Marijuana
Marijuana is the common name for the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. Hemp grows in tropical as well as temperate climates. The dried ground leaves, flowers, and stems of the plant have a long history for their use as drugs. It has been cultivated in different regions of the world throughout centuries for its fiber to produce linen, rope, canvas, and oil. It has also been used as a medicine to relieve symptoms of illness and as a euphoric to induce states of intoxication or elation. Throughout its long history, parts of the plants have been smoked, eaten, chewed, or brewed for its pharmacological effects on human biochemistry.
There are over 400 chemicals in cannabis. By the mid-1960s the main psychoactive chemical was identified as tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly referred to as THC. Since then, other psychoactive compounds have been isolated from the plant and are being studied for their biochemical effects.
The origin of the word marijuana is not known but it appears to be the Spanish name for Maria and Juana (Mary and Jane). The drug slang for marijuana includes such names as Mary Jane, pot, grass, tea, reefer (as a cigarette), and weed. In India it is called ghanja, dagga in South Africa, and Kef in Morocco. The potency of the psychoactive cannabinoids found in a marijuana plant varies depending on the locale from which the plant was derived and its genetic makeup.
Reference to the hemp plant (cannabis) appears as early as 2700 B.C. in a Chinese manuscript. European explorers arriving to the New World first observed the plant in 1545. It was considered to be such a useful crop that early Jamestown settlers in 1607 began its cultivation and later in Virginia farmers were fined for not growing hemp; in 1617, it was introduced into England. From the seventeenth to the mid-twentieth century marijuana was considered as a household drug useful for treating such maladies as headaches, menstrual cramps, and toothaches. From 1913-38 a stronger variety of the marijuana plant was cultivated by American drug companies for use in their drug products. It was called Cannabis americana.
Prior to 1910, the growth and trade of marijuana (and hashish—a resinous substance produced by the flowering parts of the plant) was fairly limited. However, following the conclusion of the Mexican Revolution, trafficking of the drug opened up, making growth and transport of the drug easier and more profitable. The business expanded to reach the ports of New Orleans where it was sold on the black market, alongside other strains of the plant, to sailors passing through, as well as local residents. It wasn't long before the trend of marijuana use began to overshadow the historic applications of cannabis as a medicine.
The drug soon became popular (especially its stronger derivitives—hashish, charas, ghanja, and bhang) among musicians who maintained that smoking marijuana gave them the inspiration they needed to play their music. These musicians glamorized the use of marijuana. Some claimed it gave them contemplative vision and a feeling of overwhelming freedom and verve; others not only used the drug themselves, but sold it to a variety of customers. As the entertainers went on the road, so did their drugs. Eventually, use of marajuana, alcohol, and other mind-altering drugs spread and soon became prevalent in major cities worldwide, such as Chicago, New York, London, and Paris.
Many of the musicians and entertainers of the Jazz Age who used drugs and alcohol relied heavily on gangland kings for their "gigs" (jobs). Frequently, these gangsters were able to provide (for a fee) a variety of drugs and bootleg alcohol for the performers and their staffs.
In the 1920s, as a result of the amendment prohibiting the use of alcoholic beverages (Prohibition), marijuana use as a psychoactive drug began to grow. Even after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, marijuana was widely used as were morphine, heroin, and cocaine. In 1937, 46 states banned the use of marijuana along with other narcotic drugs. The popular perception, however, was that marijuana was not as addictive as narcotic. It is classified today as a drug that alters mood, perception, and image, rather than as a narcotic drug.
By the 1960s it was widely used by the young from all social classes. It is estimated that by the 1970s as many as 43 million Americans had used marijuana. The presence of more potent strains of marijuana has widened the debate between the drug enforcement authorities and the advocates of decriminalizing marijuana use because it is, they believe, not in the same class as the more addictive drugs. Others see marijuana as a "gateway" drug to the harder drugs and therefore believe rigid laws against its use and distribution should remain in effect.
Marijuana affects both the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. At low doses there tends to be a sense of well-being, drowsiness, and relaxation. As the dose increases, other effects take place such as an altered sense of time and sensory awareness, difficulty in balancing and remembering from one moment to another (short-term memory). Conversation and thoughts become incomplete, and exaggerated laughter may take place with increased doses. At higher doses, severe psychological disturbances can take place such as paranoia, hallucinations, panic attacks, and the acting out of delusions.
The cardiovascular system is affected by an increased heart rate and dilation of eye blood vessels. Difficulty in coordinating body movements and pains in the chest may be other effects of the drug. Less is known about marijuana's effects on the lungs than cigarette smoking, but the evidence points to long-term damage similar to the effects of tobacco smoking.
The FDA in 1985 gave approval for the use of two psychoactive chemicals from marijuana to prevent nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy in cancer treatment. Other proposed medical uses of marijuana are for the treatment of glaucoma, as a bronchodilator, as an antidepressant, and for several other types of medical treatment drugs.
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