Ask Annie: Inhalation Information

[PFlynn]

Marijuana is a hot issue today because of its debated legalization and widespread use. It is the third most popular recreational drug in the country, behind alcohol and tobacco. Most specifically, there are three different species of Cannabis: sativa, indica, and ruderalis. Cannabis has been around for ages in various forms as a naturally growing plant around the world. Since it is literally a weed, it grows abundantly in many different climate conditions.

The Cannabis plant contains over 400 chemical components, and approximately 60 of them are completely unique to cannabis. Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol ( better known as THC ) is the most mind-altering substance in marijuana. But the effects are also due to many other chemicals, including CBD, CBN, CB1, and CB2.

About 20 to 25 percent of the chemicals are absorbed when smoking, and about six percent are absorbed when marijuana is ingested. The strength of the effects of marijuana depends on the amount of THC contained in the bud, but the most potent THC comes from the female plant because the female does not have to expend energy making seeds.

When you smoke marijuana, it takes only seconds to begin to work. The few different ways to smoke marijuana result in different concentrations of THC in the body. FYI, paraphernalia is illegal, especially on campus. The "healthiest" way to smoke marijuana is through a vaporizer. A vaporizer heats the buds just enough to release the THC without generating smoke. The next healthiest device is the water pipe, or bong. These devices filter the smoke through water, sometimes multiple times depending the elaborateness of the pipe. Water filtration is beneficial because it filters some carcinogen, and also cools the smoke so it is less harsh on your lungs. Pipes and joints allow direct smoke to enter into the lungs and are the harshest ways to smoke. Remember, when smoking joints mixed with tobacco, called "spliffs," it's a little more dangerous, because the tobacco is not filtered like it is in a cigarette.

Upon inhalation, the smoke travels directly to your lungs where it is quickly absorbed by millions of alveoli ( receptors in the lungs ) and the chemicals enter your bloodstream where they travel to the brain. THC affects the parts of the brain that contain cannabinoid receptor sites. These receptor sites contain anadamide, a chemical in the cannabinoid family that exists naturally within the brain. THC mimics anadamide, which interferes with normal neurotransmission. The receptor sites are concentrated mostly within the basal ganglia, which deal with unconscious muscle movements, the hippocampus, which is involved in making new memories and short-term recollection, and the cerebellum, which controls coordination. Marijuana will take longer to kick in when it is eaten and consequently, the effects will also last longer. THC takes longer to absorb into the body through the stomach and liver than the lungs.

The apparent reality of the effects of marijuana is that everyone is affected differently. Some people love it; they feel more relaxed, less stressed, and without pain. Some people hate it, experiencing paranoia, slugginess, or depression. The other negative effects of marijuana are that smoking it is dangerous to your lungs and short-term memory may be altered. Some people experience bloodshot eyes because of dilated blood vessels, and the "munchies" are caused because marijuana interferes with the part of your brain that regulates food intake ( cannabinoids regulate hunger ).

Marijuana is not known to be physically addictive, but it can definitely be psychologically addictive. Although the effects of marijuana usually leave the body within a few hours, traces THC are not completely gone. After smoking, the marijuana is stored in body fat. THC stays is detectable urine for a few days, or for a few weeks in heavy users. It takes over a month for THC to go undetected in the blood, and just stays put in the hair!

What is 4:20? No one really knows, but it has become an international symbol of marijuana culture. Some people believe it's the best time of the day to smoke, or the experience can be appreciated more if one waits until 4:20 in the afternoon. Another rumor is that it's the best day to plant marijuana seeds in the spring. There is no police code for 420, and there never has been. To end this on a "high" note, April 20 was also Hitler's birthday, as well as the day of Columbine Massacre.

Some say the Chinese were using cannabis seeds for food as early as 6000 B.C. and by 4000 B.C., they were known to use the cannabis plant to produce fibers for clothing. The first recorded medical use of marijuana was in China, 2737 B.C. Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 passed a law that required farmers to grow hemp, and in the 1700s, even Thomas Jefferson and George Washington grew hemp at Monticello and Mt. Vernon, respectively. The first anti-marijuana law was passed in Utah in 1915, because too many Mormons were using it, and in Utah the church had influence on the state. In 1937, Cannabis was made illegal in the U.S., with the Marijuana Tax Act, even though the American Medical Association advised otherwise. The laws kept getting harsher. Ironically, marijuana became illegal just after alcohol became legal again after prohibition. In Connecticut in 2007, there was a proposed bill that would allow use of medical marijuana to relieve sick patients ( at the re! commendation of doctors ) but it was vetoed by Governor Jodi Rell.

Marijuana helps with nausea, stress, anxiety, arthritis, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's, glaucoma, and other painful illnesses. In fact, it is one of the most effective pain relievers because it does not cause a lot of unnatural side effects. What's more, hemp is used to make textiles, insulation materials, papers, and even composites for cars.

After all, it is certainly a peaceful, nonviolent drug that has been grouped with more dangerous drugs like ******* and ******. In fact, no deaths have ever occurred directly from this multi-functional plant.



Source: Trinity Tripot (Trinity College, CT Edu)
Copyright: 2008 The Trinity Tripot
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