Marijuana vs Tobacco Essay Example

Marijuana vs Tobacco Essay Example Marijuana vs Tobacco Paper Marijuana vs Tobacco Paper Marihuana Vs Tobacco Nowadays there is a big dilemma to whether legalize marijuana or not and whether marijuana is really a lot more dangerous than tobacco. There are big differences between the two of them, but there is, without any doubt, one that has a lot more negative effects on the human body and the human brain than the other. Due to research we can compare them and conclude which one is worse. Marijuana is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa). Cannabis is a term that refers to marijuana and other drugs made from the same plant. Other forms of cannabis include hashish, and hash oil. All forms of cannabis are mind-altering drugs (Zimmer and Morgan 1). The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). Short-term effects of marijuana use include problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, loss of coordination, increased heart rate, and anxiety (Zimmer and Morgan 1-2). Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette (called a joint) or in a pipe or â€Å"bong†. Marijuana has also appeared in blunts, which are cigars that have been emptied of tobacco and refilled with marijuana, sometimes in combination with another drug, such as crack. It can also be mixed into foods or used to brew a tea (Zimmer and Morgan 2). According to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation tobacco is an agricultural crop that is used to make cigarettes. It is grown all over the world and supports a billion-dollar industry. Tobacco is dried and processed, then either placed into cigarettes and processed, or manufactured for chewing tobacco. The psychoactive ingredient is nicotine, a stimulant, but more than 4,000 other chemicals (2,000 of which are known to be poisonous) are present in cigarettes (Health). Tobacco is a nervous system stimulant that triggers complex biochemical and neurotransmitter disruptions. It elevates heart rate and blood pressure, constricts blood vessels, irritates lung tissue, and diminishes your ability to taste and smell (Health). Many people think smoking marijuana is just as harmful as smoking tobacco, but this is not true. Those who hold that marijuana is equivalent to tobacco are misinformed. Due to the efforts of various federal agencies to discourage the use of marijuana in the 1970s the government conducted several biased studies designed to return results that would equate marijuana smoking with tobacco smoking, or worse. For example the Berkeley carcinogenic tar studies of the late 1970s concluded that marijuana is one-and-a-half times as carcinogenic as tobacco. This finding was based solely on the tar content of cannabis leaves compared to that of tobacco, and did not take radioactivity into consideration. Cannabis tars do not contain radioactive materials. ) In addition, it was not considered that: 1) Most marijuana smokers smoke the bud, not the leaf, of the plant. The bud contains only 33% as much tar as tobacco. 2) Marijuana smokers do not smoke anywhere near as much as tobacco smokers, due to the psychoactive effects of cannabis. 3) Not one case of lung cancer has ever been successfully linked to marijuana use. 4) Cannabis, unlike tobacco, does not cause any narrowing of the small air passageways in the lungs (Howard). In fact, marijuana has been shown to be an expectorant and actually dilates the air channels it comes in contact with. This is why many asthma sufferers look to marijuana to provide relief. Doctors have postulated that marijuana may, in this respect, be more effective than all of the prescription drugs on the market (Howard). Studies even show that due to marijuanas ability to clear the lungs of smog, pollutants, and cigarette smoke, it may actually reduce your risk of emphysema, bronchitis, and lung cancer. Smokers of cannabis have been shown to outlive non-smokers in some areas by up to two years. Medium to heavy tobacco smokers will live seven to ten years longer if they also smoke marijuana. Cannabis is also radically different from tobacco in that it does not contain nicotine and is not addictive whatsoever. The psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, THC, has been accused of causing brain and genetic damage, but these studies have all been disproven. In fact, the DEAs own Administrative Law Judge has declared that marijuana in its natural form is far safer than many foods we commonly consume (Young). Heavy marijuana smokers show less evidence of lung injury from smoking marijuana than heavy tobacco smokers, and it may be cannabinoids that are protecting them from developing a condition like emphysema. Thats according to the principal investigator of a study done at the University of California at Los Angeles (Young). Speaking at the third annual meeting of the International Cannabis Research Society a pulmonologist and UCLA professor of medicine, concluded:† heavy marijuana use did not cause the same degree of lung injury from smoking marijuana as tobacco smoke† (Tashkin). My own feeling is that marijuana smokers probably will not develop emphysema as a consequence of smoking marijuana, he said, but cautioned that does not rule out the