beyond-media

[beyond-media]

Marijuana, a drug also known as Cannabis, weed, pot, and dope, is recognized as the most abused drug in the world. Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. 

There are over more than 500 chemicals in marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinol, known as THC, is responsible for many of the drug’s psychotropic effects and the amount of THC in marijuana has increased over the past few decades. It is the main active chemical in marijuana and is the psychoactive ingredient. The highest concentrations of THC are found in the dried flowers, or buds. When marijuana smoke is inhaled, THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream and is carried to the brain and other organs throughout the body.  THC from the marijuana acts on specific receptors in the brain, called cannabinoid receptors, starting off a chain of cellular reactions that finally lead to the euphoria, or “high” that users experience.

Smoking extracts and resins from the marijuana plant with high levels  of THC is on the rise. There are several forms of these extracts, such as hash oil, budder, wax, and shatter. These resins have 3 to 5 times more THC than the plant itself.  People intake marijuana in various of ways. People use joints, bongs, blunts, vaporizers, and even edibles. They’d brew marijuana with tea and go as far as putting marijuana in food that we normally eat in our day to day lives like brownies and rice.

The often misconception about Marijuana is that it only brings bad use and that it only has bad effects but in reality, marijuana can be used for many purposes and can also be helpful to individuals. Marijuana is used for recreational, medical, and religious practices.

in terms of medical use, marijuana can be helpful in many ways. Smoking marijuana seems to reduce the pressure inside the eye of people with glaucoma. It also seems to stimulate the appetite of people with AIDS which helps with the weight loos of HIV or AIDS diagnosed patients. When marijuana is smoked or used as a mouth spray, it also seems to be an effective treatment of muscle tightness and shakiness in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Marijuana can also serve as a pain reliever because research shows that smoking marijuana by mouth can decrease pain in people experiencing long-term pain.

However, marijuana also has its own set of short-term and long-term effects just like any drug. Some of the short-term effects of marijuana are the following: short-term memory problems,

severe anxiety, paranoia, psychosis, panic. hallucinations, and loss of sense of personal identity and some of the long-term effects of marijuana are the following: decline in IQ (up to 8 points if prolonged use started in adolescent age), poor school performance and having higher chance of dropping out, impaired thinking and ability to learn, having lower life satisfaction, and addiction.

These short-term and long-term effects happen because the chemicals in marijuana affects the brain development of an individual thus making that person suffer through mental problems and memory loss. It can even go as far as their brain decaying because remember the brain remains in a state of active, experience-guided development from the prenatal period through childhood and adolescence until the age of approximately 21 years. During these developmental periods, it is intrinsically more vulnerable than a mature brain to the adverse long-term effects of environmental insults, such as exposure to tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the primary active ingredient in marijuana. This view has received considerable support from studies in animals, which have shown, for example, that prenatal or adolescent exposure to THC can recalibrate the sensitivity of the reward system to other drugs and that prenatal exposure interferes with cytoskeletal dynamics, which are critical for the establishment of axonal connections between neurons.

Even though marijuana has a lot of side effects, people still use it because of its relation to mental illness. Regular marijuana use is associated with an increased risk of anxiety and depression, but causality has not been established. Marijuana is also linked with psychoses (including those associated with schizophrenia), especially among people with a preexisting genetic vulnerability, and exacerbates the course of illness in patients with schizophrenia. Heavier marijuana use, greater drug potency, and exposure at a younger age can all negatively affect the disease trajectory.

Despite some contentious discussions regarding the addictiveness of marijuana, the evidence clearly indicates that long-term marijuana use can lead to addiction. Indeed, approximately 9% of those who experiment with marijuana will become. The number goes up to about 1 in 6 among those who start using marijuana as teenagers and to 25 to 50% among those who smoke marijuana daily. According to the 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, an estimated 2.7 million people from 12 years of age and older met the DSM-IV criteria for dependence on marijuana, and 5.1 million people met the criteria for dependence on any illicit drug.

There is nothing really wrong with marijuana. It is a drug that can actually be beneficial for mankind. We just need to make sure that its use is not abused because that is the time that marijuana becomes harmful. Marijuana is good as long as it is not abused.

Here is the link to my second video: https://vimeo.com/310145990

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Evaluation:

I was able to observe a lot of changes that happened when I used a different kind of medium to present my research in terms of the amount of audience that I was able to reach, how I was able to maintain the attention of my audience and the approach that I made during the process of making the two presentations. 

When I was using Microsoft Powerpoint as my medium of presentation, the audience that my research was able to reach was just limited because my presence was needed in order for me to explain and make my audience fully understand the main key points of my research. Not like when I used videos as my medium for the presentation of my research, my presence wasn’t needed at all so I was able to reach greater and bigger audiences by disseminating the video through social media. I didn’t have to use my voice anymore because the explanation of my research and everything that the audience needs to know is already in the video. 

My presentation became more interactive and more engaging when I changed my medium of presentation to videos. I was able to gain the attention of my audience more because people usually find powerpoint presentations boring compared to video presentations. My presentation also became more creative and unique because using powerpoints to present research is very common nowadays unlike videos wherein you can make a lot of animations and visual effects to make your presentation eye-catching, special, and extraordinary. Through video presentations, my research had a greater impact because it catered to both the my audience’s brains’ visual and auditory systems. Overall, the change of format made my presentation better.

[beyond-media]

Note to the Youth

     Dr. Jose Rizal once said that the youth is the hope of our nation.

     In status quo, we live in society that is full of chaos and clamor. We live in a nation wherein the voices of a lot of people are silenced and various minority groups are oppressed. Our country is currently facing a lot of societal issues like the high inflation rate, the corrupt officials of our government and the different violations of human rights and in situations like this, it is important that the youth realizes the important role that they play in today’s society. It is important that the youth properly utilize the power that they have to contribute a positive impact to society.

     To my fellow members of the youth, we must work together towards building a collective community and a united nation that will prosper in the future. We must realize that we are the social actors for progress and plays a crucial part on building our nation. We must never forget that we are the backbone of our nation. We are the group of people who’ll be the leaders of our nation in the future. The success and prosperity of our society is dependent on our actions and the future of our nation is in our hands.

     For that very reason, I’d like to challenge all of you to open your eyes. I challenge you to serve as catalysts for change and be keen in observing the problems of our society. We need to utilize our voices in order for us to make changes that will translate positively to society. As early as now, we must learn how to stand up and fight for what is right, speak up for the those whose voice are not heard and work for the betterment of not just our nation but also for the betterment of mankind. Remember, we are not just the hope of tomorrow, we are also the partners of today.