In today’s world with more and more countries legalizing the use of marijuana, and it becoming more socially acceptable, most people don’t stop to think about all the health health risks that come with using it. No matter how people smoke the substance, marijuana can be worse than tobacco products such as cigarettes, chewing tobacco, and dipping tobacco. Medical marijuana should not be taken lightly as it can cause many health risks to the human body, cause your immune system to weaken causing you to be more prone to diseases such as AIDS, and is a gateway drug to many illicit drugs in the future.
The brain is affected by frequent marijuana use. A report titled, “Long Term Effects of Marijuana Use on the Brain,” is offering fresh evidence that the brain undergoes significant structural changes to those who have used marijuana regularly for 6 to 8 years. It should be noted that altering the structural and functional deficits of the brain can cause development of weakened verbal and communication skills, lowered learning capabilities and a shortened attention span. In the study, using MRI scans, researchers compared the brains of 48 frequent marijuana users who took the drug on average 11 times per week to those of 62 non smokers. They found a significant Grey Matter density loss in the Bilateral Orbitofrontal Cortex. This is the part of the brain that is involved in decision making. Krista Lisdahl, a leading marijuana scientist, that was not involved with the study says that, long time users could be at increased risk, “to be driven by immediate rewards… and not looking for more long-term gratification.” “May be more vulnerable to mood and anxiety problems.” This means that the effects of marijuana travel greater than the physical toll it has in your body, and into your decision making and life choices as well.
In addition to the effects on the brain, smoking marijuana can be harmful to developing lungs. It causes your lungs to become weak and causes respiratory distress. Your lungs mature by the time you are 20-25 years of age. That means if you are or know a marijuana user who is under this age, they are especially doing damage to their lungs as they have not had the chance to fully develop. Marijuana smoke contains fifty to seventy percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than tobacco smoke.
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Marijuana limits your brain power, essentially slowing your thinking and impairing your coordination. Numerous studies have shown an association between chronic marijuana use and increased rates of depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety. When it is smoked, the results of it begin at once. The high will last about 3 hours on average. When marijuana is eaten in foods such as cookies and brownies, the effects of the drug take longer to begin but the effects also last longer as a result. When high doses of marijuana are smoked or eaten, users can experience hallucinations, delusions, impaired memory and disorientation. User’s who deal with anxiety can experience panic attacks while under the influence of marijuana. Panic attacks can happen to anyone who uses marijuana regardless of weather it is their first time or 100th time. Panic attacks can be set on by just buying a different or new strain of marijuana. That is the scary part about this drug is that you do not know if you will have paranoid, bad thoughts or will be calm and relaxed. It’s a roll of the dice.
