MARIJUANA: DRUG OR MEDICATION
SCHOOL PROJECT
Picture 1: A leaf of cannabis
12.11.2013
Mentors: prof. Maja Gerden and prof. Sonja Artač
Jaka Arh and Urban Žnidaršič, 2.C
12.11.2013
Marijuana: drug or medication
ABSTRACT
Marijuana is one of the most abused drugs in the world. Its ability to alleviate pain and other
symptoms of different diseases has triggered questions whether or not should it be used for
medical intensions. In this project work we will introduce the positive and negative effects on
the users, the laws that delegalize marijuana and the general public opinion on legalization of
it.
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Index
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................ 2
WHAT IS MARIJUANA? ............................................................................................................................ 4
History ................................................................................................................................................. 5
FREQUENCY OF THE DRUG AND THE LAWS ............................................................................................ 6
The laws around the world.................................................................................................................. 6
Slovenian laws ..................................................................................................................................... 7
HOW DOES MARIJUANA AFFECT THE HUMAN BODY? ........................................................................... 8
Positive and negative effects............................................................................................................... 8
MARIJUANA AS MEDICATION.................................................................................................................. 9
CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................................... 10
IMAGES SOURCES .................................................................................................................................. 11
SOURCES ................................................................................................................................................ 11
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WHAT IS MARIJUANA?
Marijuana is an expression used for green, brown or grey mix of dried and cut parts of a
plant Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica. It is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the
world, Europe and also in our country. Marijuana contains THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) which
is the main chemical substance that changes the behavior of the human brain. It’s mostly used
in four different forms: usual marijuana, sensimilla, hashish and hashish oil. The last three
have a much higher rate of THC than the first one. Usually it is used as hand-rolled cigarette
(joint) or in a water pipe (bong). Some users mix it in their food or make tea out of it.
Picture 2: Joint about to be rolled
Cannabis is also used in other ways, not just as a drug. All the parts of the plant are useful
if processed correctly. Some of the products obtained from the processed marijuana are
different cosmetics, paints, cures and textile.
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History
Cannabis has been used as an industrial plant since the Stone Age. The reason is in its strong
fibers, which were used for making clothes and ropes. These are still important in naval
industry, because they are used on ships.
Due to its healing and psychoactive characteristics it
was used by the healers and priests in whole Asia.
Records about it have been found in Hindu holy books
and in ancient Chinese medical notes. Archaeologists
have found the plant in 3000 year old graves of the Skits.
In Slovenia, cannabis was also considered a healing
and magical plant. It was considered as an effective plant
for the protection against the devil.
Picture 3: Old advertising poster
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FREQUENCY OF THE DRUG AND THE LAWS
It is estimated that in Europe 80.5 million (23.7%) of population between 15 and 64 years
have used marijuana in their lifetime, but the drug is mostly popular in teenage circles. In
Slovenia, 23 % of teenagers, aged 15 or 16, have tried marijuana in their life. The drug is very
easily accessible, Slovenian teenagers mostly get their hands on it on streets or in parks, but
also in schools. The price for one gram is between 3 and 25 €.
The laws around the world
The laws in European states about marijuana are very different. For instance, in Czech
Republic (the most drug tolerant state in Europe) you can possess 15 grams of marijuana,
besides growing five plants at home. But in France you can be sent to jail for one year just
for being caught smoking it and if they discover that you are growing one or more plants, it is
possible you will find yourself behind bars for the next 20 years.
The most liberal country, considering marijuana, is Uruguay, where they have accepted
the law which grants every adult citizen to grow, smoke and sell marijuana.
Picture 4: Confiscation of marijuana
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Slovenian laws
In Slovenia using marijuana is not illegal, but possession is. The punishment for possession
of smaller quantities or drug for personal use is between 42 and 209 €. If you are caught
with bigger quantities, the punishment is between 209 and 626 €.
On 25th December 2013 a group of supporters of marijuana for personal use presented
the Slovenian parliament with a law suggestions considering legalization of marijuana. The
suggestion, by that point, has already gathered more than 10.000 signatures by the
supporters.
