An Essay

[Aunty]

Hello people,

Im currently writing an essay about the legalisation of cannabis for GCSE english, i myself smoke cannabis, but unlike many other 'stoners' realise that i do not know everything about the drug and the culture.

heres a copy of the essay, what do you think of it .. some feedback would be nice.

The Legalisation of Cannabis

Cannabis is a plant known as the ‘Indian hemp plant’, it is grown across the world and cultivated, then usually smoked or used in cooking and eaten. Some people use it as a natural painkiller, including sufferers of multiple sclerosis. The actual drug in the plant, cannibal, or THC, acts or ‘pretends’ to be the nerves in your body, but does not have a prolonged effect; it has also been scientifically proven that all the effects are completely reversible.

Some people believe that cannabis should remain illegal because they say that the consumption of it leads to harder drugs, but this is usually not the case and in fact stops people going onto drugs such as heroin because they know the dangers of cannabis, and know that if they did take some harder drugs their friends and fellow cannabis users would disown them and want nothing to do with them.

Other Anti-Cannabis activists say that cannabis should remain illegal because it boosts the profits of criminal empires, but if cannabis was legalised then the cultivation, transport and sale of it could be regulated and monitored, therefore stopping drug lords in either dealing drugs altogether or harder drugs, it would also save police resources because they wouldn’t have to spend their time catching cannabis dealers, and would be able to spend more time concentrating on trying to catch more serious drug dealers that kill.

Some people also say that using cannabis leaves people in a stupefied daze and their behaviour is as rebellious as walking around B+Q on a Saturday afternoon. My response to this is that smoking cannabis is not supposed to be rebellious and in fact rebelliousness is an image people create; this is also the same with smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol, people look upon this and say its just a bunch of kids or lowlifes trying to be rebellious. At the end of the day it’s the users choice whether to take it or not, and it does not cause danger to non user’s … unlike alcohol, which causes liver disease, violence and rowdy abuse, yet alcohol is legal and cannabis is illegal

I have also done some research and found that: during the Reagan Administration (which is pretty much when the aggressive oppression of marijuana started), one Dr. Robert Heath in 1980 produced a report claiming to have evidence that marijuana use had damaged the brains of Rhesus monkeys. His report was heavily criticised by both the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Science on these 3 counts:

1-It's pathetically insufficient sample size (Heath only used 4 monkeys),

2-its failure to control experimental bias,

3-It's misidentification of normal monkey brain structure as, simply, "damaged".

However, the National Centre for Toxicological Research (NCTR) conducted an experiment which exposed 64 Rhesus monkeys (16 times the amount of what Heath had used earlier) to various daily and weekly amounts of marijuana smoke. At the end of all the research, it was discovered that there was no evidence of structural or neurochemical changes in the brains of the experimental Rhesus monkeys. A study on actual humans will in all probability finally confirm these results, but that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon. After two 1977 studies conducted by AMA, the American Medical Association officially announced its support for the decriminalisation of Marijuana.

Marijuana also affects the alpha waves on the brain. Alpha waves work like this: the flatter they are, the dumber you are. A person in a coma has alpha waves that are nearly flat. A common misconception is that smoking marijuana will "flatten" the alpha waves of your brain, thus making you turn into that stereotypical ‘stoner’ you see on TV. In fact using marijuana slightly increases alpha wave activity, and in turn, puts the user in a meditative or relaxed frame of mind, a rich source for creativity.

Some people form an association between cannabis and crime, citing Amsterdam as their example, but Amsterdam is no different to any other major city around the world, apart from the fact that cannabis is legal as are prostitutes, which actually reduces the amount of crime and disease. For example, because cannabis is so widely used, it can be sold more cheaply, and in fact Holland is a very rich country so you cannot say that cannabis leads to poverty.

Others say that cannabis is bad for you and that it is adulterated with numerous toxic substances, this is why people should be educated and informed about what’s in different types of cannabis and how to spot them, also cigarettes have far more chemicals and toxic substances in them than cannabis, because cannabis is just cultivated and smoked or eaten in its natural form, but cigarettes have chemicals which keep it burning which are highly toxic.

Cannabis critics sometimes associate cannabis with the ‘hippie culture’ and say that it is dull and old-fashioned. In response to this, my answer is, different people have different ways of living, tastes in music, ideals, views on society and politics.

Therefore what one person sees and dull and old-fashioned, another person sees as simply the way they live Politicians could be called dull and old-fashioned but they do not get shunned for their way of life.

Thats it

Thanks for your time

[Wilbur Nutsack]

A few more points for you to look up

Give some figures about the number of alcohol and cigarette related deaths in the UK compared with no deaths from smoking cannabis.

