My Conclusion...

I started this blog wanting to know whether Marijuana or Vicodin was the better choice for pain. When I began my research I thought that I would end this blog with a clear winner but as you can see that is not the case. Though Marijuana and Vicodin are classified as two different levels of substances, they are both just as dangerous and as helpful. Both of them have the ability to relieve pain and both have side effects. The two major side effects I was concerned with was long term organ failure and addiction issue. The reason for this is because of how often my sister and I have to take pain relievers. If you look back at my blog Side Effects and More Questions… you can see that there is a dramatic difference in the side effects.

               Vicodin has the potential to effect the Central Nervous System, Gastrointestinal System, Genitourinary System, Respiratory System, Special Senses, and the Dermatological System. The only sources for Marijuana side effects I could find were for smoking joints; though that does not mean taking the eatable version does not come with side effects. The side effects I did find for Marjuana were respiratory infections and potential for an increase of mental health diseases.

               Then I looked back at my research in Definitions, Classifications, and Addictions. My sources showed that only nine percent of the people that use Marrijuana become addicted. The source for Vicodin addictions stated that there was an estimated two million people in the United States alone that are currently addicted to Vicodin.

               In conclusion, after reading over all my sources again and comparing them it is my belief that the better choice for a log term pain relievers is Marijuana. It does not harm the body as much as Vicodin and because it is a Natural drug it can be grown by its user making it easier for people to access. Though the access to it may be bad for pharmaceutical companies that produce Opioids, pain relievers, it is better for people who cannot afford to buy a prescription every two to three weeks. Though I have finally picked a side I am still curious about of few things. Why is Marijuana still listed as a schedule one substance when thousands of people can contest to how well it works without being addicted? Why is Vicodin listed as a substance that has a low potential for abuse or addiction when research shows that there is approximately two million addicts in the United States? Why is most of the current research regarding Marijuana focused on the bad side of the drug?

Think of the Environment!!!!

       So far I have focused on the pros and cons of the two drugs based on the person who takes them. In this post I want to look into the environmental effects of the drugs. The environmental effects I am interested in is the disposal process of both drugs.
       When looking into environmental effects I wanted to make sure I was getting a credit source and not a pharmaceutical company or a environmental extremist. For the Vicodin source I found the Hazardous Substances Data Bank which is run by the government. Hazardous Substances Data Bank focuses on the U.S. National Library of Medicine's reports of substances toxicology, environmental health, etc. Like several of my other sources they are run by the government; however, in this case I think it is beneficial to my research as they are pro Vicodin. According to the H.S.D.B. when Hydrocodone, the opioid found in Vicodin, is heated up it can actually release toxic fumes of nitrogen oxide. This is pretty scary especially considering that most people keep pills in warm places, i.e. the kitchen, closets near heaters, cars, etc.  Their research also states that if the Hydrocodone is released into the environment by any means of waste it has the potential to pollute the soil and water it comes into contact with. It can also contaminate any humans or animals that come into contact with the polluted soil or water.
         Once I had my source for environmental effects of Vicodin I knew that finding one for Marijuana would not be easy. The source I found was a paper written by the Botec Analysis Corporation; a company that specializes in crime and drug policies. In this source they were contracted by the state of Washington in order to analyze and advise the government on the best way to maintain drug control with Marijuana. This is another good source for me because they were contracted to help Washington state maintain drug policy in order to keep Marijuana legal. There analysis of the drug could potantielly help other states when they try and make the drug legal. Botec explains that the major impact on the environment that growing Marijuana has is energy. The plant requires a lot of energy to properly grow so depending on how it is grown, i.e. indoors, greenhouse, or out doors,  there is a potential for fossil fuel waste. They also mention that because it is a plant and can be grown outside it has the same environmental contamination potential as all field grown products. This includes:

- Nitrous Oxide Release
- Water Contamination
- Soil Carbon Sequetration
- Release of toxic chemicals (herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides)

Having to more sources really helps me when considering which drug is better but at the same time it raises more questions. Both products have the potential to release Nitrous oxide and both can avoid this. If we already deal with the environmental contamination's listed for marijuana for other farm grown products, why is it so bad? If my research has shown me that the Cannabis Sativa plant is beneficial for medical reason as well as to make products why is it illegal? Why is this subject so controversial? Does Vicodin have a warning label for how to properly discard it? Should both drugs have warning labels for discarding? Marijuana seems to only have potential for contamination when being grow; why has no one study the release of marijuana into the air (smoke)?


While researching I found a few videos that though they may not be 100% creditable they do make you think twice. Though I attempted to find videos for Vicodin it seems that there has been no research into the drug.

Side effects, and more questions...

In my last blog I wrote about both the pros and cons of Marijuana and Vicodin. The farther I got into my research the more I realized how biased the government has become about Marijuana. Once they decided that Marijuana was a schedule 1 substances they ignored all new research that has attempted to show otherwise. Vicodin, on the other hand, is one of the leading choices for drug abuse but is listed as a schedule 3 substance. How can one of the leading drug abuse substances be a lower threat than a drug that has less than 6% drug abuse. This said I am still not on either side of the argument more.

In my research this week I decided to look into the side effects of Vicodin because most people don't actually read the warning label. The source I found for side effects is listed as The Internet Drug Index and it provides a list of possible side effects, overdose information, and warning about Opioids. The information on their sight comes from the Federal Drug Association better known as the FDA. Though the FDA is biased to the government it is better to get most of this information from them as I want to know this information for voting purposes as well. Per the Drug Index Vicodin can effect your Central Nervous System, Gastrointestinal System, Genitourinary System, Respiratory Depression, Special Senses, and Dermatological System. You can find the details of these side effects at The Internet Drug Index. 

Once I knew the side effects of Vicodin I wanted to know the side effects of Marijuana. The source I found for Marijuana side effects is the University of Harvard. They University used multiple sources and combined the research into a list of side effects. The side effects that are listed for marijuana use (joints only) are respiratory illness and mental health. If you choose to smoke the Marijuana then you run the risk of getting the same lung disease as you would if you smoke tobacco. There are many side effects that marijuana can have on your brain from memory loss and impaired judgement to possible Cannabis disorders. There has been possible links to other illness but nothing that has concrete evidence. 

Both these sources can be said to be biased but so can all sources. In my opinion, if a sources is written my one or more people all with the same values and ideas your source will be biased. It is hard to find anyone who is neither pro- marijuana or anti-marijuana that has done research on this subject. How will marijuana become legal if people in the government are so against new research? Why is Vicodin the first narcotic/ pain reliever doctors try and prescribe to patients? Who is backing both pro-use or anti-use of these drugs financially? If the government is so against the use of marijuana why is the use of hemp, which comes from the same plant, legal? Do either of these drugs have an age limit and if not should they?