Drug abuse is a universal epidemic and marijuana is one of the most abused drugs worldwide. Throughout history, there have been numerous cases against drug dealers and drug lords which have taken the media by storm, but the damaging effect these dealers leave behind is often overlooked and does not receive enough media coverage. The “United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative” 2001 case caught the media as well as the general public’s attention and brought to light the various legislations concerning marijuana. The Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative claimed to distribute marijuana in accordance with the California’s Compassionate Use Act of 1996.The defense argued that the cooperative distributed marijuana for medical purposes. The Cooperative used the medical necessity defense to argue their case claiming that they distributed marijuana according to the substance’s medical necessity of qualified patients.
According to the Court of Appeal’s Justice Clarence Thomas ruling, all medically necessary distributions were to be permitted legally. However, medical necessity was not a defense for manufacturing and distributing marijuana by the Oakland Cannabis Buyers’ Cooperative. The distribution of medical marijuana is legally permissible for patients suffering from acute medical conditions and those that will suffer permanent harm if they don’t access cannabis. Patients who need marijuana to alleviate their suffering from medical conditions and lack legal alternatives are legally permitted to take pot. Also, the patient is allowed to use cannabis if they have tried all other legal alternatives to cannabis, but they were ineffective in treating or alleviating the patient's medical condition.
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This project on the study of “The Long Term Effects of Marijuana Use” will be undertaken from 10th February 2017. The importance of research into this topic cannot be overemphasized. From the legal provisions discussed above, marijuana is a legal drug in some states, but the legal limitations can be stretched by people seeking to use marijuana for purposes other than medical. This calls for research into the long-term effects of marijuana use on the users despite their motive for using it so as to raise awareness on the impacts of the drug use.
Research question
What are the long-term effects of marijuana use on the marijuana users?
How does marijuana use affect the people around the marijuana users?
Are the long-term effects of marijuana use reversible?
Does marijuana have any medicinal value as alleged?
Research purpose
To establish the long-term effects of the use of marijuana for the users.
To determine how marijuana affects the people around the people who abuse it.
To investigate the medicinal value of marijuana.
To investigate whether the long-term effects are reversible.
Hypotheses
Marijuana use will have adverse effects on the users in the long term.
Marijuana abuse will affect the people who the users interact with in their day to day activities.
Marijuana use will have few positive impacts when used for medicinal purposes under physicians’ direction.
Literature review
Studies have been designed with the aim of providing people with information about the negative health effects of using substances, but the social impact of drug abuse is often overlooked (Suchman, Pajulo &Mayes, 2013). The rationale for the research projects is that the provision of this information is crucial in the reduction of substance abuse and increases their resolve to abstain from drug use (Verster, 2012). Issues with drug addiction mostly develop in the transitional phase of adolescence a period which sees the young people fall under peer influence, undermine authority and act very impulsively (Weichold & Giannotta, 2014). Studies have shown that drug abuse in adolescent years, especially before fifteen years, extends to adulthood leading to addiction. Cannabis sativa alongside other drugs abused mostly by young people has been reported to be among the leading causes of the global disease burden by the WHO (Suchman et.al. 2013). Marijuana is used to refer to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa. The plant produces a mind-altering chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) (Verster, 2012).The drug is taken through smoking either in the form of hand-rolled cigarettes, in water pipes or emptied cigars. Vaporizers are also used to get rid of the smoke and extract the tetrahydrocannabinol which is later inhaled as a vapor. Marijuana is also mixed in food stuff like brownies and cookies or even made as tea (Suchman et.al, 2013). The consequences of marijuana abuse are varied ranging from health related effects, emotionally related effects as well as social related effects. These effects include the development of aggressive behavior since smoking of marijuana affects the emotional stability of the smoker (Verster, 2012). This can either be a short-term or a long-term effect since tendencies slowly become part of the day to day behaviors and the drug user over time views violence as a way of life. Marijuana also affects brain development in the long term (Weichold & Giannotta, 2014). Studies have shown that marijuana slows down people’s thinking process; interfere with the memory and the learning functions (Verster, 2012). A study showed that teenagers who started smoke marijuana heavily lost an average of 8 IQ points between ages thirteen and thirty-eight. The mental abilities damage was permanent and irreversible. However, the people who began using marijuana later in life failed to exhibit IQ declines (Suchman et.al., 2013). Marijuana also causes respiratory problems. During the smoking; the smoke makes its way to the lungs causing irritations which lead to breathing problems same as those experienced by tobacco smokers (Weichold & Giannotta, 2014). This leads to persistent coughs and phlegm, lung diseases and increases the risk of lung infections. Marijuana is also known to cause an increase in the heart rate for up to three hours after smoking (Verster, 2012). The increased heart rate increases the possibility of having a heart attack while putting elderly people and those with heart complications at higher risk
