The Marijuana Debate: Let's Check In & Other Fun Facts
Monday, March 14, 2011
By
It’s no question that marijuana is quite the popular drug among college students. Hell, it’s pretty popular among people of all ages nowadays (see stats below). From Snoop Dogg music videos to Blockbuster hits like Pineapple Express, marijuana and its “stoner” culture has become a popular topic among our generation. It’s not unusual to hear weed casually referenced in a sit-com or even to smell it on the person next to you in class who decided to “wake and bake.” You can even find magazines and trade papers dedicated strictly to the topic of pot.
The other day I caught myself in the middle of a conversation when someone used the term “doja.” To avoid awkwardness, I did the usual smile and nod, acting like I knew what he was talking about. Naturally, I Googled the term when I got home, and immediately I felt naïve that I wasn’t up-to-snuff on marijuana street names. Then I came to find out I wasn’t up-to-snuff on a lot about the drug itself. And I probably should be a little more informed considering the vast media coverage of the drug policy reforms going on.
In a recent HC survey of college women, we found that 68% of the respondents are pro-legalization of marijuana. But of the people who said they were pro-legalization, only 10% said they were “very informed” on the subject. Glad to know I’m not alone!
Here is a general overview – a little study guide if you will – on some of the history, health effects, as well as some interesting statistics on doja, herb, and weed – or whatever you want to call it, as well as where things stand politically with the drug at this point.
What exactly is marijuana?
Marijuana is the mind-altering substance produced from a plant with the scientific name Cannabis sativa. The United Nations World Drug Report 2010 reported cannabis to be the most widely used illicit substance in the world. Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant. Weed is used because its primary active chemical, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), may induce relaxation and heighten the senses. Sinsemilla (a Spanish word), hashish (“hash” for short), and hash oil are stronger forms of marijuana, containing five to ten times as much THC.
Where did the name “marijuana” come from?
The word marijuana is said to have derived from the Mexican Spanish term marihuana according to the Oxford English Dictionary. It has also been cited as a Mexican slang term for Cannabis that was derived from the Spanish pronunciation of the names “Mary” and “Jane” – which were used by Mexican military as slang for prostitutes or brothels.
What are some other not-so-commonly-used names for the drug?
We rarely see this drug referred to as “cannabis” in modern pop-culture. People have thought of much more clever terms. You may hear marijuana called by street names such as pot, herb, weed, grass, Mary Jane, or chronic. The National Drug Intelligence Center came up with this quick chart of terms:
We also asked college women which slang names they most often use and here’s what they said:
About the Author
Biography
Ainslie Forsum is in her junior year at the University of Oregon, majoring in Journalism with a focus in Magazine and Public Relations. The last two summers she has completed marketing internships with Variety in Los Angeles and Seventeen Magazine in New York. Although she loves the exciting lifestyle of event planning and public relations, she has always had a soft spot for writing. She enjoys a good challenge of wit, preferably over a cup of coffee, which has become a dietary staple in her life. When she’s not at Starbucks, she can be found perusing travel magazines planning her next adventure abroad, trying out a new recipe in the kitchen or catching up with her favorite celeb gossip site, Perez Hilton. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a career in magazine journalism.
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Comments
It took me very long to find A website that suports marjuanna but what i dont understand is why it is illegal and tobacco isent.... Tobacco is alot more harmfull then pot over 400000 people a year die from it in the us alone
weed being a gateway drug is pure nonsense---i have been a long time smoker and alcohol was what opened the door for to pot for me . I have a feeling that is also very common--with cannabis i feel in control of my body and my mind and feel i have avoided many would be dangerous situations my drunk friends have put themselves in and i avoided because i was not drinking .....
and to say it leads to extacy and heroin is ridiculous . like it was stated before its the person not the plant - i have avoided many much harder drugs because i informed myself and knew that cannabis has over 4000 years of documented use and not one death directly attributed to it. this is the problem not enough education and to many opinions
Judging by the how things are now I don't think we'll see marijuana being legalized any time soon. We can't complain about not having alternatives neither, take the herbal insense for example, it's highly popular among students as well. I don't understand why these people risk their future to try something illegal.
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This article glamorizes marijuana use. Its such a shame the youth of America is so lazy and self-indulgent, sitting around getting high and doing nothing for the world. You failed to mention the seriously harmful health effects of marijuana, for example, schizophrenia, psychosis, and severe anxiety. Not to mention the risks marijuana smoker's contribute to others, such as driving while high. Marijuana users may claim its no different than alcohol, but smokers are typically disrespectful and ignorant people, much like alcohol makes its users inhibited and classless. Marijuana users are worse than any other drug user because they refuse to see marijuana is a drug. Grow up.
If any of those things were true, humans would not have been consuming cannabis for the past 4000 years. Wake up you are brainwashed and only believing what the masses do. Medical mj is prescribed to people with those problems... it does not cause them. Go drink your wine and you grow up...
I agree that weed can coincide with a lazy, non contributing zero at times (I know plenty of pot smokers that have a job, pay taxes, vote etc.). Though you are somewhat wrong in your knowledge of heath effects of marijuana. Schizophrenia is genetic and can therfore not be caused by drug use, particularly marijuana use. Although if you have the gene mutation for schizophrenia, psycodelic drug use can and will accelerate the onset of the condition. Also, anxiety(paranoia/psycosis) is a short term effect and goes away along with the high. Alcohol and weed are nothing alike, alcohol numbs feelings and can cause violent behaviors. While weed supercharges feelings and, provided they drive stoned, makes some people more attentive whist driving (for fear of being caught). Lastly, you can't seriously believe that a stoner in denial is worse than a stung out meth addict. Before you attack me for promoting weed and being a stoner, I do not smoke it nor do I wish to. As I have no medical or emotional need to be high. Though I prefer to be properly educated on any subject I find interesting (believe me, I've done quite a bit of research). I also think that others should be properly educated on subjects they choose to be involved in, so they do not spread rumors or misconceptions.
Sincerely,
Andy
I actually agree with Andy, especially at the alcohol part. It makes people more violent and there were a lot of crimes committed because people drank too much. How many murders have you heard of that involved stoned people? I use Kratom extract and it's nothing wrong with it, it actually relaxes me. Now, I don't see that being bad, because I'm not losing my minds nor am I double-counting the stairs while I try to get to my room.
You are the definition of ignorance.. your generalizations alone make your entire post garbage.
This is a very well informed and fair article. As a person who does not smoke marijuana for personal reasons, I support the legalization through logic as well as research into the benefits. This is a clear case of the benefits outweighing the harm.
The legalization of marijuana would not imply that it be encouraged. Instead, it would allow a substance that is already widely used to be government controlled and taxed for it to be safer. In my personal experience, marijuana was easier to get in high school than alcohol was. This is because everyone knew who the few people were who sold marijuana and they did not distinguish based on age, but the place that sold alcohol made it much more difficult. On a global scale, it would immensely help (slowly) to end the violence of illegal drug trade as it would cut their business in half. Also, the taxes on marijuana would be of assistance to a government that is in deep debt.
The argument that marijuana is a gateway drug is completely illogical. If that is true, then alcohol should be illegal as well. Just as most people who drink alcohol do not become an alcoholic, most who people smoke marijuana will never try a "hard" drug or become an addict. This is keeping in mind that marijuana is psychologically addictive or habit forming, but this is true for, well, just about everything (food, television, video games, exercising, studying, etc. can all be psychologically addictive). Marijuana, just like every substance needs personal discretion and control, it is not up to the government to decide this in its totality.
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