I need 3-4 sentences each responding to these two discussion post. Either agreeing or disagreeing or giving more information on what their discussion post says. (2 responses)

1.Marijuana

Draw parallels among the various scientific and medical studies on marijuana.  What do they suggest?
Research has stated that the extreme use of marijuana can lead to symptoms of bronchitis, wheezing, or coughing. Smoking a little has shown little risk. A research study on marijuana found that smoking a joint a day for 7 years did not show any correlations with issues in pulmonary functions (Pletcher MJ, Vittinghoff E, Kalhan R, et al., 2012). Marijuana can increase heart rates and volume of blood pumped through the heart. Most risks are towards older users who have previous issues with cardiac or other health problems. Marijuana has its health risks, but is considered a lower risk than other drugs like tobacco, heroin and so on.

Is marijuana addictive?  Explain.
Marijuana doesn’t have addicting factors like other drugs. It does not share the same withdrawal experiences. But it does interact with pleasure zones in the brain and can create psychological dependence which may be an issue to break. Some withdrawal symptoms may include issues with sleeping, anxiety, or irritability. These are described to be mild. The Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, said in a 1999 study that 32 percent of tobacco users become dependent, as do 23 percent of heroin users, 17 percent of cocaine users, and 15 percent of alcohol drinkers. But only 9 percent of marijuana users develop a dependence (Boffey, 2014).

Discuss the use of medical marijuana.
In 1985, it was used to help treat nausea for patients going through cancer treatment. The FDA approved oral THC (Hart, C. L. and Ksir, C., 2018). It was used to help stimulate appetites in patients with AIDS. Medical marijuana was used for therapeutic used to help with post-traumatic stress disorder, seizure control, and other mental health disorders. While smoking has its risk for lung and pulmonary issues, consuming edibles can have risks too. Consuming too much cannabis can create a cannabis induced psychosis with paranoia, confusion and hallucinations. In older people, this can lead to cardiac events. It is important to use the correct dose of marijuana medically, or even recreationally.

What do you think about the movement to legalize marijuana in America?  Explain.
Personally, THC itself has never been something I enjoyed medically or recreationally. My body reacts very sleepy and I do not feel like I am in full focus or control. I do prefer THC and CBD infused products to help me sleep or relaxing at the end of the day. There are products like oils, gummies and suckers which have low mgs inside that are therapeutic. I do not like smoking marijuana. I really like CBD products for anxiety support. I think it should be legalized for medical purposes and people should be responsible when they choose to use the drug. For example, not being high while working or driving. I have noticed many people in my life who are always high and I find it hard to understand how someone can constantly be high. I wonder how it affects them and how it benefits them. I personally can’t be high like that. Like any altering drug or product, it should be regulated. I think the age 21 is appropriate for marijuana. If a person under 21 needs it for medical purposes, I think it would be good for them to seek a doctor’s consent for this. Overall, Cannabis can be a very beneficial substance in many areas of mental and physical issues.

References:

Hart, C. L., & Ksir, C. (2018). Drugs, society & human behavior (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Pletcher MJ, Vittinghoff E, Kalhan R, et al. (2012) Association Between Marijuana Exposure and Pulmonary Function Over 20 Years. JAMA. 307(2):173181. doi:10.1001/jama.2011.1961

Boffey, P. M. (2014, July 30). What Science Says About Marijuana. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/31/opinion/what-science-says-about-marijuana.html.

2. The typical opioid abuser has changed from the early 1900s to the present/ here is the evolution of that change. the typical opioid abuser in the early 1900s were middle-aged white women between the ages of 30 to 50 years old(Hart, Ksir 2018). It was considered mommy’s little helper and she was well adjusted in society. She often needed help dealing or coping with the stresses of parenthood. Then the Harrison act made the population of middle-aged white people decline. Now the typical abuser is done with prescription opioids and the youngest is 12 years old and older. Roughly 1.4 million Americans aged 12 and older reported using prescription opioids not related to pain(Hart, Ksir, 2018).  Sometimes these abusers needed the medication for pain and unfortunately get addicted to the pain killer and continue taking them.

The current medical uses for opioids include: pain relief of moderate to severe pain, relaxing the body, treating coughing, diarrhea, feelings of relaxation, and a high (2020, July 24).

If a person were to become addicted to any kind of opioid they will experience withdrawal symptoms should they stop ingesting the opioid. These symptoms are muscle pain, bone pain, sleep problems, diarrhea, vomiting, cold flashes with goosebumps, uncontrollable leg movements, severe cravings(2020, July 24).

Since opioids can cause the body to relax the muscles that are responsible for breathing cut oxygen off to the brain. The body loses control over the muscles for breathing. Since the brain needs oxygen to function this asphyxiates the brain causing a coma, permanent brain damage, or death(Ksir, Hart 2018).

Hart, C. L., & Ksir, C. (2018). Drugs, society & human behavior (7th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2020, July 24). Prescription opioids DrugFacts. https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/prescription-opioid