Originally written on: Tuesday, 24 November 2009 Last edited on: Thursday, 31 October 2019

Marijuana Detox Centers In the United States

Over the last two decades, the amount of active ingredients THC that is found on the marijuana plants has been doubled or tripled according to page 13 of the National Drug Control Strategy Annual Report of the year 2000, which states,

“Marijuana is much stronger now than it was decades ago. According to data from the Potency Monitoring Project at the University of Mississippi, the tetrahydrocannabinol THC content of commercial-grade marijuana rose from an average of 3.71 percent in 1985 to an average of 5.57 percent in 1998. The average THC content of U.S. produced sinsemilla increased from 3.2 percent in 1977 to 12.8 percent in 1997.” *

This would explain why there are more hospitalizations of people suffering from withdrawal symptoms after abruptly discontinuing using marijuana. The most common and most troublesome aspect of MJ withdrawal, is panic attacks, sleeplessness, coupled with paranoia and delusional thought. This can be very frightening and for this reason, detox is highly recommended for marijuana users who wish to successfully quit, without landing in the local mental hospital on ANTI- psychotic tooltip psychotic, or ANTI-ANXIETY MEDICATIONS unnecessarily, only because they did not put themselves through a healthy detox program.

Marijuana Laws in the United States

As of 2019, there are 11 states and Washington D.C. that have legalized the possession and personal use of marijuana for recreational purposes. At the federal level, the distribution, cultivation, and use of marijuana remain to be a federal offense. Recreational marijuana was approved through citizen initiatives in nine states. These states include Washington and Colorado in 2012, Oregon and Alaska in 2014, California, Nevada, Maine, and Massachusetts in 2016, and Michigan in 2018. Recreational marijuana use was also approved in the District of Columbia. Medical marijuana is legal in 33 states, and Washington D.C. and thirteen states had legalized the use of cannabis oil or cannabidiol.

Since the 1930s in the United States, the use, sale, and distribution of marijuana have been illegal. The Controlled Substances Act contains current federal laws. Marijuana is listed as a Schedule I controlled substance. This particular designation is for any drug that has a high potential for abuse and lacks any medical value, nor can it be safely prescribed. Americans who are growing, marketing, or distributing marijuana are likely violating federal laws, but much of this is a matter of enforcement and state laws. Penalties for violating the Controlled Substances Act are not only targeting growers and distributors but also possession with the intent to distribute is a misdemeanor resulting in jail time and a fine.

Is marijuana a gateway drug?

Despite the on going arguments, yes; a large number of former addicts have claimed that they started smoking marijuana before they started experimenting with other drugs. Each drug will give you a particular type of high, and unfortunately many drug users are always looking for a different high then what marijuana gave them.

METHODS OF DETOX

A gradual cutting down of the amount smoked has been reported to be one way safely to quit. Motivation is the key, and sometimes elusive to the regular smoker.

Going “cold turkey” has been tried successfully. However, reports are common for relapse due to the lingering withdrawals, such as fogginess, paranoia, forgetfulness, nervous hysteria and difficulty sleeping. Sometimes exercise and nutritional support can help along with peer support.

Because of the widely accepted fact, that THC is fat soluble, methods of eliminating the stored THC are at the moment becoming more common as a natural detox method and very effective at cleansing the tissues and fat stores of these residues. Once the residues are eliminated, the body reportedly regains its energy, clear headedness and clarity of thought returns, and vitality for life, and productivity also reportedly rebounds back to normal levels.

Whichever detox method is used, one should carefully research the results and consult with more than one source of information, as this is a decision that hopefully will change your life for the better. A drug detox program is the first step to full recovery, so it is very important to look at all options to make the most correct choice for you.

How long does marijuana stay in your system?

If marijuana is not smoked regularly, it can stay into the system for about 10 days and can be detected. However, for frequent users, it can stay into their system for as long as 90 days and can easily be detected.

Marijuana Treatment Centers In the United States

Marijuana is the most frequently abused illicit drug in the U.S. It is a dry, shredded green and brown mix of flowers, leaves, seeds, and stems derived from the hemp plant Cannabis sativa. The major active chemical is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol; commonly called THC.

