September 2014

Marijuana’s Cloudy Future

September 15, 2014

Marijuana is the most common illicit drug used in the United States. Although it is contrary to common belief, marijuana is also addictive. Estimates from research suggest that about 9 percent of users become addicted to marijuana; this number increases to about 17 percent among those who start young and increases to 25-50 percent among those who use marijuana on a daily basis. Current Laws In 1970, Proposition 215, the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) was signed into law which divided substances in 5 Schedules. Schedule I being the most heavily restricted which prohibits any use, medicinal or not. Marijuana landed itself as a Schedule I drug alongside heroin, ecstasy, LSD, etc. It wasn't until 1996 that the CSA was challenged. California lead the way by passing the Compassionate Use Act...

The Effects of Marijuana

September 11, 2014

Substance Abuse

Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in North America, and the severity of its effects are often greatly disputed. Many people, uneducated about its impact on the body, falsely believe that Marijuana is a safe, non-addictive drug. While there are certainly “harder” drugs that are far more damaging on the body, Marijuana is by no means “safe”, and its effects should be properly understood by all of us. Short-term memory loss Marijuana inhibits the brain’s ability to decide what should be remembered and what should be thrown away. In experiments where users were asked to listen to news stories and then recount what they remember, they were almost completely unable to recall anything they’d heard. Feelings of relaxation and hyper focus The most common side effect of...