Annotated Bibliography- Marijuana

1. (1999, September 3). CASA Study Finds Marijuana Easier for Teens to Get Than Beer. Retrieved June 7, 2010.

According to the case study, imitating the actions of parents is one of the ways that teens learn about smoking marijuana. "Easier access to marijuana provided by the new law in some states that allow the drug for medical treatment may be a factor in teens smoking more marijuana." Parents that have a prescription for medical marijuana may smoke around their home, telling their children it is for medical use failing to recognize their child's peers use the drug for recreational purposes. By knowing their parents smoke marijuana and witnessing their peers do the same thing with no immediate adverse affects, teens are more apt to experiment with the drug.

2. (2010, January 30). Introduction to Medical Use. Retrieved (2010) from NORML.

This article describes the effects of medical marijuana. According to the article, while many physicians agree that medical marijuana is safe to use, many disagree. Reasons why many physicians disagree are because of the lack of studies done to prove that there are no long term effects from using this drug. Marijuana has been known to increase heart rate by 20-100 percent after smoking. Many studies have also shown that marijuana smoke contains carcinogens and tend to be an irritant to the lungs. Many physicians simply won't prescribe marijuana because they encourage a patient to smoke anything, given the damage it does to the lungs and other health issues that may arise regarding lungs such as bronchitis.

3. Herer, J. (2009). The Emperor Wears No Clothes. Retrieved(2010).

This is a book stating compelling facts about the miracle crop Hemp." An article struck me. It told of, Woody Harrison, a well-known actor stating, "He would pick up the tab for Colorado's first hemp crop if state legislators approve the crop." He also stated that you could smoke a pound of it and not get high. Hemp can replace 80% of the U.S. natural resources by only covering 6 percent of the open fields. Unlike oil that takes thousands of years to develop, hemp grows 10 tons in less than four months. In addition mining and drilling Is much more dangerous while irrigating is simple. Why pollute and waste our fossil fuels when we can have it clean and produce them? Hemp is environmentally safe and burns clean, preventing acid rain, smog, and global warming. It would take a fraction of the cost to produce energy from hemp compared to oil.

4. Miron, J. (2005, June). The Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibition. Retrieved June 7, 2010.

Miron says that the cost of producing marijuana is about the same as say, alcohol or coffee, most of the profits from marijuana are enforced and supplemented by the current laws in place but collected by cartels. With criminals controlling the scarce regulated market, prices go up, and lawbreakers do anything to get money for their drugs, resulting in crime. The prohibition of marijuana was intended to rid the country of cannabis and its effects. The result was the complete opposite. The use of the illegal drug has not slowed down, and people have continued to use the drug for recreational purposes on a regular basis. Federal, state, and local governments are spending more money than ever trying to enforce the prohibition of a popular drug a large portion of the population is using.

5. Murphy, K. (2009, June 3). How Marijuana Became Illegal. Retrieved June 7, 2010, from Washington Free Press.

Murphy describes the proceedings in making marijuana illegal. He says that It wasn't until 1937 that marijuana started to come under attack by the government. Anslinger, due to pressure by the government, was in dire need of a way to stop the use of the drug. This is when the Marijuana Tax Act came into law. According to the show, Hooked: Illegal Drugs and How They Got That Way, the law stated that in order for someone to possess marijuana they needed to receive a stamp allowing them to have marijuana. Although in order for them to receive the stamp, they needed to have the marijuana in hand. The only problem with this was if a person had the marijuana in hand before they had the stamp, they would be in illegal possession of the drug and would be placed in jail. This was Anslinger's way of making sure the drug was illegal to have, without actually making it illegal.

6. (n.d.). Which Drugs is the Most Addictive? Retrieved (2010), from Schaffer Library of Drug Policy.

Based on this article from Schaffer Library of Drug Policy, the federal law regulates drugs. Marijuana is illegal under the federal law for any use whatsoever. Marijuana is treated like any other controlled substance. Marijuana is classified as a schedule 1 drug. The most dangerous drugs are reserved under schedule 1, while the least dangerous drugs are reserved for schedule 5. The federal government views marijuana as highly addictive and having no medical value. "Doctor's may not prescribe marijuana under the federal law, but they can recommend its use under the first amendment" (safeaccessnow.org). Punishment is severe for those who are caught with possession of marijuana under the federal law with no recommendation of marijuana from the doctor.

7. Urena, A. (2002, November 25). Legitimate Reasons to Legalize Cannabis. Retrieved ( 2010) from Cannabis News.

In this article, Urena says that many patients refrain from using marijuana because they think the cost will be too high. What they don't know is that if the government has allowed them to use marijuana, the government will subsidize most of their hemp needs. There are many teahouses in Canada such as the one near Flin Flon, Manitoba. These places are similar to clubs. You would have to buy your membership, which is only 10 dollars, a month or one dollar per visit. The government pays the rest. These types of teahouses are only open to patients who have been given the permission by doctors and the government to take this medicine.

8. Osborne, Geraint B.; Fogel, Curtis (2008). "Understanding the Motivations for Recreational Marijuana Use among Adult Canadians1". Substance Use & Misuse

Some Canadians, a recent poll suggests less than fifty percent, take issue with the legalization of marijuana because of moral, or personal reasons. However, the legalization of marijuana is supported by many Canadians polls suggest more than fifty percent and should therefore be legalized and sold by provincial liquor commissions to people over the age of 18. Firstly, as a democracy, if more than fifty percent of Canadians are for legalization, our laws and criminal code should reflect this. Secondly, the amount of money that would be saved on enforcement and imprisonment costs could be used to fund addiction counseling and support services.

9. Borgelt LM, Franson KL, Nussbaum AM, Wang GS (February 2013). "The pharmacologic and clinical effects of medical cannabis". Pharmacotherapy (Review)

The authors touch on the effects of medical marijuana. According to the article, there are many uses for marijuana. It is helping reduce pain of many diseases and disorders such as: glaucoma, which helps ease pressure of the eye, Alzheimer's disease, which marijuana helps reduce inflammation of brain tissue, hypertension, which marijuana shows to help lower blood pressure, multiple sclerosis, marijuana helps reduce pain, and sleep apnea, which marijuana helps stabilize respiration during sleep. The tops 3 related uses for marijuana are chronic pain, AIDS related, and mood disorders. Mood disorders seem to be the most common. Marijuana can treat something as simple as anxiety without having to need prescription pills. This is only a few of the things marijuana is treating in society, buy many people are not able to take advantage of its great uses because of the conflict between the federal and state law.

10. Cannabisculture.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.

The website contained information on legalization of marijuana. The state law in California says that marijuana can be used for medical purposes. The state law protects medical marijuana patients. The State law allows patients to possess and cultivate marijuana for personal medicinal use providing a physician approves it. Even though this can protect doctors, they are attempting to make it harder for patients to receive prescriptions (Martin 4). Many doctors do not want to prescribe marijuana for fear of legal punishment. Marijuana seems to be a harmless substance used by many people in today's society. They are narrowing reasons why a patient can receive a medical marijuana prescription because many doctor's fear the consequences of the federal law.