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. ;

All About the French Regular Verb Passer (to Pass)

All About the French Regular Verb 'Passer' ('to Pass') Passer (to pass) is a very common and useful regular -er verb, by far the largest group of verbs in the French language. It may be used as a transitive verb that takes a direct object or an intransitive verb, and in doing so, its  compound tenses  are conjugated with either  avoir  or  Ãƒ ªtre. Intransitive Passer   à ªtre With no direct object, passer means to pass and requires à ªtre in the compound tenses: Le train va passer dans cinq minutes.   The train is going to pass / go past in five minutes.Nous sommes passà ©s devant la porte midi.   We passed by the door at noon When followed by an infinitive, passer means to go / come to do something: Je vais passer te voir demain.   Ill come (by to) see you tomorrow.Pouvez-vous passer acheter du pain  ?   Can you go buy some bread? Transitive Passer Avoir When passer is transitive and has a direct object, it means to pass, to cross, to go through, and it requires avoir as the auxiliary verb  in the compound tenses. On doit passer la rivià ¨re avant le coucher du soleil.   We need to cross the river before sunset.Il a dà ©j passà © la porte.   He has already gone through the door. Passer is also used transitively with a period of time to mean to spend: Nous allons passer deux semaines en France.   Were going to spend two weeks in FranceJai passà © trois mois sur ce livre.   Ã‚  I spent 3 months on that book Transitive versus Intransitive While the meanings are nearly the same, the difference is in the object (the noun following the verb). If there is no object, or if a preposition separates the verb and object, the verb is intransitive, as in Je suis passà © devant la porte. If theres no preposition, as in Jai passà © la porte, its transitive. Se Passer The pronominal se passer most often means to take place, to happen, or, in reference to time, to go by. Quest-ce qui se passe  ?   Whats going on?Tout sest bien passà ©.   Everything went smoothly.Deux jours se sont passà ©s.   Two days went by. Expressions With Passer With  idiomatic expressions  using the French verb  passer, you can butter someone up,  handcuff someone, kick the bucket, and more. passer   clothing  Ã‚  to slip on/intopasser   infinitive  Ã‚  to go do somethingpasser la douane   to go through customspasser la radio/tà ©là ©   to be on the radio/TVpasser lheure dà ©tà ©Ã‚  Ã‚  to turn the clocks foward, begin daylight saving timepasser lheure dhiver  Ã‚  to turn the clocks back, end daylight saving timepasser pas lents   to pass slowlypasser de bons moments   to have a good timepasser de bouche en bouche   to be rumored aboutpasser des faux billets   to pass forged moneypasser devant Monsieur le maire   to get marriedpasser du coq là ¢ne  Ã‚  to change the subject, make a non sequiturpasser en courant   to run pastpasser en revue   to list; to go over in ones mind, go through  (figurative)  passer (en)   ordinal number  Ã‚  to put in ___ gearpasser là ¢ge de   to be too old forpasser larme gauche  (familiar)  Ã‚  to kick the bucketpasser la journà ©e/soirà ©e   to spend the day/eveningpasser la main d ans le dos quelquun   to butter someone uppasser la tà ªte la porte   to poke ones head around the door passer le cap   to get past the worst, turn the corner, get over the hurdlepasser le cap des 40 ans   to turn 40passer le poteau   to cross the finish linepasser les bornes   to go too farpasser les menottes quelquun   to handcuff someonepasser par   to go through (an experience or intermediary)passer par de dures à ©preuves   to go through some rough timespasser par toutes les couleurs de larc-en-ciel   to blush to the roots of ones hair, to turn pale (from fear)passer par luniversità ©   to go through collegepasser pour   to take for, be taken forpasser quelque chose quelquun   to pass/hand something to someonepasser quelque chose aux/par profits et pertes   to write something off (as a loss)passer quelque chose en fraude   to smuggle somethingpasser quelque chose sous silence   to pass something over in silencepasser quelquun tabac   to beat someone uppasser quelquun par les armes   to shoot someone by firing squadpasser sa colà ¨re sur quelqu un   to take out ones anger on someone passer sa mauvaise humeur sur quelquun   to take out ones bad mood on someonepasser sa vie faire   to spend ones life doing Conjugations You can see all the tenses  of passer, both simple and compound,  conjugated elsewhere. For now, below is the present tense to illustrate that passer hews exactly to regular -er conjugation endings.   Present tense: je passetu  passesil passenous  passonsvous  passezils  passent

Course Project Part 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Course Project Part 2 - Coursework Example These two ground are enough to take up this project. Depreciation is a non cash expense and it is also tax deductible. The depreciation is first reduced from the operating income to get earnings before interest and taxes. The amount of depreciation deducted is then added back in the cash flow statements to get the operating cash flows. We know that the net present value is determined by the cash flows expected from the project therefore; this non cash expense eventually increases the cash flows of the project. Ultimately, the net present value of the cash flows will increase which is beneficial for the company. In addition to the above, a company which opts for straight line depreciation method will have equal positive cash flows every year. For example: Depreciation of $100,000 per year, with an income tax of 35%, saves $35,000 of taxes each year and that amount is accounted as a positive cash flow. This amount is also known as the depreciation tax shield. Sunk Cost is a sum of money which has already been spent and it is not recoverable. It is essential to understand because many people feel intuitively that if an investment is made then it is essential to get a return on it. This will lead to rejection of one course of action which favors the other one to actually generate smaller cash flows. One needs to understand that sunk costs are irrelevant to financial decisions. Opportunity cost is a profit that is forgone by not investing in a particular opportunity. This is particularly true when there are mutually exclusive projects and you have to choose the best out of two good projects. The profit forgone from not choosing the other project is your opportunity cost (Shim & Siegel, 2008). Erosion is the slow but sure redirection of funds from profitable sections or projects within a business to new project and areas. It is considered to be an investment in the long, money flowing in new