Adil Dolani
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Written By: Adil Dolani | Published : June 5, 2014 6:31 PM IST
After the world wars, the legalization and effects of the magic herb or as they call marijuana is the biggest battle humanity has faced. The so-called War on Drugs has cost the major opponent, the United States an alleged $51 billion dollars per year and various nations are waking up to the fact that drug addiction isn't a crime but a disease. But the advocates who want marijuana legalised argue that marijuana shouldn't even be classified as a drug and that it's less harmful and less potent than legal substances like cigarettes and alcohol.
There is a wide range of debate over the use and effects of marijuana. Published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the finding says that marijuana holds a potential key that helps in fighting diseases lies in the capacity to certain immune functions, notably inflammation. Marijuana already has a variety of medical uses including treatment of chronic pain, nausea, vomiting and the wasting syndrome experienced by some AIDS patients, as reported by AFP news. According to an article in Business Insider, it is also used to treat glaucoma, control epileptic seizures,decreases anxiety and slows down the spread of Alzheimer's.
On the other hand, the main ingredient of the herb tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is blamed to alter the DNA through epigenetic ways. One of the major drawbacks of marijuana is that people are easily addicted to it causing the resistance of a person's body to the drug to weaken and eventually leading to an increased consumption of the substance.
Adding to the debate, ANI reported that chronic intake of THC, the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, can protect critical immune tissue in the gut from the damaging effects of HIV infection. (Read: Marijuana could actually cure HIV)
To conclude, every individual has its own preference for marijuana. The sun that hardens the clay also dries up the river, so the debate will always be incomplete and unending. Regarding the question about whether to legalize marijuana or not clearly depends upon the moral police, and the will of the people residing in those countries or states.
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