The Legality of Marijuana

I'm not going to post some articles or videos about teaching, learning, and even ICT. I just want to share about my opinion and some unresolved questions. No! It's not about The Beatles!

So, I went to American Corner this noon to find some articles to read. I also needed an air conditioned room to refresh my bushed-mind, indeed. I read Rolling Stone's January 2014 edition. There are bunch of interesting articles, and ads (I love how the western folks made an ads. It's meaningful). Then, I found a big-bold headline said that America legalize Marijuana. I thought that Marijuana was a kind of fish, similars with Arwana. So I googled it and found that Marijuana is a kind of drug. OMG! So what's the meaning of "America legalize Marijuana"? :o

"Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa, which contains the psychoactive (mind-altering) chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), as well as other related compounds." (National Institute on Drug Abuse)

"Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America (behind only alcohol and tobacco), and has been used by nearly 100 million Americans. According to government surveys, some 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year, and more than 14 million do so regularly despite harsh laws against its use." (Norml.org)

Obama on Marijuana Legalization: "It's Important to Go Forward" (Time.com)

I feel really sad hearing this bad news. But, why does America legalize this illicit thing? Even though Marijuana has far less dangerous than alcohol and tobacco, or it helps people to decrease their stress, or it cannot cause death by overdose, it's not mean that they have to legalize this drug! There are some scary-disadvantages of Marijuana. 

First, it can affect the brain. When marijuana is smoked, THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body. It is absorbed more slowly when ingested in food or drink. Marijuana also affects brain development, and when it is used heavily by young people, its effects on thinking and memory may last a long time or even be permanent. A recent study of marijuana users who began using in adolescence revealed substantially reduced connectivity among brain areas responsible for learning and memory. And a large long-term study in New Zealand showed that people who began smoking marijuana heavily in their teens lost an average of 8 points in IQ between age 13 and age 38. Importantly, the lost cognitive abilities were not fully restored in those who quit smoking marijuana as adults. Those who started smoking marijuana in adulthood did not show significant IQ declines.

Second, Contrary to common belief, marijuana is addictive. Estimates from research suggest that about 9 percent of users become addicted to marijuana; this number increases among those who start young (to about 17 percent, or 1 in 6) and among people who use marijuana daily (to 25-50 percent).

Long-term marijuana users trying to quit report withdrawal symptoms including irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug craving, all of which can make it difficult to abstain. Behavioral interventions, including cognitive-behavioral therapy and motivational incentives (i.e., providing vouchers for goods or services to patients who remain abstinent) have proven to be effective in treating marijuana addiction. Although no medications are currently available, recent discoveries about the workings of the endocannabinoid system offer promise for the development of medications to ease withdrawal, block the intoxicating effects of marijuana, and prevent relapse.

Omg, does America know about these bad effects? It's definitely yes. But I don't know what's in their mind. I hope that Indonesia won't take this kind of weird-risk-wisdom and I can just wishper.

Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse