Terms to know: Wax, shatter, crumble, vape, R.S.O., flower, hash, keif, concentrates, edibles, bong, rig, pen, pipe, co2, terpenes, oil, strains, indica, sativa, hybrid, ruderalis, hemp, thc, cbd.
What are these things? How do you use them? There are so many more terms to know, these are just a few!
MEDICAL:
Let’s start this off with one little downside, you can still be arrested for growing marijuana even if you have an Arizona medical marijuana card. However, in Arizona if you do have a marijuana card and posses less than 2.5 ounces, the Arizona police cannot charge you with a marijuana crime.
Onto the good stuff. Medical usage is great for people going through chemotherapy who are suffering from nausea and vomiting, to help regain the appetite of people with HIV/AIDS, and it’s great for anyone with chronic pain. Everyone experiences pain and cannabis is a great help with this. Medical cannabis can be administered using a variety of methods, including liquid tinctures, vaporizing or smoking dried buds, eating cannabis edibles, taking capsules, using lozenges, dermal patches or oral/dermal sprays. Just from my own observations I’ve noticed lots of medical patients turn to CBD products. If you are trying to treat your symptoms, it is important to know which cannabinoid is better for you; THC or CBD. Study cannabis and learn how the different cannabinoids work together to heal the body.
Temporary effects of cannabis are sleepiness, dizziness, cardiovascular and psychoactive effects. Tolerance to these effects develops over a period of days or weeks. The great thing is none of these effects cause permanent damage to adults. Although long-term treatment in adolescents should be weighed carefully as they are more susceptible to these types of impairments. Withdrawal symptoms are rarely a problem with medical cannabis. Ask your budtender for information about both the positives and negatives of a product before you buy it. Learning some extra info is not a bad thing. If you’re saying “I don’t have the time!” You know that time you’re on facebook or watching t.v. You can study it! Take 10 minutes a day even, earlier in the morning or later on night. Do your research, take online courses, or get involved in your cannabis community.
RECREATIONAL: Many recreational users simply can’t afford the high costs associated with getting a medical marijuana card. Society assumes that if you’re for recreational you want to get high… For the sake of argument, let’s assume you’re wanting to improve your mood, and the ingredient in cannabis that helps with this is THC. This is the psychoactive you often hear about. Large amounts of THC can be too much for people and they freak out, ultimately leading to a bad experience. THC activates the amygdala area of the brain, which is responsible for fear. This is why people often experience anxiety after smoking too much. On the alternate, CBD counteracts such feelings from THC. Studies show that taking CBD on its own can lower – even eliminate – anxiety. So what’s your brain on Mary Jane? Think of all the “stoner” clichés, that’s it! Red eyes, memory impairment, dry mouth, “munchies.” Why are people for recreational? “I think that we would have more control over it by allowing a federal agency to tax and regulate it like alcohol.” Male, 25
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Under the Arizona recreational petition, did you know for rec. you can only carry up to 5 grams of concentrates? If you’re looking for the “freedom and no rules” there are always going to be rules. You can learn more about them by joining local legalization groups or contacting an attorney who specializes in marijuana law.
As governments are struggling with decreased revenue and rising costs, they look for new ways to boost income to fund projects, such as new parks and road repairs. It is believed that the legalization of marijuana could bring revenue with new taxes applied to its sale and distribution.
COLORADO LEGALIZATION:
Colorado’s regulate marijuana like alcohol, had just six months to create a legal and regulatory framework for growing, sale and distribution of recreational cannabis. Meanwhile, medical marijuana remained largely unregulated, lacking rules governing dosage, purity, growing practices, etc.
In Colorado after a year of decriminalization in 2013 they were showing a slight decline in youth use rates. My opinion here is while it may be easier for kids to get their hands on, parents should educate children on cannabis. Too many times when a kid is caught with a joint, they are scolded, suspended, or grounded– and the underlying issue is never addressed. I think you should educate your kids and teach them what it is. Answer their questions, do research, give them these, and then finally, your opinion.
WHY IS LEGALIZATION WRONG?
People who oppose legalization believe that marijuana generally hurts society and is bad for individuals (44% say this). And while many supporters of legalization (53%) say that marijuana is less dangerous than other drugs, 30% of opponents have the opposite view: They point to the dangers of marijuana, including the possibility of abuse and addiction. Alcohol and cigarettes for example, are prohibited from being sold to children. The primary reason for this is because children, in general, do not have the same responsibility, reasoning and judgment of adults, and their bodies are not as able to handle the effects of these type of substances. Some say the problem would be even worse for marijuana use, which could be bad to developing minds and bodies. So, any time marijuana use is made legal, the drugs accessibility to children will increase. While children and teenagers are getting their hands on cigarettes and alcohol, many people stress of this happening with cannabis.
So…. which is better? Medical or recreational? A quote from Chad Olshavsky owner of StaffMMJ and Herbal Risings, “When I visited Colorado in 2014 there were lines down the street for all the recreational stores and no one was at the medical stores.” Adult use is impacting medical marijuana stores in a big way.
MARIJUANA HISTORY:
Did you know? Marijuana was free to use up until the 1930s when it was told to be the worst thing on earth. It was illegalized through lies, negative opinions, that you often hear elders talk about now. Because, they were raised to think this. When in fact, it’s just not true. Do you think if the illegalization in 1930 never happened people’s thoughts would be different? Would people be put in jail for a plant still-or worse like how it is today? I like to think it wouldn’t be like how it is today. Back before then, anyone could get his or her hands on MJ. Similar to getting your hands on a head of broccoli, today. What are your thoughts? Would it be pretty much the same as it is now or a whole different world?
My personal opinion: The writer of this article is 16 years old. I am only speaking for myself here, no one else just my opinion. I think it should stay medical. The reason for this is I just view it as medical, I see it as medicine. That’s pretty much it. But at the same time I fully support legalization and I think it will someday go through. You all will just have to vote for it! I just want to let everyone know a few more thoughts of mine…. Too many people use marijuana knowing nothing about it. Honestly, from what I’ve learned it’s mostly harmless but marijuana education is important. So many my age are trying cannabis just because it’s “cool.” Learn how it has helped so many people for over 10.000+ years. Learn the effects, the medical benefits. Don’t just jump on the train because some kid you kinda know does it. Study your intake. Be careful taking cannabis; know your dosages. If it’s your first time taking edibles, study it. Read the packaging. The recommended dosage for first timer cannabis users is usually 20mg. Anything more might cause a scary situation for the user.
Written by Charlie Monrose
Sources:
Herbal Risings Training Workbook: Principals and Standards of Cannabis Care
Side Effects of Legalizing Weed