Marijuana has adverse long-term effects on pregnant women during and after pregnancy since THC is secreted through the breast milk though in little amounts (Suchman et.al., 2013). Marijuana use during pregnancy has been said to cause risks to both brain and behavioral issues in babies (Weichold & Giannotta, 2014). It also affects the development of the fetal brain which in the long run leads to an impaired memory and poor problem-solving skills when the baby is born (Verster, 2012). Marijuana also leads to mental illnesses and impairments which are dangerous for the victims as well as for the people around them. Its effects range from hallucinations, paranoia and even schizophrenia (Suchman et.al. 2013) . Marijuana use has also been linked to other mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts among its users (Weichold & Giannotta, 2014). Marijuana’s effects on the people around the users include possible physical injuries from the users, emotional abuse by the users when they are high on marijuana as well as the health costs related to treating the side effects of marijuana use and addiction (Verster, 2012). Further effects of marijuana use include lower life satisfaction levels, addiction, violent tendencies, the development of antisocial tendencies and overall hardship in creating and maintaining relationships.
Research and methodology
A qualitative research design will be used in the study. Qualitative Research involves the collection of data that is not in numerical form (Chandra & Sharma, 2013). Sources of data in the research process include diaries, secondary sources, open-ended questionnaires, unstructured interviews and unstructured observations (Engel & Schutt, 2013). The research design will concentrate on closely analyze the personal experiences of marijuana users, their opinions and feelings as well as those of their immediate friends and family.
Population and sampling
Case studies will be used in the data collection process which will give the researchers a basis for testing the hypotheses and answering the research questions (Chandra & Sharma, 2013). This process will involve the observation and analysis of data from marijuana use related sources (Engel & Schutt, 2013). The analysis of the long-term effects of marijuana will be contextual and particularistic and will run for four months during which the research process will be undertaken.
The data collection method will include both primary and secondary sources (Engel & Schutt, 2013). The Primary sources to be used are case studies, ethnography and observation while the secondary sources will include books, academic journals, magazines, the internet and other publications
The sampling process will entail a purposive selection of the sampled population, and each subject will be keenly studied to generate detailed information. Simple random sampling method will be used in the data collection (Chandra & Sharma, 2013). This will involve selection of samples from marijuana users and their immediate relations randomly and by chance which will ensure that the probability of each sample being picked will be equal (Engel & Schutt, 2013). The qualitative samples will be used to draw analytic but not statistical generalizations.
Human Subjects Protection.
Privacy and confidentiality will be upheld at all levels of the research process (Engel & Schutt, 2013). The information that will be provided by the respondents will strictly be exclusively used for only this research not for any other purpose (Chandra & Sharma, 2013). The researchers will also ensure that the respondents are well conversant with the research objectives which will ensure that their participation in the study will be out of informed consent. For the teenagers who are part of the sample size, parental consent will be sought before embarking on the data collection.
Timeframe for Each of the Steps of the Research
| Task | Estimated Time | Deadline |
Writing the research proposal |
3 days | 10th February |
| Primary research | 1 week | 18th February |
| Sampling and data collection | 1 month | 23rd March |
| Data analysis and evaluation | 1 month | 26th April |
| Final report on research findings and recommendations | 1 week | 30th April |
A Reasonable Budget for the Proposed Research
The expenses that are expected to be incurred in the research process include human resources for research assistants and transcribers, equipment like transcribers and computer software and hard ware, stationeries, and research incentives during the research process (Chandra & Sharma, 2013). The estimated total cost is $800.
References
Chandra, S., & Sharma, M. K. (2013). Research methodology . New Delhi: Narosa Publishing House.
Engel, R. J., & Schutt, R. K. (2013). The practice of research in social work . Los Angeles: SAGE.
Suchman, N. E., Pajulo, M., & Mayes, L. C. (2013). Parenting and substance abuse: developmental approaches to intervention . Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Verster, J. C. (2012). Drug abuse and addiction in medical illness: causes, consequences, and treatment . New York: Springer.
Weichold, K., & Giannotta, F. (2014). Theory-based approaches to substance misuse and abuse prevention in school . San Francisco, CA: Wiley/Jossey-Bass.