The law, among other proposals, suggests establishment of Public cannabis agency, which
would control selling, trafficking and growing of cannabis. The agency would also give away
licenses for home growing of the plants, of course there would be strict criteria for receiving
these licenses. One other thing the law suggests is home growth of medical marijuana in
limited quantities.
The government, however, wasn’t convinced and stated that the law is inadequate and
doesn’t give answers to some of the key questions and problems, considering marijuana and
Public cannabis agency.
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HOW DOES MARIJUANA AFFECT THE HUMAN
BODY?
Endocannabinoid (EBC) system is something, which exists in the human brain. It has an
important role in the part of the brain, connected with learning, memory, rewarding and
eating. It influences heartbeat, breathing and digest rhythm. It is also the crucial system in
forming brain cells and synapses. It effects the parts of the brain for conscious memory,
perception of time and behaviour. This is the system on which THC bonds, when it enters the
human brain. It creates a bond with anandamid, a chemical, which naturally forms in our
brain. This explains why the user, who is currently under the effect of marijuana, has
problems with memory, concentration and disturbance of critical thinking.
Positive and negative effects
Marijuana can cause psychological substance dependence. If the user has been using
marijuana for a longer period of time, he can develop raised tolerance for drug. This causes
the so called amotivational syndrome. This is recognized as slowed down movement and
unresponsiveness for developments in the environment. Sometimes they don’t even notice
that their friends are telling them something. Usually they are unusually talkative, they have
laughing seizures, their pupils are dilated, eyes inflamed and red, they feel hunger and they
wish to eat something sweet. Marijuana isn’t considered as a drug that causes physical
dependence, but it is very likely that you transit from it to drugs that do cause physical
dependence.
Positive: mood improvement, relaxation, creative thinking, sharpened senses, pleasant
feelings, pain alleviation, reduction of feeling of sickness.
Negative: slowed down thinking, physical tiredness, sickness, breathing problems,
increased heart beat, headache and paranoia.
What makes the difference between positive and negative effects is the concentration of
THC in the plant.
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MARIJUANA AS MEDICATION
The EBC system is extremely important during treatment, because it forms new brain
cells, and this is a crucial process when treating an adult. This is also where cannabinoids
(THC and to it related substances in marijuana) bond where they enter the human brain.
They have also proven to improve the patient’s state with different diseases and health
problems.
THC acts against inflammation and crunches it inhibits the progression of multiple
sclerosis. Some other THC characteristics prevent epileptic seizures and limit infarctions after
the seizures.
Marijuana helps to prevent Alzheimer’s disease and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, it
also helps to mitigate rheumatic arthritis. Smaller concentration of THC has proven to be
helpful with schizophrenia, but bigger concentrations can have a negative effect.
Endocannabinoids and THC work against sickness and vomiting, they lower raised blood
pressure and protect our heart. Lymphocytes and killer cells require endocannabinoids for
their normal operation and cannabis is one of the plants, which stimulate resistance against
infections and tiredness; with this, it helps to improve health and immune system, but
doesn’t directly fight the illness.
EBC system is also important in building
bone mass.
Cannabinoids inhibit growth of breast
and prostate tumors and several other
cancer formations, they also influence
body’s hormone reaction against pain and
erasing of traumatic memories.
Many cancer patients, who are being
Picture 5: sign ''medical marijuana''
treated with chemotherapy, smoke
marijuana because it helps against sickness and vomiting that appear as side effects of
chemotherapy and also to increase his or her appetite.
They also help to alleviate pain after operations, tumor removals and also so called
phantom pain after limb amputation. This also works in combination with other analgesics.
Cannabinoids also help with asthma, though the other chemicals in smoke from
marijuana could provoke an asthmatic seizure.
EBC system is also important in building bone mass and strengthening it also strengthens
blood circulation system. The result of improper operation of EBC system can be
posttraumatic stress disorder, chronic anxiety, migraines and Parkinson disease. Researchers
are developing a way to obtain cannabinoids, which would only keep their good properties.
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CONCLUSION
Cannabis is a plant, which can be put in a very good use. Marijuana also has many good
properties, but we can hardly say that they outweigh the bad ones.
