INTRODUCTION

Marijuana

Marijuana is also known as Cannabis is a psychoactive drug from

the Cannabis plant, Marijuana also called weed, herb, pot, grass, bud, ganja, Mary Jane,

and a vast number of other slang terms is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried flowers

of Cannabis sativa, the plant contains the mind altering chemical

tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and other similar compounds. Intended

for medical or recreational use, Cannabis can be used by smoking, vaporizing, within

food, or as an extract. In our society today marijuana is commonly used by teens and

adults, the marijuana have impacted the lives of us human in a lively manner. Even

though marijuana is an illegal drug, countless amounts of people do not stop using it

because of addiction.

The law enforcement can do nothing. If the people do not wish to listen, the

marijuana can affects the brain functions, and system that can cause changes in the brain

that result in addiction, this is much more likely in people who start using marijuana

when young, and who are heavy users.

Marijuana has been used around the world for centuries with different culture like

in spiritual, medical, and recreational applications, from keeping the spirits away at the

weddings or clothes and paper, marijuana has many beneficial uses. Many patients with

serious diseases makes life possible using marijuana daily, for my opinion a person

experiencing a serious illness should be able to choice a medicine that will relieve their

pain and suffering.

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Background of the study

Marijuana is one of the main problems in the Philippines, because many people

enduring to take marijuana and that can cause addiction to them. The main idea I choose

this topic “Marijuana” is to share the knowledge that I been learned about Marijuana, and

to encourage the out of school youth and older people to overcome their addiction in

Marijuana by the way of educating them.

In 1997, a hemp rope dating back to 26,900 BC was found in Czechoslovakia,

making it the oldest known object to be associated with cannabis. Since that time, hemp

has played an important role in humanity’s development. For thousands of years

marijuana was not only legal, but an important crop among cultures throughout history,

and held commercial, medicinal, and spiritual value.

The cultivation of cannabis, commonly known as marijuana, can be traced back at

least 12,000 years, which places the plant among humanity's oldest cultivated crops.

Cannabis plants are believed to have evolved in Central Asia in the regions of Mongolia

and southern Siberia. The earliest cultural evidence of Cannabis comes from the oldest

known Neolithic culture in China, the Yangshao, who appeared along the Yellow River

valley. From 5,000 to 3,000 B.C the economy of the Yangshao was cannabis-driven.

Archaeological evidence shows they wore hemp clothing, wove hemp, and produced

hemp pottery.

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 The first recorded use of marijuana as a medicinal drug occurred in 2737 BC by

the Chinese emperor ShenNung. He documented the drug’s effectiveness in treating the

pains of rheumatism and gout. Both hemp and psychoactive marijuana were widely used

in ancient China. The ancient Chinese used virtually every part of the Cannabis plant: the

root for medicine; the stem for textiles, rope and paper making; the leaves and flowers for

intoxication and medicine; and the seeds for food and oil. Cannabis seeds were also one

of the grains of early China and ancient tombs of China had sacrificial vessels filled with

hemp for the afterlife.

The first medical journals in China were made of hemp and eventually it came to

replace papyrus as the source of paper that eventually fostered the spread of written

knowledge. It was used to record the deeds of history, eventually replacing clay tablets

and expensive silk to be read by everyone. From China, coastal farmers took marijuana to

Korea around 2000 B.C. or earlier. It reached India between 2000 B.C. and 1000 B.C.,

when the region was invaded by the Aryans, a group that spoke an archaic Indo-European

language. They called cannabis “bhang.” In India, the Aryan religion grew through oral

tradition and was recorded in the four Vedas, or books of knowledge compiled between

1400 and 1000 B.C. They worshipped the spirits of plants and animals, and marijuana

played an active role in their rituals. Like the Chinese, the people of India have a long

history of using hemp in their clothing and medicine.

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 Cannabis used in ancient Egypt has been recorded as far back as 2,000 B.C.,

found on scrolls depicting medicinal plants. It was first documented in Kemet (ancient

Egypt) to treat sore eyes and cataracts. According to DiodorusSiculus, a Sicilian Greek

historian, Egyptian women used cannabis as a medication to relieve sorrow and bad

humor.

