Africa - Experts Warn on excessive marijuana use

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Experts Warn on excessive marijuana use


Marijuana has been illegal in many countries over the years. One of the outstanding reasons is that it damages the brain.
However, some have their own understanding as far as cannabis is concerned. Most tend to gainsay the idea that one’s brain may be detrimentally affected after consuming marijuana. One such is Ras Jacob.
Ras Jacob, 25, has a different opinion as to how most people perceive cannabis effects. According to him, high grade (marijuana) is a spiritual thing and it should be handled with care. He further said cannabis is for the healing of the nation. In other words, it simply chases away corrupt and wicked people.
”If you take a puff, you meditate the Bible spiritually and all your ways become upright and righteous”, said Jacob.
Apart from spiritual reasons, Jacob says that one can simply distinguish cigarette from marijuana.
For cigarette, it is manufactured and thus many chemicals are added making it harmful to ones health. But for marijuana, it is a different case since it is natural and one can take it as it is without being processed in any way.
Ït is also good for mothers especially during labour pains and other complications after birth as it helps to ease the pain. Testifies Jacob. He boast that cannabis has medicinal values.
Dr George Onyango of Lucy Summer Medical Services vehemently disagrees with Ras Jacob´s sentiments, which insinuate medicinal values.
According to him, marijuana is a harmful drug and shouldn’t be used at any cost. Just like cocaine and heroine, Dr Onyango confesses that has the same effects. ¨It is narcotic drug that ammounts to death¨, says Dr Onyango.
The reasons why most people especially the youth finds it convenient, is when they have lots of impediments majorly unemployment. By using it, they believe most of their problems have been solved and that they can go ahead with their lives as normal.
Another stumbling block has been composure. Most youths share the same view that cannabis relaxes ones mind.
These are the kind of thoughts Dr Onyango rubbishes off saying the drug affects a person’s psychology making it difficult to establish the root cause of a people predicament.
He further unfold that serious cases like rapes, defilement, paedophilia and other profane thinking are as a result of using cannabis. Most people who use it in excess get off the track thus developing wicked ideologies like theft and committing murder.
Pundits in the field of medicine concur with Dr Onyango on dagers cannabis might expose one to. It becomes appropriate if one can shun the drug by all necessary means since its effects may regrettable at a later stage.
Most medical experts both in Government and Non-governmental institutions have been holding seminars, conferences and workshops as a yardstick to curb illegal drugs but the rate of control is still in other parts of the country with notorious being rural areas.
Worse still, National Agency on Campaign Against Drug Abuse (NACADA) efforts to sensitize drug abuse among the youths is nothing to smile about. For them to be successful, there is a daunting task in every corner of the country.
The Government needs to buck its ideas up so as to wholly address this menace of drug abuse among the youths and that said and done, people will see the need to change.


Jan 21, 2009
http://somalilandpress.com/1457/expe...e-of-marijuana