Recreational Marijuana: Is It Good or Bad?

There has been a never-ending dilemma over the use of recreational marijuana across the world. Some states like Alaska, California, and Washington consider recreational marijuana as a good alternative for synthetic drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes and have legalized the use of recreational marijuana. However, some states are still hesitant because of its potential health risks although more than 20 million Americans consume marijuana for recreational purposes. Here’s a look at the characteristics, benefits, risks, and advantages of marijuana over other legal drugs available in the market.

WHAT IS RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA?

Recreational marijuana refers to the use of marijuana for personal satisfaction and enjoyment rather than using it for health benefits. Here are some features of recreational marijuana.

• INTERMITTENT USE

Using marijuana for recreational purposes involves occasional consumption. Recreational use of marijuana isn’t a regular thing to do every day.

• NO COMPULSIONS

Unlike medical marijuana, there are no compulsions on the recreational use of marijuana. The consumer is entitled to refuse or accept the offer of using marijuana.

• USE IN LIMITED AMOUNTS

When using marijuana for recreational use, a person doesn’t desire to consume the entire available amount. They must use it only in small amounts to have only mild effects.

• LOW INVESTMENT

Recreational marijuana doesn’t involve large investments. Therefore, no compromises need to be made on buying essential items in order to buy marijuana for recreational use.

BENEFITS OF RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA

Recreational marijuana is good because of the various benefits it provides to different consumers. Some of these benefits are:

1. Recreational marijuana offers a feeling of relaxation and happiness to the users.
2. It enhances the user’s ability to sense, smell and hear.
3. It maintains the sugar level of the human body and also keeps blood pressure in check.
4. Recreational marijuana provides a sense of “high” experienced by most of the users.
5. It alleviates anxiety and calms the restless behavior in some people.
6. It helps the users in weight loss and relieving chronic pain.

PROS OF RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA OVER OTHER DRUGS

Recreational marijuana use has exceptional benefits that are magnified when compared with that of other synthetic drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. In a study, it is found that smoking marijuana has minimal risks attached to the health of the user whereas smoking cigarettes is extremely dangerous for the respiratory tract health of the users. In addition to this, it has been found that smoking marijuana aids in increasing lung capacity.

Drinking alcohol and smoking pot have similar effects on the psychoactive behavior of the user. However, the adverse effects of drinking alcohol are far more noticeable than that of marijuana. Alcohol can lead to multiple organ damage over time even when consumed in controlled amounts. Furthermore, the synthetic drugs available in the market are created using harmful chemicals that may cause instant reactions and a prolonged sense of intoxication. This may result in depreciating productivity of the user and pose health risks.

It can be concluded that recreational marijuana is safe to use and has double the benefits of alcohol and cigarettes which are legal in most countries. Recreational use of marijuana is good for health as well as for the personal enjoyment of the user.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF MARIJUANA

The use of marijuana can have severe health risks and problems. However, these negative impacts on health arise only when marijuana is used excessively and in uncontrolled amounts. Here are some negative effects of marijuana.

1. Prolonged and excessive use of marijuana can hinder the performance of the brain by affecting the receptors. As a result, the person may experience hallucinations, dizziness, disorganized speech and walking.
2. Marijuana smoke increases the heart rate. Over a period of time, this can transform into a permanent problem and cause heart attacks.
3. Excessive use of marijuana affects bone density. Hence, it causes bone-related diseases like osteoporosis.
4. Smoking marijuana may cause acute bronchitis, chronic coughing, and asthma when used over long periods.
5. Regular smoking of marijuana can also lead to acute respiratory problems and pulmonary diseases.

It should be noted here that these health issues arise from smoking marijuana only when it is used in excessive amounts or regularly. Recreational use of marijuana is not only beneficial for the individual’s satisfaction but also has numerous other benefits for the countries such as economic growth, agricultural productivity, and so on.