TREATMENT FOR MARIJUANA ADDICTION

Marijuana may be difficult to quit without professional help. Marijuana users may

be reluctant to seek treatment, especially if they do not view the drug as addictive or do

not want to be labeled a drug addict. However, treatment is non-judgmental, can ease the

transition into recovery, and provide support, education, and therapy that can help a

marijuana addict maintain sobriety.There are various treatment options available for an

individual with a marijuana use disorder.

Adults who seek treatment for addiction to marijuana have often used the drug

daily for an extended period of time, and have attempted to quit on their own multiple

times. Many individuals also suffer from other addictions or mental health disorders that

will need to be treated concurrently. This can be accomplished in an inpatient or

outpatient setting, or in private therapy.

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INPATIENT OR OUTPATIENT TREATMENT

Inpatient treatment involves a stay in a hospital or residential-type setting for 28

to 90 days (or longer, if necessary), where patients will receive group and individual

counseling, education, and in many cases, exposure to self-help meetings to enhance the

treatment experience.

Outpatient treatment is less restrictive, and patients attend group and individual

counseling several times a week and are free to attend school, work, and tend to

household duties while still receiving treatment.

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Supporting Evidence # 1

Marijuana in America

In 1545 the Spanish brought marijuana to the New World. The English introduced

it in Jamestown in 1611 where it became a major commercial crop alongside tobacco and

was grown as a source of fiber. By 1890, hemp had been replaced by cotton as a major

cash crop in southern states. Some patent medicines during this era contained marijuana,

but it was a small percentage compared to the number containing opium or cocaine. It

was in the 1920’s that marijuana began to catch on. Some historians say its emergence

was brought about by prohibition. Its recreational use was restricted to jazz musicians and

people in show business. “Reefer songs” became the rage of the jazz world.

Marijuana clubs, called tea pads, sprang up in every major city. These marijuana

establishments were tolerated by the authorities because marijuana was not illegal and

patrons showed no evidence of making a nuisance of themselves or disturbing the

community.

Marijuana was not considered a social threat, but Marijuana was listed in the

United States Pharmacopeia from 1850 until 1942 and was prescribed for various

conditions including labor pains, nausea, and rheumatism. Its use as an intoxicant was

also commonplace from the 1850s to the 1930s.

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Spiritual Uses

Cannabis has held sacred status in several religions. It has been used in

an entheogenic context a chemical substance used in a religious, shamanic,

or spiritual context in India and Nepal since the Vedic period dating back to

approximately 1500 BCE, but perhaps as far back as 2000 BCE. There are several

references in Greek mythology to a powerful drug that eliminated anguish and sorrow.

Herodotus wrote about early ceremonial practices by the Scythians, thought to

have occurred from the 5th to 2nd century BCE. In modern culture the spiritual use of

cannabis has been spread by the disciples of the Rastafari movement who use cannabis

as a sacrament and as an aid to meditation. The earliest known reports regarding the

sacred status of cannabis in India and Nepal come from the Atharva Veda estimated to

have been written sometime around 2000–1400 BCE.

Medical Uses

Medical cannabis, or medical marijuana, can refer to the use of cannabis and

its cannabinoids to treat disease or improve symptoms; however, there is no single

agreed-upon definition. The rigorous scientific study of cannabis as a medicine has been

hampered by production restrictions and other federal regulations. There is limited

evidence suggesting cannabis can be used to reduce nausea and

vomiting during chemotherapy, to improve appetite in people with HIV/AIDS, and to

treat chronic pain and muscle spasms. Its use for other medical applications is

insufficient for conclusions about safety or efficacy.

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Recreational Uses

Cannabis has psychoactive and physiological effects when consumed. The

immediate desired effects from consuming cannabis include relaxation and euphoria (the

"high" or "stoned" feeling), a general alteration of conscious perception, increased

awareness of sensation, increased libido and distortions in the perception of time and

space. At higher doses, effects can include altered body image, auditory and/or

visual illusions.

