Issue 1: Allora Vs. Eddie
Topic: Drugs
*Disclaimer* Allora Vs. is a series focused on my own opinions and the opinions of those I interview. I am in no way advocating for or against any of the topics discussed… most of the time. These are simply opinion-based discussions about controversial and/or comedic topics in society.
Marijuana use is one of the most controversial topics in contemporary society due to its popularity as a medicinal and recreational drug. Drug basics. Most people have very strong opinions about its effects, its legalization, and those who use it. But what many fail to do is research cannabis and its uses throughout history. So let’s quickly go through a Cannabis Crash Course to put things into perspective before we crack on with the fun part.
Cannabis has been growing throughout Central Asia since approximately 500 BC before it was eventually introduced to Africa, Europe, and the Americas. Hemp plants served many practical functions, from using its fibers to make clothing and sails to being cultivated for its seeds as a source of nutrition. The THC levels, or tetrahydrocannabinol levels, found in these older hemp plants were much lower and therefore did not affect the human brain in such ways as it does now.
Medical marijuana is the brainchild of an Irish doctor by the name of Sir William Brooke O’Shaughnessy (and other non-white naturalists who I assume discovered its pain relieving properties long before white men ever did…) to help relieve stomach pain and symptoms of Cholera. It was introduced into pharmaceutical programs by the late 1800s- and is still disputed today.
Recreational use rose from the age of discovery, as people from ancient Greece, the Middle East, and parts of Asia found that inhaling smoke from burning cannabis gave them a “high.” Scientists later found that THC was a psychoactive compound that could alter functions of the brain, much like opioids, a class of drugs that includes heroin, fentanyl, and oxycodone. Thus, the controversy was born.
I interviewed one of my good friends, Eddie, who has very different opinions about marijuana use than I do, as someone with a medical marijuana prescription. I figured it would be interesting to get some insight from a non-smoker who enjoys science more than most.
I asked him a series of questions, to which he responded willingly and without judgment.
Q: What is your basic opinion on marijuana use?
A: I think it should be treated like drinking is. It’s fine if you use it responsibly and in moderation.
A very respectful and fair answer. The interview was off to a good start.
Q: Do you think cannabis should be legalized recreationally? Why or why not?
A: Yeah. I think we should legalize it because people are going to use it either way. With it legalized it can be regulated, taxed, and the product is safer than buying it from a dealer.
Hmm. I didn’t like the tax part, but everything else felt strikingly familiar. It was almost as if I’d used that exact same argument before with my mom.
Q: Do you think medical marijuana is a useful tool? If no, why are man-made chemical pharmaceuticals a better alternative?
A: I think there are some useful compounds that have benefits, but I don’t think smoking straight marijuana is cost-effective. Maybe extracting some of the compounds like CBD, which they do offer, is a better alternative… I think it’s called CBD. You’ll have to check me on that.
Spoken like a true science nerd, but amazingly, I didn’t disagree. Weed is expensive, and there most certainly are useful CBD products. Eddie and I were not diverging as much as I thought we would.
Q: What do you think the worst effects of marijuana use are?
A: Short term? Impaired judgment. Long term? Decrease in motivation, white matter on the brain, and memory loss. I’m 95% sure there are studies that suggest THC decreases brain functionality in rats. Also inhaling anything is not the best for your lungs.
Well, you got that right. Smoking anything is never beneficial for lungs… And in case you’re wondering, white matter on the brain, aka white matter disease, aka leukoaraiosis, is a disease that affects the nerves that link various parts of the brain to each other and to the spinal cord (Healthline). It causes white matter areas to decline in functionality. YIKES!
Q: If you struggled with chronic pain/major mental illness like anxiety, would marijuana be an option for you?
A: Again, I think that the beneficial compounds like CBD should be offered instead of just smoking. But I mean if you have stage four cancer and only have a few months left, then I think you have every right to smoke as much as you want to since it does help with pain relief. For minor headaches or pain like that though, Advil or CBD. There is no reason to smoke weed.
I mean, there are definitely reasons, but his answer did make sense. In fact, everything he said made sense to me. Interesting.
Q: Have you heard horror stories about marijuana that freaked you out enough to avoid it?
A: (bear with me, and keep reading for an explanation) Yes, I have. Do you remember the first “I Hate Eddie Knab” party and how there was someone that Evan’s mom knew who smoked weed with rat poison in it and died? Just stuff like that, which is why regulating it would be a safer alternative. Also just people getting really cross-faded or getting addicted to it/ forming a high dependency on it.
Where to start? First, the “I Hate Eddie Knab” party is an annual shindig that my friends and I throw for our dear friend Eddie to make up for all of the banter and jokes we make at his expense. At our first-ever “I Hate Eddie Knab” party, our other friend told us a story about someone his family knew who died from smoking poisoned marijuana. In reference to the dependency comment, I had a few doubts but came to the conclusion that cannabis can be an addictive drug when used irresponsibly. I had also been fearing marijuana laced with fentanyl since the outbreak of such cases in my hometown over the summer. So I couldn’t really argue with him there.
Q: What are your biggest fears surrounding marijuana? Why are you so against it?
A: Like I said before, I’m not really against people using it. I just think they need to treat it like alcohol. I also think people need to take it more seriously and stop saying it isn’t dangerous because it can be if not used properly. Also, people need to stop saying it cures cancer because it drives me up a f***ing wall…
Okay, Eddie. I did not expect this interview to go over so well. I was thinking (and maybe hoping) there would be some arguments thrown in here or there, but I agreed with most of these answers. Shocking. Though I haven’t looked into the cannabis-cancer research topic too much, so I couldn’t really try to defend the opposing view.
I wanted to aggressively defend my opinions about marijuana and its helpful uses, but Eddie, someone who actively avoids marijuana use did not really say anything I wouldn’t say. I definitely learned a thing or two from our discussion and realized that maybe those who use marijuana and those who don’t have more in common than I thought. Maybe it’s time to stop fighting, put our differences aside, and come up with a fair and appropriate plan of action to safely and responsibly use this particular drug.
