tudy on 16 men who smoked five to fifteen joints a day. After they finished smoking their sperm counts were counted. It was discovered that all of the men experienced a dip in sperm count for weeks after and had malformed sperm cells. This could cause some serious malformations in conceived children. Studies were done on female rhesus monkeys who have very similar body chemistry to human women. The monkeys were injected with doses of THC. The menstrual cycles of the monkeys were greatly disrupted and some stopped ovulating altogether. Says Smith, "Nothing we have ever tested including oral contraceptives, has as radical an effect on the menstrual cycle as marijuana does." The hormones in men and women are definitely thrown off by marijuana use. (Angier 15). Another drug found in marijuana, is called cannabidiol, or CBD. This drug is used as an anti-epilepsy drug. It does not completely cure epilepsy, but in lab tests on rats, the frequency and severeness of the seizures were greatly reduced in all of the rats (Natalie Angier16). In studies done on humans at the Paulist School of medicine in Sao Paulo, Brazil, CBD greatly reduced the seizures in four out of eight people in the study. Even in large doses, CBD does not have psychoactive effect on the user. "It is the most promising chemical yet discovered in marijuana." says Mechoulam, "If CBD works so well in epileptics, then it could work as well to cure chronic migraine--another neurological disorder." (Angier 16) If this drug is to be used, it is best to be used in pure form instead of in joint form so as not to risk lung cancer. With all of the controversy surrounding marijuana legalization, it will take quite a while to become legal in all fifty states for medicinal purposes. However with all of the supporters of marijuana "it probably will become legal in a dozen or more states by 2005" says Rolling Stone. There are several pro's and con's to be weighed out over whether marijuana is...