Group therapy can provide a strong basis for peer support and is an extremely

effective treatment technique. Private therapy with a therapist or psychologist is also

helpful, especially for mild addictions.

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Supporting Evidence # 2

Short-Term Effects

When a person smokes marijuana, THC quickly passes from the lungs into the

bloodstream. The blood carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the

body. The body absorbs THC more slowly when the person eats or drinks it. In that case,

they generally feel the effects after 30 minutes to 1 hour.THC acts on specific brain cell

receptors that ordinarily react to natural THC-like chemicals. These natural chemicals

play a role in normal brain development and function.

Marijuana over activates parts of the brain that contain the highest number of

these receptors. This causes the "high" that people feel. Other effects include:

 altered senses (for example, seeing brighter colors)

 altered sense of time

 changes in mood

 impaired body movement

 difficulty with thinking and problem-solving

 impaired memory

 hallucinations (when taken in high doses)

 delusions (when taken in high doses)

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Long-Term Effects

Marijuana also affects brain development. When people begin using marijuana as

teenagers, the drug may impair thinking, memory, and learning functions and affect how

the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for these functions. Researchers

are still studying how long marijuana's effects last and whether some changes may be

permanent.

For example, a study from New Zealand conducted in part by researchers at Duke

University showed that people who started smoking marijuana heavily in their teens and

had an ongoing marijuana use disorder lost an average of 8 IQ points between ages 13

and 38. The lost mental abilities didn't fully return in those who quit marijuana as adults.

Those who started smoking marijuana as adults didn't show notable IQ declines.

Cannabis in the Philippines

The cultivation and use of cannabis in the Philippines is illegal under Republic

Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. As the Philippines is a

signatory to the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, Cannabis

is classified as a Schedule I drug, which limits its use to medical and scientific purposes.

Marijuana is the second most used drug in the Philippines,

after shabu (methamphetamine), and most cultivation in the country is for local

consumption. Cannabis is cultivated mostly in the remote, mountainous regions

of Luzon and Mindanao.

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 Cannabis has been illegal in the Philippines since 1972 by virtue of Republic Act

No. 6425, or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 1972. RA6425 classified marijuana as a

prohibited drug, and detailed out punishments for the importation, sale, manufacture,

cultivation, possession, and use of the drug, as well as possession of any drug-related

paraphernalia. RA6425 also created the Dangerous Drugs Board, giving it jurisdiction

over drug-related cases. In 2002, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 was

signed, repealing RA6425. RA9165 also enabled the creation of the Philippine Drug

Enforcement Agency, which handles the implementation and enforcement of policies

and strategies made by the Dangerous Drugs Board.

Under the current law, the importation, sale, maintenance of a den, manufacture,

use, and cultivation of marijuana and marijuana-related products shall be met with life

imprisonment and a fine ranging from 50 to 100.

In 2015, the Dangerous Drugs Board estimated, based on admission data in drug

rehabilitation centers that around 25% of center clients use marijuana. Arrests for

marijuana have been steady in recent years. In 2016, the PDEA eradicated a total of 337

marijuana sites. In the first seven months of 2015, PDEA reported conducting 22

successful cannabis eradication operations, resulting in the destruction of 117 growing

sites and the seizure of cannabis valued at approximately 3.5 million USD. That same

year PDEA eradicated a total of 286 marijuana sites. In 2014, the PDEA reported that

8.9% of all drug seizures they made that year involved marijuana, and that they

eradicated a total of 506 growing sites, the largest in recent years.

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Supporting Evidence # 3

Cultivation of Marijuana

It is often claimed by growers and breeders of herbal cannabis that advances in

breeding and cultivation techniques have increased the potency of cannabis since the late

1960s and early '70s when THC was first discovered and understood. However, potent

seedless cannabis such as "Thai sticks" was already available at that

time. Sinsemilla (Spanish for "without seed") is the dried, seedless inflorescences of

female cannabis plants.

