Is countries attitude changing towards Marijuana?

NP NEWS 24 ONLINE: Marijuana has been used over thousand years but consuming it considered as an offence. There are more than dozens of countries which have relaxed the use of marijuana or other drugs and a number of countries could consider legalizing it in near future.

Recently after Canada legalized the consumption of marijuana, it sparked a movement for other countries to also consider legalizing the consumption.

So, what is Marijuana?

It is a psychoactive drug from the Cannabis plant used for medical or recreational purposes. The main psychoactive part of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol, one of 483 known compounds in the plant, including at least 65 other cannabinoids.

Then why is it illegal?

Every country has their reasons of banning marijuana. The US has been campaigning for a global law against all drugs, both hard and soft. Given that ganja, charas and bhang were a way of life in India, officials opposed the drastic measure. But by the early ’80s, American society was grappling with some drug problems and opinion had grown against the “excesses” of the hippie generation.

However, according to the scientific evidence suggests cannabis is safer than alcohol. Alcohol kills 40,000 people every year in the U.S. Cannabis kills nobody.

Where is it legal?

In started in 2013 when Uruguay legalised the consumption of cannabis where people have to officially register with the government before they buy, sell or grow them. In 2017, pharmacies in Uruguay started providing cannabis oil. In 2018, Canada became the second industrial country to legalised marijuana. Other states like Costa Rica, Jamaica, Argentina, Colorado, Cambodia, North Korea, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and much more places provide medical marijuana.

Other places expected to legalise…

Despite being banned, marijuana is part of Indian culture of a ritualistic intoxicant or in the form of hemp. In India, Uttarakhand is the state which legalised marijuana long time back and now Himachal Pradesh can be the next state to legalize the cultivation of marijuana.

Former President Vicente Fox of Mexico, who is part of the global campaign to legalize marijuana, earlier this year joined the board of directors of venerable cannabis publication High Times to advance his agenda.

In the Netherlands, to stop people from consuming hard drugs, pot was legalised in coffee shops which worked as an attraction especially in Amsterdam. but now the new Dutch government has committed to a trial program in which it will license a producer to provide marijuana in six to 10 cities.

The New Zealand government announced late last year that medical marijuana would be allowed, and the country is due to hold a national referendum by 2020 on whether to legalize and regulate adult use of marijuana.

Few days earlier, South Africa have legalised the consumption of marijuana for adults and are allowed to grow and use in private places.

We often come across videos on social media where we seen medical marijuana is provided to heal some problems. But what does it work on?

According to the National Institutes of Health, people have used marijuana, or cannabis, to treat their ailments for at least 3,000 years. Marijuana reduces chronic pains, Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, social anxiety, Multiple sclerosis, Epilepsy, Alzheimer, Parkinson, Arthurites and Autism if consumed in a limit.

Like everything has pros and cons, Marijuana also has a darker side. Mental health problems, Testicular cancer and Respiratory disease if consumed excessively.

In an era of scams and conspiracies, nobody is sure of what to believe. Good is subjective and people voice their opinions on every possible thing.