development of other conditions like respiratory carcinoma. It may be that the THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) in marijuana could have different effects on inflammatory cells, which may mediate injury in the lung. (Gagnon) His study , which aimed to measure the pulmonary effects of habitual marijuana use, followed nine tobacco smokers, 10 marijuana smokers, 10 nonsmokers and four smokers of both marijuana and tobacco. He gave both quantitative and qualitative explanations for his finding. Marijuana users in the study smoked three or four joints daily for 15 years on average, while tobacco smokers in the study smoked 25 cigarettes daily over a period of 20 years, indicating a marked difference in exposure to smoke. There is a seven-fold difference in the amount of smoke to which marijuana and tobacco smokers are exposed, he said. Its the quantitative difference in smoke exposure that might explain the difference in the degree of lung injury as assessed by these physiologic indices. Moreover, the phagocytes gathered from the lungs of marijuana smokers do not have the same properties as those gathered from the lungs of tobacco smokers. We have previously shown that the macrophages that are harvested from the rinse-out of the lungs of marijuana smokers seem not to be activated, he said. They do not release toxic oxygen species, either under basal conditions or under stimulated conditions nearly to the extent that tobacco macrophages do. If anything, basal secretion of superoxide seems to be reduced in the marijuana smokers. â€Å"The clearance of the molecule diethylene triamine penta acetate (DTPA) from the lung, believed to be a more sensitive indicator of lung injury than measuring the lungs diffusing capacity† (Tashkin). If DTPA clearance is accelerated, then it implies an increase in the leakiness of the alveolar epithelial membrane, which implies injury to the membrane, he said. Dr. Tashkin noted DTPA clearance is accelerated in tobacco smoke- related lung injury. Initially, the chronic effects of marijuana smoke were measured in omparison to those of tobacco smoke: DTPA clearance was measured at about 12 hours after the last marijuana or tobacco cigarette smoked. To determine the acute effects of marijuana and tobacco smoking, Dr. Tashkin restudied these smokers a week or two later, giving them a single joint of marijuana or a single tobacco cigarette or both, and then measuring DTPA clearance 15 minutes subsequently. What we found was the clearance of DTPA was abnormally rapid from the lung in the tobacco smokers, he said. It was about twice the rate of non-smokers. In the marijuana smokers, there was a tendency toward a much less rapid rate of clearance. There was no acute effect in either tobacco or marijuana, and there was no added effect of marijuana or tobacco. (Tashkin) As with the lungs to tobacco smokers, when the lungs of marijuana smokers are washed out, a marked increase in the number of alveolar macrophages is witnessed. But whereas tobacco smoke has a concomitant effect of activating the macrophages, leading to the subsequent release of certain toxic substances, marijuana smoke fails to activate the macrophages, Dr. Tashkin said. He noted this difference could be attributed to differential regulation of cytokins. It may be that the macrophages from marijuana smokers release certain suppressive cytokins, like transforming growth factor- beta, which is known to suppress the inflammatory activity of nearly all of the site populations, he said. In an editorial called Comparing Cannabis with Tobacco posted by Dr. Dean Edell in September 22, 2003, he says that two large studies reported no increase in death associated with the use of cannabis. Even diseases that might be related to long term cannabis use are unlikely to have a sizeable public health impact because, unlike users of tobacco and alcohol, most people who try cannabis quit relatively early in their adult lives† (Edell 635-6). â€Å"Exposure to smoke is generally much lower in cannabis than in tobacco cigarette smokers, even taking into account the larger exposure per puff. Existing studies do not support a link between the use of ca nnabis and heart disease, the leading cause of death in many Western countries† (Edell 635-6). Furthermore, cannabis does not contain nicotine, a chemical contained in tobacco that is addicting and contributes to the risk of heart disease. However, two caveats must be noted regarding available data, warns Dr. Edell. Firstly, the studies to date have not followed cannabis smokers into later adult life so it might be too early to detect an increase risk of chronic diseases that are potentially associated with the use of cannabis. Secondly, the low rate of regular cannabis use and the high rate of discontinuation during young adulthood may reflect the illegality and social disapproval of the use of cannabis. This means that we cannot assume that smoking cannabis would continue to have the same small impact on mortality if its use were to be decriminalized or legalized. While the use of cannabis is not harmless, our current knowledge does not support the assertion that it has an adverse impact on death rates, says the author. ANNUAL AMERICAN DEATHS CAUSED BY DRUGS TOBACCO 400,000 ALCOHOL 100,000 ALL LEGAL DRUGS . 