Because THC production drops off once pollination occurs, the male plants

(which produce little THC themselves) are eliminated before they shed pollen to prevent

pollination. Advanced cultivation techniques such as hydroponics, cloning, high-

intensity artificial lighting, and the sea of green method are frequently employed as a

response (in part) to prohibition enforcement efforts that make outdoor cultivation more

risky. It is often cited that the average levels of THC in cannabis sold in the United States

rose dramatically between the 1970s and 2000, but such statements are likely skewed

because undue weight is given to much more expensive and potent, but less prevalent

samples.

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Reform

Pro-medical marijuana NGO called the Philippine Organization for the Reform

of Marijuana Laws (PORMAL) seeks to challenge the law in order to legalize its use;

however there is opposition from both the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and

senators like Vicente Sotto III. The PDEA claims that marijuana is a gateway drug that

can lead to the abuse of harder substances. Senator Sotto has asked PORMAL to submit

empirical evidence on the benefits of marijuana use.

Medical Marijuana

The law recognizes the medical uses of marijuana on May 26,

2014, Isabela representative Rodolfo Albano III introduced House Bill No. 4477, known

as the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act to the 16th Congress of the

Philippines, which would legalize the use of medical marijuana. The Inquirer describes

this bill as a "hotly-debated topic." This bill was filed in the Philippine Congress to

legalize the use of medical marijuana in 2014. One of the bill's co-authors, Leah Paquiz,

said "We are at this stage, we have Filipinos who need care, and we should give them

compassionate care - this medical cannabis. There are a lot of medicines, but they are

expensive." The bill was, however, ultimately not passed during the 16th Congress.

Albano has filed the bill during the 17th Congress of the Philippines. The bill is

currently under referendum as House Bill 180.

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 President Rodrigo Duterte stated during his campaign that he was supportive of

medical marijuana. Duterte stated: "Medical marijuana, yes, because it is an ingredient of

modern medicine now. There are medicines now being developed or already in the

market that contains marijuana as a component but used for medical purposes."

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter represents the interpretation of information that we gathered. For the

clearer presentation, appropriate tables were used. All findings and information gathered

from the survey that we conducted are presented and analyzed based on the specific

questions and previously stated.

The presentation considers the variables included in the study namely: (1) Age

they often to use Marijuana. (2)They use marijuana for medical uses. (3) The knowledge

of the respondents in going to stop using marijuana. (4) Managing the current situation.

(5) Continue using marijuana.

Table I

Age they often to use Marijuana

Age bracket Frequency Percentage

10 and below 0 0%

11-15 12 60 %

16-19 8 40 %

Total 20 100 %

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 According to the Table I, out of 20 respondents, there are 0 or 0% respondents

who age from 10 years old and below often to use marijuana. There are 12 or 60%

respondents who age from 11-15 years old often to use marijuana, and there are 8 or 40%

respondents aging from 16-19.

This show that the majority of the respondents age from 11-15 years old often to

use marijuana. The tabulation shows that the majority of the respondents are from 11-15

years old.

Table II

They use marijuana for medical uses

They use marijuana Total Score Percentage

for medical uses

Fine 3 15 %

Good 13 65%

Not Well 4 20 %

Bad 0 0%

Total 20 100 %

As shown in the Table II, there are 20 respondents all-in-all, about the use of

marijuana for medical uses. There are 3 or 15% respondents who are fine; there are 0 or

0% bad and 4 or 20% not well. And 13 or 65% good, the tabulation shows that the

majority of the respondents are in a good condition.

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 Table III

The knowledge of the respondents in going to stop using marijuana

The knowledge of Total score Percentage

the respondents in going to

stop using marijuana

Yes 20 100 %

No 0 0%

Total 20 100%

As shown in the Table III, there are 20 respondents all-in-all, about the

knowledge of the respondents in going to stop using marijuana. Only 20 or 100%

respondents planned to stop using marijuana and there are 0 or 0% had no plan to stop

using marijuana. This shows that the majority of the respondents want to stop using

marijuana.