The use of marijuana started centuries ago. In the early 1900s, there was a marked increase in marijuana use for recreational, spiritual, religious, and medicinal purposes. It is estimated that about four percent of the world population (162 million) use cannabis annually and 0.6 percent (22.5 million) daily. It does not include teenagers. The possession, use, or sale of cannabis became illegal in most parts of the world in the early 1900s.

WAYS OF USING MARIJUANA

Marijuana is normally smoked as a joint or in a pipe and often a water pipe. A water pipe means that the smoke goes through the water and is smoother for the throat so the abuser can take greater puffs. It can also be smoked in blunts. They take cigars and empty it of his tobacco and fill it with marijuana. Since the blunt has the tobacco leaf that wraps the cigar, it combines marijuana's active ingredients with nicotine and other harmful chemicals. Marijuana can also be mixed in food such as cookies, sauces, and butter or brewed as a tea. As a more concentrated, resinous form it is called hashish, and as a sticky black liquid, hash oil. Marijuana smoke has a pungent and distinctive, usually sweet-and-sour odor.

STATISTICS AND TRENDS

According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health by SAMHSA, one in five people aged 12 or older used an illicit drug in the past year. When compared to 2015 and 2016, this was a higher percentage of drug use in America. The use of marijuana was the primary driver for the increase in illicit drug use, with over 43 million marijuana users in the past year. The number of people who used marijuana in 2018 was higher than the percentages between 2002 and 2017. The increase in marijuana use is seen more with young adults aged 18 to 25 and adults aged 26 or older. The marijuana use among adolescents aged 12 to 17 did not increase between 2014 and 2018.

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, for the year of 2006, 14.8 million Americans age 12 or older have used marijuana at least one time 30 days prior to the survey, which is similar to the 2005 survey. About 6,000 individuals, a day in 2006 used marijuana for the first time, which translate to 2.2 million Americans for the year. Of these, 63.3 % were under 18 years old.

Marijuana use has been decreasing since late 1999. Since the beginning of the century, marijuana use decreased more than 20 percent among high-school students. Nevertheless, marijuana use is still at a high level, with more than 40 % of high school seniors who have used it at least once in their lifetimes.

MARIJUANA AND HEALTH

Heart: A study found that someone abusing marijuana is four times more at risk of heart attack in the first hour after smoking marijuana. Marijuana causes high blood pressure and increased heart rate, and it also reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood.

Lungs: Numerous studies have shown that marijuana smoke contains carcinogens and is very an irritant to the lungs. Marijuana smoke contains 50 to 70 % more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than regular tobacco smoke. Individuals who use marijuana normally inhale deeper and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers. It increases the lungs’ exposure to carcinogenic smoke.

Daily Life: Marijuana abusers are decreasing the quality of their everyday life. They also make their problem worst. Most marijuana users will take less responsibility in their lives in general.

OTHER FORMS

Hash: It is a concentrated resin composed of heated glandular trichromes that is extracted normally by rubbing, sifting, or with ice. It is smoked in a pipe or mixed with tobacco and rolled with cigarette's paper.

Hash Oil: Hash oil, or honey oil, is an essential oil extracted from the plant using various solvents. It has a high proportion of cannabinoids. It is used by rubbing it on cigarette papers.

This drug is where you found the most people addicted to marijuana.

IS MARIJUANA ADDICTIVE?

Marijuana is known to have caused "marijuana uses disorder" in many cases. This is a severe form of addiction that leads its user to keep using excess quantities in order to survive. According to recent data, about 30% people who use this drug are exposed to this disorder.

HOW TO DETOX FROM MARIJUANA

Most chronic marijuana users never stop using the drug completely, but some will go weeks or months without use, while others will rehabilitate completely. The withdrawals from marijuana are not necessarily dangerous, and it is primarily the agitation, anxiety, and depression that can last a few days after use has stopped. Regular consumption of water, vitamins and minerals will speed up the recovery.

Reference: http://www.nida.nih.gov

https://ballotpedia.org/

https://criminal.findlaw.com/