Book review on marijuana

Marijuana is a native Indian drug which is extracted from Cannabis sativa shrub. This shrub hardly grows beyond ten feet in height. The shrub is used in extraction of two other drugs alongside marijuana. The drugs all contain a stimulant which is a complex organic compound simply abbreviated as SHM. This compound usually affects the nervous system and the brain.

The concentration of SHM in marijuana varies according to the place the plant is found. The confirmed range of concentration is 1 – 16 % depending on the location on the globe (Inciardi 2009). The original use of marijuana and the other cannabis based drugs was in the Asian continent but with time, the drug was introduced in other countries and continents. The main types of marijuana used are: ganja (obtained from tender leaves of female shrub), Churas (from resin of female shrub) and bhang from the mature leaves of the shrub.

In the United States, there has been an increased use of Marijuana among the children. In fact, the article quotes several incidents of child use of marijuana. In the process of using the drug, the children are forced into crime and other offences or even accidents.

In the introductory part of the drug use in the US, the author quotes a story of a girl who had been ran on by a vehicle and was lying on the pedestrian’s walking path. This is evidence that the girl was using the drug or the driver of the vehicle presumed to have run over her had been on the drug. This story gives one consequence of using the drug as a death causative agent.

In another example from the article, the author illustrates how young lads who by the virtue of the explanation are hardy beyond twenty one year’s engaged in crime and when arrested, confess to use of the drug (Inciardi 2009). This is another consequence of the using the drug as a cause of unintended crime.

The article gives a twist in the drug use from abuse to anesthetic use. In this use, it is administered alongside other drugs used in surgery to ease pain. Due to the high long-lasting effects on brain operation, this drug has been termed as a highly risky product which should be administered under very strict rules on use and dispense.

The article analyses how most of the American youth are introduced into the drug use. This mainly occurs during schooling when the children gang up into groups and a peddler begins by selling the drug cheaply to the learners (Inciardi 2009). On addiction, the peddlers then hike the prices of the product but since it is very hard for an addict to stop using the drug, the learners have to struggle so as to get the drug by whichever means.

Among the measures that the American government should undertake to control the drug use is enforcing the drug legislation act which defines the crime aspect of using a drug. This would result in reduced cases of the drug use.

Lastly, the article addresses the issue of the future of marijuana use in the medical field. In fact the drug has more potential of abuse than medical use. This makes the article in a disguised manner discard marijuana as a highly addictive substance which causes more harm than good.

References

Inciardi, J, (2009). The American Drug Scene: An Anthology. New York: Oxford University Press.