20,000 ALL ILLEGAL DRUGS.. 15,000 CAFFEINE .. ,000 ASPIRIN 500 MARIJUANA . 0 - Source: United States government National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bureau of Mortality Statistics Marijuana does not cause serious health problems like those caused by tobacco or alcohol (e. g. , strong addiction, cancer, heart problems, birth defects, emphysema, liver damage, etc. ). It is not more dangerous. Smoked tobacco, with a 90% addiction rate, is the most addictive of all drugs while marijuana is less addictive than caffeine. Cigarettes kill more than 400,000 people a year and there has never been a death reported from smoking marijuana. One would have to consume 40,000 times as much marijuana as you need to get stoned. Death from a marijuana overdose is impossible. Edell, Dean. â€Å"Comparing cannabis with tobacco†. 22 September 2003. BMJ Volume 327, pp 635-6. ; healthcentral. com/drdean/408/60640. html; Howard, Geese. â€Å"Cigarrettes vs Marijuana. † Digg 23 September 2006 ;http://digg. com/health/Cigarettes_vs_Marijuana; Legalization of Marijuana. 10 February 2008. lt; legalizationofmarijuana. com; Tashkin, Donald, Francis Young and Louis Gagnon. Marijuana less harmful to lungs than Cigarrettes. Medical Post. 6 September 1994. ;http://uncletaz. com/marijuana/ potcig. html; What is Tobacco? Health Promotion Services, Vaden Health Center, Stanford University. February 2004. ; pamf. org/teen/risk/smoking/whatis. html; Zimmer, Lynn and John P. Morgan. Marijuana myths Marijuana Facts: A Re view of the Scientific Evidence. August 1997. ; medicalmarihuana. ca/ books. html. ;

Do You Qualify for the National Merit Scholarship

Do You Qualify for the National Merit Scholarship SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Out of the 1.5 million juniors in the US who take the PSAT only about 7,600 will end up with a National Merit Scholarship of $2,500 through the National Merit Scholarship Program. So how do you qualify? If you do qualify, what are your chances of getting the scholarship? I am going to answer these questions by discussing the basic qualification for National Merit and laying out a timeline for the program. Qualification Guidelines There are four main qualifications for scholarship consideration: three basic and one PSAT score related. They are all equally important because if you do not meet all of the qualifications, you cannot participate in the program.The 3 basic qualifications you need to meet are: Take the PSAT during your junior year (3rd year) of high school Plan to enroll in college full-time by the fall after your graduate from high school Be a US Citizen or US Permanent resident who plans to become a US Citizen Then there is the test score related qualification. The exact score qualifications vary from year to year and state to state, but typically, the top 3% of students (about 50,000 juniors) qualify to be in the program. The top 1% of students have the best shot at winning the scholarship. How Does the Selection Timeline Work? Let's go through when each step of the National Merit selection occurs and how it will affect you if you're chosen. October of Junior Year: You take the PSAT. April of Junior Year: 50,000 students are notified that they are potential National Merit Scholars and are asked to select 2 colleges thatthe National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) will send a reference. September of Senior Year: â…” of the 50,000 students (about 34,000) will receive Letters of Commendation (recognizing them for their academic achievement, but notifying them they are no longer in the running for a scholarship). The remaining â…“ of students (about 16,000) will advance as National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. Semifinalists typically have PSAT scores of at least 201 to 222 (on the old 240 point scale). Again the reason for the large point discrepancy is that the winners are chosen by state. If your state has lower scores on average, you will be able to qualify with a lower score than in other states with higheraverage PSAT scores. The Semifinalists are asked to submit applications for scholarship considerations. I will not go into detail on the scholarship application in this article. For more information on what is required for the National Merit Scholarship application and how to craft the strongest application read our other article. February of Senior Year: Semifinalists who advance to the Finalist round will be notified. About 15,000 of 16,000 Semifinalists advance. March of Senior Year: The 8,900 Finalists who are selected for a scholarship (out of the 15,000 Finalists) will be notified. NOTE: not all of these 8,900 Finalists receive a $2,500 one-time National Merit Scholarship. Through the program, students may be offered a National Merit Scholarship, a Corporate-Sponsored Merit Scholarship, or a College-Sponsored Merit Scholarship. (I will explain how students are selected for scholarships in more depth below.) How Do You Know If You Probably Won’t Get a Scholarship? Obviously, if you are not notified in April or if you receive a Letter of Commendation in September, you know you will not be advancing to the Semifinalist round. Therefore, youwill