Super High Me
Christian Rios
Super High Me -- Trailer
Thesis
The documentary, "Super High Me", directed by Michael Blieden, highlights the pros and cons of smoking marijuana for a prolonged period of time.
Defining the Purpose
The purpose of this film was to find out and inform the audience of the real effects of marijuana on the human body. The film stars stand up comedian Doug Benson, who avoids smoking for 30 days, then consumes massive amounts of marijuana for the next 30. The documentary inspects the highly debated topic of marijuana use and that the consequences of using marijuana are not as dire as people make them seem.
Achieving the Purpose
Does Marijuana Affect Testing Abilities?
In the documentary, Doug Benson and his colleagues do a series of tests on his body and mental to compare sobriety and the effects of marijuana on the human body. One of the tests they conducted was the S.A.T. When sober, Benson scored a 980 out of 1600. While under the influence of marijuana, Benson actually scored higher than when sober, scoring a 1030 out of 1600. This example shows that although being under the use of marijuana, a person can have enough mental capacity to still be able to complete tasks such as taking an important test.
Does Marijuana Affect Your Lung Capacity?
A second test the directors conducted was Doug Benson's lung capacity while sober and while using marijuana. Benson's lung capacity was at 92% when he wasn't using marijuana. While he was using marijuana, his lung capacity was at 89%. This test shows that while under the influence of marijuana, Benson's lung capacity only decreased a mere 3%. This disproves the idea that marijuana greatly decreases a persons lung capacity.
Does Marijuana Affect Memory?
A third test they conducted was a memory test, which examined Doug Benson's brain and how it handles memorization. On the test they did on Benson, the normal score is a 22 or higher. While sober, Benson scored a 27/29. While under the influence of marijuana, Benson scored a 24/29. Although Benson scored lower than he did while he was sober, he still scored higher than average on the test. Also, he only scored 3 points lower than while he was sober. This disproves the myth that marijuana substantially decreases a persons attention span. In reality, the drug only affects attention span by a small percent.
Conclusion
This film had an impact on me because I want to go into the medical field and in America, the legalization for medical marijuana is on the rise. I am for the use of medical marijuana for people who are in need of it and I feel that it could be a great thing for patients. Most people who are against the use of marijuana are either not educated enough, or are just too stubborn to want to learn about the pros of the substance. Marijuana, if used correctly, can be a great substitute for prescription drugs that doctors prescribe to their patients. If people are willing to learn about the good things marijuana can do, we can provide a brilliant medicine for patients and people in need.