This is why legalization of marijuana and cultivation of cannabis is a very problematic
subject, even if only for medical use. One of the many problems is controlling the people who
are in possession of either the plant or marijuana. It would be practically impossible to know
if they have given access to the plant or its products to someone, who shouldn’t have had it.
People, who would be granted to grow cannabis, could exploit this to sell marijuana they
wouldn’t use for their own medical treatment. They could even sell seeds of the plant, so
people could grow it on their own.
Another big problem is traffic safety. If a person, who would be given marijuana for medical
use, wouldn’t be responsible, he or she could sit in a car and drive in the streets under the
influence of the drug. He or she could cause a driving accident, which could cause death of
one or more participants.
Marijuana is also a big problem as a substance, because the user with time develops a raised
tolerance for the drug. Eventually, when even bigger doses of marijuana can’t reach the same
effect with the user as they did before, the user decides to mix marijuana with crack. It often
happens, that even this is not satisfying enough, and the user replaces marijuana and crack
with cocaine (can cause psychological dependence) and heroin (can cause physical
dependence).
These are the reasons for which we think, are the most serious and should not be taken
lightly when discussing the subject of legalizing either cannabis or marijuana.
But we are also aware of all the good properties of marijuana. This is why we think that THC
should be gathered from the plant and processed, so it would only keep its healing properties.
If it would be sold in the form of pills, the patients in need would be able to get in possession
of it and they wouldn’t have to worry about all the other chemicals and the side effects of
marijuana in form of the dried parts of the plant.
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IMAGES SOURCES
 Picture 1: http://www.thegailygrind.com/2014/02/11/study-finds-marijuana-maystop- spread-hiv/
 Picture 2:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_qUFDMUpk9jE/TEjKhOHb3tI/AAAAAAAAkfY/z7lY40kb6U/s1600/7841Marijuana-Posters.jpg
 Picture 3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Unrolled_joint.jpg
 Picture 4: http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/mail-marijuana-shipmentsskyrocket/story?id=10108912
 Picture 5: http://watchdog.org/127122/kansas-medical-marijuana/
SOURCES
 Bojan Dekleva: Droge med srednješolsko mladino v Ljubljani (Ljubljana, december
1998, izdala in založila MOL, Mestna uprava-Oddelek za predšolsko vzgojo,
izobraževanje in šport; Urad za preprečevanje zasvojenosti in inštitut za
kriminologijo)
 Prof. dr. Karl-Ludwig Täshcner, dr. med.: Trde droge – mehke droge? (Ptuj, 2001,
izdal in založil IN OBS MEDICUS, d.o.o.)
 Irena Dogša, Ignac Schmidt: Droge? Ne, hvala! (Ljubljana, 1997, Zavod Republike
Slovenije za šolstvo)
 Spletni vir; URL: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-abuse/howdoes-marijuana-use-affect-your-brain-body (Povzeto 17. 2. 2014)
 Spletni vir; URL: http://www.dnevnik.si/kronika/1042457429 (Povzeto 19.12. 2014)
 Spletni vir; URL:
http://www.konoplja.org/Konoplja/Zdravstvo/Uvod%2Bobicajna%2Bmedicinska.htm
(Povzeto 17. 12. 2013)
 EMCDDA (Evropski center za spremljanje drog in zasvojenosti z drogami): Letno
poročilo 2012 (2012)
 Spletni vir; URL: http://www.24ur.com/zdravilni-ucinki-marihuane-upanje-za-bolnikez-rakom-aidsom-in-alzheimerjevo-boleznijo.html (Povzeto 17. 2. 2014)
 Spletni vir; URL: http://www.delo.si/novice/slovenija/vlada-odlocila-da-zakon-okonoplji-ni-potreben.html (Povzeto 17. 2. 2014)
 Spletni vir; URL: http://www.24ur.com/predlog-o-konoplji-zbral-vec-kot-10-000podpisov.html (Povzeto 18. 2. 2014)
 Spletni vir; URL: http://www.scribd.com/doc/105723840/Predlog-Zakona-o-Konoplji
(Povzeto 18. 2. 2014)
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