If you read the arrest report in the Mount Pleasant Tribune, it may be difficult for the average law abiding citizen to decipher what certain penalty groups actually are if the drug is not specified in particular. If you’re not an illegal drug user or “smooth criminal,” here’s a quick guide to help you in understanding these legal terms.
Penalty Group 1: Penalty group 1 consists of Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine, Oxycodone and Hydrocodone (over 300 mgs), and Ketamine a drug which is usually manufactured for street use from equine to cat tranquilizers.
In the late 1990s, when this drug known as “K” on the street gained popularity, veterinarians had to start keeping this drug locked away in order to prevent theft. For most people, pain medication such as Oxycodone and Hydrocodone are used after surgery by those who suffer from chronic pain or a terminal illness.
Penalty Group 1a: LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide). This drug, which causes hallucinations, gained popularity in the 1960s culture. LSD use declined in the 1980s but regained popularity in the 1990s. LSD use declined again in the last decade.
Penalty Group 2: Penalty group 2 consists of drugs such as Ecstasy, PCP (Phencyclidine), Mescaline, and Merinol, which all are all related to hallucinogenic effects, mania, and other negative side effects.
Penalty Group 3: Those charged with penalty group 3 drugs have been charged with possession of prescription drugs without a prescription. These drugs consist of Valium, Xanax, Ritalin and Hydrocodone in amounts less than 300 mgs.
Penalty Group 4: You may be familiar with drugs in the penalty group 4 category if you have ever cared for a cancer patient or anyone else with chronic pain or a terminal illness. These drugs consist of Dionine (morphine), Motophen, Buprenorphine (an opioid), and Pyrovalerone.
Marijuana is still very much illegal in Texas, and perhaps one of the most controversial topics among Americans today. No matter what your views are on this drug, it is believed to be somewhat of a wonder drug in medical practices across the country.
The use of medical marijuana has been legalized in New Mexico, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey New Hampshire, Alaska, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and Connecticut.
Marijuana is approved for medical use as well as recreational use in California, Colorado, Alaska, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts, Nevada and Maine.
Marijuana continues to be illegal for both recreational, and medical use in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Missouri, Iowa, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Iowa.
According to the governing.com website, some states listed above with no laws broadly legalizing medical marijuana, provide limited access under certain circumstances. States like Alabama and Mississippi, for example, maintain laws permitting medical marijuana for severe epileptic conditions.
Some states, such as Virginia, enacted laws decades ago allowing for the possession of marijuana if individuals received prescriptions from doctors. Federal law, however, prohibits doctors from prescribing marijuana, rendering those laws invalid. Doctors can only write a recommendation for medical marijuana, which is different than a prescription.
According to the New Health Advisor website, there are several pros-and cons to marijuana use.
The pros of marijuana use, according to the website, are listed below:
• The treatment of Glaucoma: Glaucoma, an eye disease, which increases pressure in the eyeball and even leads to loss of vision. Studies show that marijuana use helps decrease the pressure inside your eye. Smoking marijuana may also help slow the progression of glaucoma.
• Reversing the Carcinogenic Effects of Tobacco: A study published in 2012 showed that marijuana might help increase lung capacity; in fact, it may even help improve your lung capacity that is affected by tobacco smoking. Many experts believe this improvement is not due to marijuana but is the outcome of taking deep breaths while inhaling the drug.
• Stop Cancer from Spreading: Cancer spreads by creating more copies of a gene called Id-1, but researchers have found that marijuana use will hamper this process and stop cancer from spreading through the body. Some researchers say that cannabis has compounds that may even help kill cancer cells.
• Decrease Anxiety: Research shows that marijuana use may improve your mood. And medical marijuana users say they find it extremely beneficial when they feel anxious. It relieves pain, decreases anxiety and suppresses nausea. So, it is often used to deal with side effects of chemotherapy. It even works as a sedative, but higher doses produce the opposite effect.
• Maintain Your Figure: Some studies have found that marijuana users are skinnier as compared to the average person and their metabolism is healthier too. Marijuana users have better reaction to sugars, so they don’t put on fat.
• Eliminates Nightmares: Marijuana use affects the later stage of REM sleep, which means you may never get into the phase where you have nightmares. It can be a beneficial for someone suffering from nightmares associated with PTSD.
According to the New Health Advisor website, there are many other pros that should be added into the list of pros and cons of marijuana use. For example, marijuana can help you cut back on drinking, reduce nausea, stimulate appetite, protect your brain after a stroke, and even protect your brain from concussions and trauma. It may also prove beneficial for people with Cohn’s disease.
The cons? For one, if you are a living in the state of Texas, and charged with possession of marijuana, you will face jail time, and fines. Additional cons are listed below:
• Negative affects on the body: You will notice short-term side effects for about an hour of smoking marijuana. Some of the most common ones include dry mouth, red eyes, psychosis, fatigue, dizziness and increased heart rate.
• Anxiety: Studies show that marijuana can affect a specific region of the brain that is responsible for fear. It is common for people to feel paranoid and anxious after using marijuana. Some people even get panic attacks and have bouts of anxiety after using cannabis.
• Irritation of the respiratory system: Several studies suggest that marijuana use may affect your cognitive function in a negative way.
• Respiratory: While there are many different ways to take marijuana, smoking is one of the most common, which may end up irritating the airways. Besides, cannabis smoking may lead to some respiratory problems, like increased phlegm and persistent cough.
And if you do use marijuana in Titus County, Titus County Jail has a cell for you.
credit:420intel.com