Table IV

Managing the current situation

Can they manage Total score Percentage

their current situation

Yes 18 90 %

No 2 10%

Total 20 100 %

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 According to the Table IV, out of 20 respondents, there are 2 or 10% respondents

can’t manage their current situation. And 18 or 90% can manage their situation. This

shows that the majority of the respondents said yes that they could manage their current

situation.

Table V

Continue using marijuana

Continue using Total score Percentage

marijuana.

Yes 2 10 %

No 18 90%

Total 20 100 %

As shown in the Table V, there are 20 respondents all-in-all, about the

respondent’s plan to continue using marijuana. And 18 or 90% can’t continue using

marijuana, because they want to change their lives. And 2or 10% of the respondents will

continue using marijuana. This shows that the majority of the respondents will stop to use

marijuana.

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COUNTERARGUMENT

Think of the hopeful possibilities, the ways by which medical marijuana may ease

a patient’s, and consequently a family’s, suffering, and enhance palliative care for end-

stage illnesses. Physicians, nurses and caregivers have been pushing marijuana or

cannabis as a medical recourse to mitigate pain in many patients afflicted with grave

illnesses and medical conditions. While further intensive research is still needed, there is

much anecdotal evidence to back marijuana’s palliative qualities. It has been touted

worldwide as a compassionate aid for the terminally ill and the elderly.

The poverty in the Philippines is at its worst because of the corruption in the government

and the other factor is our own people. Marijuana is an addicting drug and is expensive

here in the Philippines. In my experience or what I see, some people who tried it that are

considered poor here, are selling all they have just to get an ounce of marijuana the

tendency is marijuana will cost more poverty here in the Philippines instead of making a

profit.

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SUM UP CONCLUSION

Summary

This research aims to share the knowledge on how marijuana can help the people

of the Philippines. Specifically, the sought answers about their current situation of the

people that I beenask they answer the questions base on their experiences. Age them

often to use Marijuana, they use marijuana for medical uses, the knowledge of the

respondents in going to stop using marijuana, managing the current situation, continue

using marijuana. It will also probably make their life more vulnerable. Nowadays even

the teen try to use marijuana to forget their problems in their life, but in some cases they

used also marijuana to treat their illness. Almost every year there is a rapid increase on

the number of addiction in the Philippines, one of the major causes of this problem is that

most of the youths nowadays grew up in broken homes.

Although there is no conclusive evidence that marijuana makes user’s depressed

symptoms in subjects with a special serotonin gene responsible for increased risk of

depression. Marijuana users who have taken large doses of the drug may experience acute

psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and a loss of the sense of personal

identity. One chemical found in marijuana, called cannabidiol, prevents cancer from

spreading these will help the poor people of the Philippines who can’t afford to buy

medicines to treat their cancer, and these will improve our society.

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SO WHAT CONCLUSION

Therefore that Marijuana can be used as a medicine to treat illness, but some of

the teens and adults often to use Marijuana to relieve their problems in their life.

Recreational drugs have always been a part of human culture since early Homo sapiens

found themselves in a better place after chewing on a strange root or flower, the desire to

escape and expand will always prevail in the human life we have proven time and again

that when this freedom to use recreational drugs are taken away from us, we will do

whatever it takes to seek it out, including breaking the law.

The government must take the responsibility to help teenage student by guiding

them, to follow the right way and avoiding the bad habits in our society. Every man and

woman has the right to decide what he/she will take on his life. Just be sure that they can

stand all the consequences in their every action. You should have the knowledge about

this and be aware that it has dangerous effects on your life.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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8, 2016. Accessed January 18, 2017.

2. Geoffrey William Guy; Brian Anthony Whittle; Philip Robson (2004). The

Medicinal Uses of Cannabis and Cannabinoids. Pharmaceutical Press.

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Addiction and Deaths Related to Pain Killers?RAND Corporation;

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from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables.

SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-DetTabs-

2015/NSDUH-DetTabs-2015/NSDUH-DetTabs-2015.pdf.

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GALLERY

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