People across the world are concerned about the use of drugs. Drug addiction is on the rise due to the uncontrolled activities of the drug peddlers. The friend-circle of an individual also creates new addicts. The most commonly used illicit drug is Marijuana, also called by other names like pot, weed, ganja, or grass. Effects are produced immediately after taking this drug and the feelings can sustain for up to three hours. Smoking pot can lead to undesirable effects on the health. Brain, heart and the lungs are the main areas of the body which are adversely affected by Marijuana use.
Marijuana refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant (such as cannabis sativa, cannabis indica and cannabis ruderalis). Although cannabis contains more than 400 different chemical compounds, its main psychoactive (mind-altering) chemical compound is THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol). The THC content in marijuana determines the drug's strength, and its levels are affected by many factors like plant type, soil, weather, and time of harvest. The THC content in marijuana has been on the rise with the recent research undertaken at the University of Mississippi's Potency Monitoring Project reporting an increase in the THC levels in cannabis from 4 percent to 9.6 percent between 1975 and 2007.
What are the Short-Term Effects of Smoking Weed?
The main psychological effect of smoking pot is euphoria. Getting "high" or "stoned" is the reason most pot smokers use marijuana. Other short term effects of smoking pot include:
- A user might develop distorted perception in the areas of vision, hearing and touch.
- One might develop problems with memory and learning.
- A marijuana abuse can lead to loss of coordination.
- Problem-solving difficulties might pop up after a drug abuse.
- A fall in the blood pressure with an increase in the heart rate has been noted in many marijuana users.
- Anxiety, fear and panic are the other side effects of smoking pot.
What are the Effects of Marijuana on the Functioning of the Brain?
The nerve cells of the brain contain the cannabinoid receptors which feel the effects of the active marijuana ingredient, THC. Many of these receptors are found in the parts of the brain that can influence memory, concentration, thought, pleasure and coordinated movements. When added to food in high concentration, users can experience symptoms like hallucinations, impaired memory, delusions and disorientation.
Experiments on animal and human tissue have demonstrated a disruption of short-term memory formation. A study conducted in 1995 on college students found that heavy users of marijuana were unable to focus or sustain attention for as long as 24 hours after their last use of the drug. Several studies have also correlated marijuana use with the development of anxiety, psychosis, and depression. According to meta-analysis of 35 published studies on marijuana use by British researchers, people who have ever used cannabis, on average, have about a 40 percent increased risk of developing psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia (in which people may hear voices or hallucinate).
What are the Effects of Marijuana on the Functioning of the Heart?
The heart rate increases rapidly within a few minutes of smoking Marijuana, along with a fall in the blood pressure. The heart beat increases by 20 to 50 beats per minute and this can increase further if other drugs are taken at the same time. Under this condition of low blood pressure and higher heart rate, the rate of heart attack increases by four times within the very first hour of smoking pot. Additionally, a 2008 study by the National Institutes of Health Biomedical Research Centre in Baltimore found that heavy, chronic smoking of marijuana can change blood proteins associated with heart disease and stroke. A similar increase in heart disease and strokes is observed in tobacco smokers, which suggests that the harmful effects come from combustion products, not marijuana.
What are the Effects of Marijuana on the Functioning of the Lungs?
Marijuana use can cause burning and stinging sensations in the mouth and throat, and heavy coughing might occur. The health problems in marijuana users are similar to what you can expect in tobacco users. Typical problems include susceptibility to lung infections, increased frequency of chest illnesses, obstruction in the airways, and daily production of cough and phlegm. Marijuana contains carcinogenic (cancer causing) hydrocarbons, and the smokers tend to hold the smoke deep inside their lungs for a longer time as compared to tobacco smokers. Thus, the lungs are exposed to these carcinogens for a prolonged period.
A study conducted in New Zealand on 339 adults found that smoking pot regularly may damage lungs over time, leading to lung problems, including coughing, wheeze, chest tightness, and airflow obstruction. According to researchers, in terms of airflow obstruction, one marijuana joint equaled the effect of smoking 2.5 to five cigarettes at once.
Can Smoking Marijuana Cause Cancer?
The tar present in marijuana smoke is thrice the amount found in tobacco smoke. The amount of carcinogens is also 50 percent more than what is found in cigarette smoke. From this we can draw a conclusion that marijuana raises the risk of lung cancer, although the link has never been proven.
What are the Effects of Marijuana Exposure During Pregnancy?
It has been found that the children of mothers, who used marijuana during pregnancy, can experience neurological problems in the form of increased tremulousness, poor problem-solving skills, changed responses to visual stimuli, and attention and memory problems.
What are the Other Health Effects of Marijuana?
A study claimed that Marijuana use led to the malfunctioning of the key immune cells by inhibiting their disease-preventing functions. Another study suggested that the active ingredient, THC, can raise the probability of development of tumors and bacterial infections.
Heavy marijuana use also lowers men's testosterone levels and sperm count and quality. Pot could decrease libido and fertility in some heavy-smoking men.
Using a drug which is stated as illegal by the government of a country would actually mean putting your health at stake. The restriction on the consumption of drugs shoots out from the fact that these are harmful for the health and wellbeing of an individual. He would lose his identity and impression in his family and in the outer world!
