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Drug Abuse
- 1. Hall 1 David Hall Patterson Personal Health 29 October 2013 Drug Abuse and the Decline of Academic Success “Support for marijuana legalization has reached a new high — and young adults are fueling the flames.” (Posses). “Weed” was originally a medical drug to help patients overcome inflammation. Now this drug is abused and used illegally. There are many names for marijuana, but in reality all it is, is an all natural plant. However, it has many negative effects on college students and young adults. Marijuana is a drug that is abused, has bad effects, and causes the decline of academic success in college students. Substance abuse is defined in the medical dictionary as “Excessive use of a potentially addictive substance, especially one that may modify body functions, such as alcohol and drugs”. One way marijuana is abused is through medical prescriptions. Medical marijuana has no difference from its counterpart’: street marijuana. People who legitimately need medical marijuana usually have one of three illnesses: Glaucoma, Cancer and Arthritis. The medical effects of this drug would soothe the pain and stop or slow inflammation. These three illnesses are often falsely reported to doctors to doctors to obtain street marijuana. Another way to obtain street marijuana is to grow it. “Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp, or cannabis, plant. It goes by many different names—pot, herb, weed,
- 2. Hall 2 grass—and stronger forms include sinsemilla (sin-seh-me-yah), hashish (“hash” for short), and hash oil.” (National Institute on Drug Abuse). “Cannabis is derived from the cannabis plant (cannabis sativa). It grows wild in many of the tropical and temperate areas of the world. It can be grown in almost any climate, and is increasingly cultivated by means of indoor hydroponic technology.” (University of Washington: Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute) Marijuana has many different flavors, looks and effects based on the origin of the root. Three rare roots coming straight from Columbia are the Limon Verde, Punta Roja, and the Columbian Gold. (Vice) There are two ways to smoke weed. One way is to roll it up in cigarette paper and smoke like a normal cigarette. The other way is to use a “bong pipe”. The bong pipe method tends to be intensely stronger than “rolling it up”. However, it is very complicated and detailed. Marijuana has many bad effects on the brain and body. “According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the main effects of marijuana on mood vary and may include euphoria, calmness, anxiety, or paranoia. Getting high or "stoned" is the reason most pot smokers use marijuana. Other short-term psychological effects of pot include: Distorted sense of time Paranoia Magical or "random" thinking Short-term memory loss Anxiety and depression
- 3. Hall 3 These psychological signs of using pot also generally ease after a few hours. But residual effects can last for days.” (Goldberg) “The active ingredient in marijuana is THC. That's short for delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol. THC is rapidly absorbed after smoking pot. Within minutes, THC and the other substances in marijuana smoke cause short-term medical effects. Signs of using marijuana include: Rapid heart rate Increased blood pressure Increased rate of breathing Red eyes Dry mouth Increased appetite, or "the munchies" Slowed reaction time” (Goldberg) In addition to pot having a negative effect on the body, it also has effects that cause a decline in academic success. Smoking cannabis causes a massive amount of negative effects that force young adults to fail out of college. “Marijuana’s negative effects on attention, memory, and learning can last for days and sometimes weeks—especially if you use it often.” (National Institute on Drug Abuse). College students must be able to attend class, pay attention, and remember lectures in order to obtain a high grade point average. Smoking weed affects the brain in ways that cause the student to lose their ability to remember important information. That would make studying for a test hard. Studies show that marijuana smokers tend to have a lower IQ as well. Obtaining pot and
- 4. Hall 4 smoking it cause a high distraction from school work. When a student becomes “high” or “stoned”, they are not thinking about homework or attending class. Marijuana smokers also report having low self esteem and low paying careers. These mental effects are not the only thing the drug effects. Another thing it affects is the financial realm. Marijuana is expensive and hard to produce which causes it to have high cost. College students need money to pay for books and supplies, class fees, and food. Marijuana is addictive and causes students to lose the ability to think about the money they are spending. If someone can’t pay for college, they will be forced to drop out. In conclusion, weed is highly addictive, and ruins young adults’ higher education and any careers. There are many ways that this kind of addiction can be helped. One way is for students to seek out help from counseling services at their school such as Hawk Reach Counseling Services. Other resources might include an on campus health service or an academic success center to help them move on and focus on their future. Works Cited Goldberg,Joseph. WebMD.23July2012. Web.27 October2013. Kingsof Cannabis.Perf.Vice.2013.Video. NationalInstituteon Drug Abuse.October2013. Web. 26 October2013. Posses,Shayna. USA Today.25October2013. Web.26 October2013. Swift,Art. Gallup.22 October2013. Web.27 October2013. The Marijuana Effect.2008. Web. 27 October2013. Universityof Washington:Alcoholand Drug AbuseInstitute.December2012. Web.25 October2013. "substance abuse." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 27 Oct. 2013. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/substance abuse>.