"Weed"

Marijuana is created from the dried leaves of the hemp plant. The name “marijuana” is derived from Mexican military slang for a prostitute or brothel. There are over 200 slang terms for marijuana in the popular vernacular. The most common names include: pot, grass, weed, hash, ganja, high grade, kaya and sinsemilla. The scientific name for marijuana is Cannabis.
Several drug types can be produced from the cannabis plant. The common types being herbal cannabis (produced from leaves and flowers of the plant), cannabis resin commonly referred to as hashish (a pressed secretion of the plant) and sensimilia – Spanish for without seeds (made from the unfertilized buds of the female plant.

Marijuana is said to be useful medicine for nausea, rheumatism and labor pains. Strong supporters of the drug believe it has significant value for those suffering from AIDS, glaucoma, cancer and epilepsy. In fact, several studies have been published that support and document this belief.The hemp plant which produces marijuana has a lot of other uses. When harvested, this plant can be used for clothing, sails and rope. It is a noteworthy fact that the two drafts of the United States Declaration of Independence were written on paper made from hemp.

The cannabis plant can grow in nearly any environment hence its growth in almost every part of the world. Marijuana was first used as a medicinal drug in 2737BC by Chinese emperor Shen Nung. The Emperor witnessed first hand, the drug effectiveness in treating the pains of rheumatism and gout.
Marijuana is the most common illegal drug used in the United States of America. After alcohol, it is the most popular recreational or mood altering drug used worldwide. In 1996, California became the first US State to legally allow medical marijuana for patients. In 2003, Canada became the 1st Country in the world to offer medical marijuana to pain suffering patients.

The use of Cannabis has been highly justified by many. In fact, popular icons such as artists and actors are known to be using or to have ever used the drug at some point. The irony is that most of these individuals are high achievers in their professions which could act as further proof to critics that marijuana is not that bad.According to Rastafarians, marijuana is the healing of the nations. It is usually attributed to have the ability to make the truth more clear. They also consider it as a way of being close to nature. Smoking marijuana symbolizes the burning of the corruption from the human heart – “the herb is the key to new understanding of the self, the universe and God. The vehicle to cosmic consciousness.”

The primary active ingredient in marijuana is THC (delta 9 tetrhydrocannabinol). The THC ingredient in marijuana acts on cannabinoid receptors on our nerve cells and influences the activity of these cells. Many of these receptors are found in parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception and co-ordinated movement.
Marijuana also increases the heart beat by 20 to 50 beats per minute within a few minutes of smoking it. The risk involved is a major heart attack. Moreover, the marijuana smoke has more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke and since smokers inhale deeper and hold the smoke in their lungs longer than tobacco smokers, their lungs are more exposed to the harmful properties of the smoke.
Smokers of marijuana have a high risk of cancer than tobacco smokers. The marijuana smoke contains 3 times the amount of tar found in tobacco smoke and 50 percent more carcinogens.

Inspite of all the facts that point to the harmful effects of marijuana, most of the findings and assumptions are not full proof. Research into the marijuana menace has not been utterly conclusive though some of it has borne some undeniable concerns. However, the ultimate bottom line is that marijuana is a drug that can both harm as well as cure its consumer.

Fear

Fear is an emotion that exists in every form of life. Insects, animals and even humans exhibit fear in specific conditions, circumstances or instances. Fear has been a major area of concern in religion, science and even history, whereby scholars seek to understand, justify and even provide a remedy to this emotion.

Fear can be an adaptive response. It prepares our bodies to flee danger, fear of real or imagined enemies binds people together, and fear of injury protects us from harm. Fear of retaliation constrains us from harming one another. People can be afraid of almost anything.
Psychologists, through their extensive study of learning, have come to the fascinating conclusion that we can learn to fear almost anything. Through conditioning the short list of naturally painful and frightening events can rise into a long list of possible human fears.

Fears can also arise through observation i.e. learning by observation. This means that the fears of our parents and friends can be transformed into our own fears.
Recent studies show that fear is hereditary. We humans are quick to learn and slowly unlearn to fear wild animals and natural phenomena- fears that probably helped our ancestors survive. We are less predisposed to fear cars, electricity and bombs, which in modern society are far more dangerous
( Lumsden & Wilson, 1983; Mc Nally, 1987 )
Some biological predisposed fears develop with little or no learning- Most people are horrified the first time they see a corpse or a mutilated human body.
Some people’s fears of specific things, such as heights, are greater than others. When fears of certain things or events surpass a certain level, they are referred to as phobias.
People who tend to thrive on risk make common and naturally occurring fears seem like child play. These individuals express no fear in the face of terrifying or blood curdling situations, occurrences or things. Instead, they manage to keep their cool. Astronauts, adventurers, con artists and killers are classic examples of fearless characters.
Experience could help shape fearlessness or fearfulness but so do our genes.

Fear is natural .It is also human to fear. Your fear could be your source of courage, but it could also be your worst nightmare. We should face our fears, embrace them and learn to live with them. Most importantly we should never give in to them instead we should strive to control them. After all, fear is a human emotion which should be treated as part of the biological composition that makes one a living being.


NOTES

1. “afraid of truth, afraid of fortune, afraid of death, and afraid of each other,” observed Ralph Waldo Emerson.
2. Dogs learn to fear neutral stimuli that have been associated with shock, infants can be conditioned to fear furry objects that are associated with frightening noises, and adults can become terrified of incidental stimuli linked with traumatic experience such as rape.
3. The Minnesota study of separated identical twins found that one twin’s level of fearfulness was similar to the others. ( Lykken, 1982)
4. “He who fears all snares falls into none.” Publilius Syrus, Sententiae, 43 B.C.