Marijuana, without an iota of a doubt, has quickly become one of the most controversial and hot-button issues in this country. With more information about the benefits of the drug being uncovered and the potential revenue associated with it being considered; an increasing number of states are putting it on the ballot to potentially legalize marijuana for recreational use. In essence, it would be taxed just as cigarettes and alcohol are.
Recreational marijuana use has been legalized in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Nevada are looking to follow the paradigm set by Colorado and the aforementioned states.
According to the Marijuana Policy Group (MPG), the legalization of recreational marijuana, in Colorado, has generated 18,005 full-time jobs and added $2.4 billion to the state’s economy in the span of a year.
The most common, psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that is mentioned in copious forms of pop culture is delta-g-tetrahydrocannbinol or, simply put, THC. THC is the psychoactive ingredient that is credited with playing a major role in giving users that euphoric sensation referred to as a “high”.
Cannabidiol (CBD), is the next most well-known cannibinoid, and it is quite prevalent in hemp varieties of marijuana. CBD, unlike THC, is not known to react with the body’s cannabinoid receptors; therefore, it does not produce any noticeable psychoactive effects.
Despite the fact that CBD has no known psychoactive effects, increasing evidence is beginning to show that it contains medicinal properties. This was brought to the national forefront in the case of Charlotte Figi, a five year old girl, from Colorado.
Charlotte began having profound and long-lasting seizures when she was just three months old. As time progressed, by the age of two, these seizures were having a noticeable effect on her cognitive decline. Her blood tests and scans returned normal; therefore, medical professionals were at a loss when it came to explaining the cause of her seizures.
Charlotte’s parents’ employed every technique they could including a ketogenic diet that’s essentially used to combat epilepsy. However, much to their dismay, the seizures would return two years after beginning the diet. Charlotte’s condition, at this point, had become so grim that she could no longer walk, talk, or eat. Moreover, she was having approximately 300 grand mal seizures a week.
It was at this point, Matt and Paige, Charlotte’s parents’, considered an option they were initially against. They had both voted against the legalization of medical marijuana. However, with their options essentially exhausted, it had become a viable option.
Charlotte was administered a small dose of extracted oil from a type of marijuana known as R4. This type of marijuana is low in THC; however, it possesses high levels of CBD. For the next seven days, she did not have any seizures. Over time, Charlotte was administered the oil, twice a day, in her food. As a result, Charlotte, at 6 years of age, only experiences two to three seizures a month.
The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) currently classifies marijuana as a schedule I drug. Schedule I refers to drugs, substances, or chemicals, which, according to the DEA, have no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Marijuana is put in the same class as heroin, lysergic acid diethylamide (lsd), ecstasy, and peyote.
Due to it being classified as a schedule I drug, funding for marijuana research is limited; more often than not, studies are done on the deleterious effects of the drug rather than the positive effects. Research has shown that marijuana is not as harmful as alcohol or tobacco in terms of the number of deaths or effects. Despite the nature of the research, marijuana still remains illegal in most states.
With the influx of new data coupled with the economic success of states such as Colorado, people’s attitudes towards marijuana are shifting. More and more states are beginning to consider taxing marijuana just as cigarettes and alcohol are. There has even been a push to reclassify what marijuana is scheduled as in order to generate more funding to study the positive effects of it.
Only time will tell if more states will consider legalizing marijuana; however, one thing that is certain is that people are starting to question things and conduct their own research.