Quote the toxicity levels. Meaning, the amount needed to be fatal. Off the top of my head, aspirin is about 20, i think alcohol is about 8 and nicotine is even less. I remember reading that cannabis has a toxicity of about 40,000 which means you would need to consume 40,000 times the amount it would take you to get stoned to kill you. Hence there have never been any reported deaths from it.

Then a little bit about that shit called soapbar. Mention that due to prohibition, soapbar is the only thing most people can get. Have a read about all the shit (sometimes literally) that is in it. Our government is forcing thousands to smoke it creating many potential health dangers. Many will never have even smoked nice cannabis.

Then a little about the medical side of things.

How it helps so many people fight pain instead of resorting to government prescribed chemical pills with horrific side effects and addictions. Mention about the dedicated voluntary groups like THC4MS that provide chocolates containing cannabis for pain relief for MS sufferers. There are many more networks providing medication to thousands in the UK, relying on donations from home growers. So much for the NHS.

Thousands are being denied pain relief because of some stupid law forced upon us by the Americans who prohibit it. The Americans were fed a pile of bullshit at the start of the century by corrupt politicians who were getting cash from cotton producers in the US. These cotton producers (Mr DuPont) were scared of hemp as it produces so much more fibre and was a threat to their cotton industry.

You may have heard of "reefer madness"? That was propaganda telling of the immorality of smoking weed made up by the yanks.

Here is a link about research claiming that MJ does not lead to harder drugs. The research was even done in the US, humble pie all round!!

Also, if it were government controlled, think of all the lovely tax they would get. They really really like taxing things. Just look at the 2 great killers, booze and fags. Now where would the NHS be without them?

Some people form an association between cannabis and crime

Have you ever seen a stoner rob a house for his next joint "fix"? nah me neither.

</rant>

Wilbur

P.S. I'd edit your post to a university essay as you should not really be here, as you are obvously not over 18.

[Mr Bucket]

P.S. I'd edit your post to a university essay as you should not really be here, as you are obvously not over 18.

I'm sure with a 'handle' like aunty, she is doing GCSE english as a mature student at night school or summat

peace

MrB

[Wilbur Nutsack]

I see your point Richard.

Wilbur

[Aunty]

.. im a guy :/

Soz .. long story .. nickname came about throught ppl mukin about on irc .. but thats abother story ....

And im re-doing my gcse's .. i am old enough to be here thanks

weird how when i wasnt smoking the stuff i fluffed me gcse's up .. and now im on it .. i doin well

thanks for the points .. great help

[Jessiedog]

Aunty,

I think your essay is both courageous and, essentially, well informed.

If this was a "set" essay, all I can say is I wish I was still in school , otherwise, you are doubly courageous.

Nevertheless, this is an English essay, hence the best advice I can give is to ensure that you run it through a spell/grammar checker and wherever there is a green or red underline, edit to eliminate.

Blessings.

Woof

[Aunty]

Thank you.

Im going to a private college, not one of those snobbish ones though, its kool, everyone is relaxed .. and many of my tutors know i smoke cannabis and do not act on it.

[DaLata]

Hi Aunty:

3rd sentence:

"The actual drug in the plant, cannibal, or THC, acts or ‘pretends’ to be the nerves in your body"

AFAIK cannibals do want to get into your body...but only with a knife and fork

Cannabinols may be the word here.

64 Rhesus monkeys (16 times the amount of what Heath had used earlier)

Sounds funny to me - amount of monkeys - Mono?

Try "Sixteen times the number Heath had used earlier"

Looks good though - many small effective arguments.

DL

[Arnold Layne]

Higha there Auntie,

Going well, I see.

I just thought I'd mention that there is significant rel;igious use of Cannabis around the world. And I am not just referring to the Rastafarians. In fact the Rasta's roots are, I believe, in the Ethiopian Coptic Church {possible the oldest Christian denomination around} where Cannabis is used sacramentally. Oh-oh, ramble warning. Best just pop up a link before I get going....

Coptic Christians & Cannabis

Can give you a modern Western Christian viewpoint if you're interested.

[Mr Bucket]

.. im a guy :/

Oops sorry matey

Welcome to the forums by the way

MrB

[splan]

I'd suggest spending a few more hours browsing round this site. Use the search facility and look for words like history and prohibition. I have only just got up so I can't recall all the details off the top of my head, but the propaganda war easily predates the regan administration.

Also look around for stories on the positive effects of the few cannabis cafes in the UK - such as actively trying to reduce the levels of hard drug users in their local areas.

Point to the fact that a lot of the cancer risk from cannabis actually comes from mixing it with tobacco.

Mention that the so called "gateway" effect is actually caused by unscrupilous dealers who try to get cannabis users on to harder substances just to boost their profits.

I may have more in a bit, but as I say I have just got up!!

Happy essaying!