Is marijuana really good for you?

If you're reading this expecting to find the answer to the million dollar question as to whether or not marijuana is good or bad, you might as well turn the page and read the Sports section. This article will present facts, plain and simple. The truth is that there is no real answer yet to the burning question; not enough research has been done.

Marijuana actually contains at least 65 psychoactive chemicals, including delta-nine tetra-hydrocannabinol (THC). It is believed that the drug (grown as a plant) has been around in one form or another for approximately 4,700 years. Over the years many societies (including our own) have pondered the use of pot for medical applications.

In the United States pot wasn't actually outlawed until 1937. In 1970 the Federal Government passed the Controlled Substance Act, which classified marijuana as Schedule I, a drug that has no medical application. Since that time numerous research studies have been conducted on marijuana.

Currently pot-related research must be approved by the Food and Drug Administration and the Drug Enforcement Agency, but the marijuana must then be obtained for the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

So now the juicy facts:

Can pot kill you? If you mean will it directly kill you, then not really. Indirectly, however, (e.g. by impairing your driving and thereby leading to accidents) poses a different question.

Can one develop an addiction to marijuana? Yes. Research has shown that heavy pot smokers who quit can experience withdrawal systems. Nonetheless, according to research quoted in a recent article by Time magazine, one's chance of becoming addicted is relatively low.

"Just 9 percent of those who have used the drug develop dependence. By comparison, 15 percent of drinkers ... 23 percent of heroin users get hooked, and a third of tobacco smokers," the magazine published.

Will marijuana increase your chances of getting sick? The answer here is unclear. Studies have shown that THC can inhibit one's ability to produce immune-stimulating substances, while studies in HIV patients have shown that those who smoked pot had a greater increase in lymphocytes, the cells which combat disease. Research evaluating THC and cancer has found that THC both promotes tumors by contributing to the number of free radicals present, but also fights tumors by aiding in cell death.

Does pot help with pain? The obvious answer would be yes. All the same, the real answer is that no one can not be sure yet. Once again, because of tight governmental regulation, there are hindrances to the performance of adequate research.

And now the verdict...

I promised no answers at the beginning of the article, however in any situation in which facts are presented, inferences can be made. While pot smokers will obviously take a pro-pot standpoint, and anti-drug activists will take the opposing view there seems to be no clear winner.

In America one must not overlook the fact that whatever the truth about pot may be, it is a drug (comparable to alcohol in many ways) and it is illegal.

The fact that your risk of becoming addicted to heroin is not even three times that of becoming addicted to pot seems particularly disturbing, while the evidence against the negative effects of heroin addiction is indisputable. But it is your own life, after all, and so long as you're making an informed decision, then you are in control of your own future.