The Media and It’s Focus on Marijuana

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Recent studies have shown that cigarettes are more harmful then marijuana. Cigarettes contain nicotine, which make them addictive, and carcinogens which are not good for your lungs. Marijuana components include cannabin, resin, choline, and essential oils. The most active ingredient in marijuana is the THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol). This is the property that gives the feeling of euphoria. Even though marijuana contains carcinogens, that is only if smoked out of a blunt or cigarillo. If smoked properly, marijuana can be beneficial. One website claims that Marijuana can be the least harmful when vaporized. "Medical marijuana vaporizers can save you from harmful carcinogens entering your lungs & can represent a significant financial saving due to their inherent design efficiencies" (Marijuana vaporizer temperature Par. 5).

FOX news fails to see that the benefits from marijuana can far outweigh the cons, but they do recognize when smoked out of a blunt or joint, marijuana can be quite bad. FOX news try’s to compare smoking a joint to be the equivalent to smoking a whole 20 pack of cigarettes. In an article on the FOX news website, it said, "In the high-exposure group, lung cancer risk rose by 5.7 times for patients who smoked more than a joint a day for 10 years, or two joints a day for 5 years, after adjusting for other variables, including cigarette smoking. Cannabis smokers end up with five times more carbon monoxide in their bloodstream (than tobacco smokers)" (Smoking One Joint is Equivalent to 20 Cigarettes, Study Says Par. 5). This statement is completely dumbfounded. The article fails to provide any evidence that the statements are 100 percent accurate. Both sentences contain a fallacy (begging the question). If both statements contained evidence to back the claim then it would known that when marijuana is smoked out of a blunt or joint, it is bad for you. What about other ways to smoke; how bad are they when you smoke marijuana? That is a question that the article should have answered and supported, as well.

The media is critical about everything weather it be on TV, the radio, a newspaper, or in an online news article. The media has put a lot of negative focuses on medicinal marijuana and if it is ok to be used, which certain people the marijuana can be used, and how harmful the substance can be. Though, the some of the media fails to see that marijuana can be used as a remedy, certain people go trough so much pain that the marijuana is beneficial, and that it may not be the marijuana that is harmful, but the way people smoke it might. Marijuana has been around for decades, but only in today’s society do we face pressure coming down from the media along with the U.S. government to be influenced negatively about marijuana and it is the people in America that have the decision weather they are caring, uncaring, or neutral about the subject. Until Marijuana is completely legalized within the United States for recreational and medicinal uses, the media will always be scrutinizing pot, dope cannabis, hemp, Mary Jane or the appropriate term marijuana.

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Works Cited

“Drug.” Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, LLC. Web. July 12, 2010.

Harris, Gardiner. “Researchers Find Study of Medical Marijuana Discouraged.” The New York Times Company. January 18, 2010. Web. July 15, 2010.

“How does a vaporizer work?” marijuanavaporizer.com. marijuanavaporizer.com. Web. July 12, 2010

“In Pot We Trust.” Dailyscipt. 2007. Web. July 16. 2010.

“In Pot We Trust.” Dir. Star Price. Pro. Joshua E. Kessler. Star Price. Mark Wolper. Aaron Yampolski. Showtime Independent Films. 2007.

“Smoking One Joint is Equivalent to 20 Cigarettes, Study Says.” FOX News. FOX News Network, LLC. January 29, 2008. Web. July 10, 2010.