Hemp can also be used for heating


homes. Using marijuana for


fuel would not only help our environment save us a lot of money for fuel, but it would also


benefit our economy by


allowing the country to make huge profits because the cost of growing marijuana is


virtually nothing. Another way


marijuana can be used is for clothes, fibers, and paper. Marijuana has been used in the


past for textile and


construction and should be used today. For example, the first pair of Levi’s jeans were


made from marijuana


because it is extremely durable. ALso, sailors used marijuana in canvas for their sails


because it does become


corroded from the sea water. The pulp fibers of marijuana can be used for making paper,


which would reduce the


amount of trees that are cut down. One acre of hemp will make the same amount and


quality of paper as 4 acres of


20 yr old trees without the need for chlorine in the bleaching process and, creating no


toxic dioxin pollutants. What


I’m wondering in why haven’t we used marijuana for paper all along? I think it is senseless


that are constantly cutting


down trees and destroying rain forests when there is another alternative. There is only 4%


of America’s old growth


forest still remaining, and yet we are still cutting them down like they will grow back


instantly. The fact is that it may


take a lifetime for what has already bee

n destroyed to grow back, so why keep ruining


America’s old growth


forests when growing marijuana grows much more quickly and it is cheaper? Most


importantly, marijuana should be


legalized for medicinal reasons. Hemp can be used to treat many diseases, some of which


include: multiple sclerosis,


depression, epilepsy, migraine headaches, asthma, glaucoma, cancer treatment, AIDS


treatment, emphysema, and


stress reduction. This list does not even include the many medicines that can be made from


marijuana, it only


includes the illnesses for which marijuana is used today. Marijuana is commonly used for


controlling nausea and


vomiting in cancer and AIDS patients that are being treated with chemotherapy or AZT.


Because of nausea caused


by chemotherapy, these patients sometimes can’t eat, which could kill them. One way of


controlling the nausea is to


smoke marijuana, but the problem is that it is illegal. So what are they supposed to do,


starve? I don’t think there is


anything wrong with smoking marijuana, especially if it means their happiness. My


neighbor, Jason, has an aunt who


is dying of cancer. She has very little chance of beating this disease, and wants to be


comfortable for the time she


has left. She doesn’t want to be on all the heavy drugs. She tells Jason that she would


rather be in pain than be all


drugged up. She hates feeling dizzy, lightheaded, and sedated. When she smokes


marijuana she feels much better.


The pain doesn’t go away completely, but at least she can function. I think the fact that she


could be put in jail for


smoking marijuana is terrible. It is okay for a patient to be on serious narcotics to kill the


pain, but smoking


marijuana is out of the question. Marijuana has no side effects, whereas drugs like


Demerol and morphine have both


short-term and long-term effects on the patient. The short-term effects are dizziness,


sedation, itching and rash,


respiratory depression, delirium, decreased heartbeat, vomiting, disorientation,


hallucinations, decreased cough


reflex, and problems with urination. The long-term effects can actually be more serious


than some of the illnesses,


one example is liver damage. Marijuana, however, has no side affects, except sometimes


euphoria, which is minor


compared to the serious effects of narcotics. Glaucoma and multiple sclerosis are also


illnesses in which marijuana is


sometimes used. Glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness, is caused by


uncontrollable eye pressure.


Marijuana helps control the eye pressure and keeps glaucoma from leading to blindness.


Another illness that


marijuana is used for is multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is the disease in which the


body’s immune system


attacks the nerve cells. Marijuana can stop the spasms from occurring and can prevent the


disease from getting


worse. Marijuana should be legalized in th US because it has medicinal and textile


purposes which can benefit


everyone. Marijuana can be used as a material for clothing and the effects it has on both


cancer and AIDS patients


are positive. Marijuana is inexpensive to grow, allowing us to obtain a huge profit on the


medicinal and textile


industries, and it can be used as an alternative form of cigarettes. If the US government


were to take hold of this


operation, new jobs would open and money for the War on Drugs could be distributed to


other programs.


Marijuana must not be ignored or destroyed. Marijuana’s many uses are not and cannot


currently be used to its


fullest potential because of the drug laws. Among the most important uses of marijuana are


for medical and health


reasons, and textile and construction materials. The undeniable truth is that the benefits that


can come from legalizing


marijuana greatly outweigh the weak and unsupportive myths that keep this great resource


from being utilized. The


solution to this problem is to legalize marijuana and its many uses today. By legalizing


marijuana, many problems


would be solved. The only way for marijuana to be legalized though, is with the support


and help of everyone. Now


that you have a good understanding of what some of the many uses marijuana has, you’ll


help to decide. The most


important step to making marijuana legal is educating the public. One of the biggest


problems is that the people who


know about marijuana and agree that it should be legalized are too busy and too paranoid


to help. If you are


interested in helping, there are several organizations you could join. These organizations


need your help with getting


the word about marijuana out, so join one of the many committees in putting this issue


onto the ballots and into


legislatures of this country, where everyone can state their opinions in a straight forward


manner set forth in our


United States’ and individual states constitutions. The Florida Legalization Organization is


looking for sponsors for


the Hemp Re-Legalization Act which will re-legalize hemp for food, fuel, fiber, medicine,


recreation, sacramental


uses and almost all known purposes. One of the most important things you can do to help


is talk about marijuana


today, talk to friends, parents, co-workers, etc. Tell them you think marijuana should be


legalized, you may actually


be surprised at how many people will agree. Talk about the medicinal uses for marijuana ,


and the many other uses


you know about. You could photocopy fliers and literature and pass them around to


friends or anyone for that


matter. Spread the word about marijuana and have your friends pass the information along


to others. Post fliers


about meetings on campus or in the library. This is an easy way to inform people about


marijuana. Mostly what


these organizations need is volunteers, and funding for office supplies, printing, postage,


transportation, telephone,


etc. You can also write letters to elected officials such as the president, senator, or state or


local officials. Maybe


even spend some time with a local group doing telephone outreach, folding and mailing


literature, etc. Finally, you


can donate money and resources to activist groups like NORML, BACH, HEMP, etc. I


think that the best way in


spreading the word about marijuana is by talking about it. Go to the rallies with some


friends that are unsure about


the idea, and they can find out for themselves what it is all about. Also, go to Hempfest,


they are a lot of fun from


what I hear. They usually are much more fun than rallies and they are very educational. So,


if there is any question in


your mind about legalizing marijuana you should definitely attend. Every year the number


of people that go to


Hempfest gets bigger and bigger, but it is still not big enough. They need your support.


Whatever you do, do it right


away, This is an important issue that needs to be resolved soon and chances are that if you


don’t get started right


away, you never will.


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