not be in contention for a National Merit Scholarship or one of the other scholarships. Additionally, if your score is not in the top 1%, you don't have a great chance of advancing to the Semifinalist round (the â…” of students who receive Letters of Commendation and do not advance to Semifinalists typically have scores in the top 2-3%).Once you have advanced to the Semifinalist round, you have about a 50-50 chance of receiving a scholarship (since half the Semifinalists receive scholarships: 8,900 of 16,000). How Do You Know If You Have a Good Chance of Getting the Scholarship? If your score is in the top 1% (for your state), you have a good chance of getting the scholarship.However, the final step in consideration for the scholarship is your application and the National Merit Scholarship Program acknowledges that scholarship recipients are chosen â€Å"based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments.† Once you are selected as a Semifinalist and submit your application, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation takes all of the following into consideration when deciding on scholarships:â€Å"the Finalist's academic record, information about the school's curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores [SAT and PSAT], the high school official's written recommendation, information about the student's activities and leadership, and the Finalist's own essay.† If you have a very strong transcript (as close to 4.0 GPA on 4.0 scale with challenging course load of AP or IB classes) and a very high SAT score (close to 2400 on the old scale or close to 1600 on the new SAT),in addition to having a PSAT score in the top 1%, you have a solid chance of receiving a scholarship. Want to improve your PSAT score by 150 points? We have the industry's leading PSAT prep program. Built by Harvard grads and SAT full scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Check out our 5-day free trial today: Make sure to make all aspects of your Semifinalist application as strong as possible to increase your chances of winning a scholarship.Get advice on that and more in our other article: National Merit Finalist - How to Win the Scholarship. Victory! What Is the Difference Between National Merit Scholarships and the Other Scholarships Offered? According to the National Merit website, National Merit Scholarships are $2500 single payment scholarships, which are awarded â€Å"without consideration of family financial circumstances, college choice, or major and career plans.†All Finalists are considered for this scholarship. I will give a brief explanation of the other types of scholarships, but for a more in-depth one,check out our other article. Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards are awarded based on each Corporate sponsor’s criteria.Some â€Å"designate their awards for children of their employees or members, for residents of a community where a company has operations, or for Finalists with career plans the sponsor wishes to encourage. These scholarships may either be renewable for four years of undergraduate study or one-time awards.† The amount for these Corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarships varies by company. College-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards are awarded to â€Å"Finalists who have been accepted for admission and have informed NMSC by [through their application] that the sponsor college or university is their first choice.†You can only receive one of these College-sponsored Merit Scholarships if you were accepted to the university that you told National Merit was your first choice. Also, if you were accepted to your first choice college and choose not to attend that university, you will forfeit your scholarship. The amount of these scholarships vary by school, but each scholarship will be between $500 and $2000 per year. These scholarships are renewable up to 4 years. You have little control over which scholarship you will receive. All three of types of scholarships are equally prestigious and receiving one is no better than receiving another from an academic standpoint (though it may be better from a financial standpoint). Focus on trying to qualify to be a finalist and don't worry too much about which type of scholarship you will receive. What’s Next? Prepare to rock the PSAT if you haven't taken it yet: The PSAT Score Range (Updated for New 2015 PSAT) What's a Good PSAT Score for a Junior? PSAT Practice Tests: Free Questions and Full-Length Tests Get more advice on National Merit and other scholarships: National Merit Finalist - How to Win the Scholarship How To Get Merit Scholarships and Honors at State Schools How to Win a Walmart Scholarship: Strategy Guide How to Win a Gates Millennium Scholarship Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article! Tweet Dora Seigel About the Author As an SAT/ACT tutor, Dora has guided many students to test prep success. She loves watching students succeed and is committed to helping you get there. Dora received a full-tuition merit based scholarship to University of Southern California. She graduated magna cum laude and scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT. 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