Co-occurring disorders come with multiple symptoms that influence the individual’s ability to stop using substances. Individuals may turn to illegal substances to receive relief from their mental health symptoms and will depend on these to bring normalcy to their life. For example, a depressed person may smoke marijuana to numb pain or a person experiencing social anxiety may drink to feel comfortable in social
Marijuana is one of the most commonly used drugs in the Nation and the world. In an article by Gray (2007) he states that “42% of high school seniors have tried marijuana, 18% have used it in the past 30 days, and 5% use it daily. Among adolescents aged 12 to 17, 3.6% met criteria for cannabis use disorder (abuse or dependence) and 2% met criteria for cannabis dependence”. Gray (2007) also explains how easily adolescents say it is to obtain marijuana these days. The article also states that there is evidence to prove that marijuana use may lead to “hard” drug use, academic failure, and more. With those who use marijuana chronically it may lead to impairing of the immune
In contrast, there are common believes that marijuana is not addictive such as alcohol and heroin, but research and experiences show that the user will slowly develop addiction on it even after withdrawal. The symptoms of marijuana smoker seem as in a cocaine addict. The drug is the most commonly found in the system of drivers who are fatally injured. Dependency on the drug may lead to use more dangerous drugs in future. It has a high impact on brain especially parts connected to memory and learning. One study, declare that the person who is highly addicted to marijuana in teen years his IQ points will decrease by 8 between the age of 13 and 38. Finally, the legalization of marijuana will lead to highly smoking problems and increase serious health problems, whether it has a medical condition relief property.
The city of Philadelphia is home to some of the richest and most influential history the United States has to offer, but it’s also home to a very large crime rate. Heroin and opioids have been largely abused for continuous decades in cities like Philadelphia throughout the world and the law needs to come down with harder sanctions to combat this issue. This is largely in part because crime simply leads to more crime. Another reason why more rigid law structure needs to be centralized around heroin and opioid abuse is that previous addicts from all sorts of backgrounds rarely maintain remission, but end up relapsing. In fact, heroin is one of the most addictive drugs in the world. Not to mention, basic necessities within the city, such as public space for its residents, have transitioned to heavily policed areas due to drug use. The conjunction of all these issues demands for more firm and rigid laws which will help to diminish drug use in America.
Smoking marijuana is best described as a one-way ticket to negative side-affects. Based on Lifetime Health by Friedman, D. P., Stine, C. C., and Whaten S. “smoked marijuana are felt within minutes and may last for 2 or 3 hours”(2009). Short term effects consist of slowed thinking ability, difficulty paying attention, distorted sense of time, and many more. (Friedman, D. P., Stine, C. C., and Whaten S. (2009). Long term effects include frequent respiratory infection, impaired learning and memory, and even panic attacks (Friedman, D. P., Stine, C. C., and Whaten S. (2009). Thus, the ingestion in smoking marijuana can cause harmful outcomes, which are
The signs of addiction are thinking problems, physical health problems, and mental health problems. When teenagers use marijuana, it affects the way their brains develop, reducing the way they think, learn, and solve problems. In the long term, marijuana use also correlates to lower intelligence. Smoking marijuana can lead to many lung related issues including chronic respiratory illness and cough. Furthermore, it can result in higher heart rates for up to 3 hours after use, potentially increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or other cardiac issues. In terms of mental health, marijuana can cause paranoia, hallucinations, and disorganized thinking, along with higher incidences of depression and anxiety, especially in
It is easy and cheap to achieve. Therefore, youth begin drug abuse with caffeine, nicotine and alcohol to seek desired effect. If these fails to provide pleasure anymore as individual needed, then the individual most likely to choose marijuana as next drugs. The short term use can alter the mood or to reach desired sate of well-being with less likely negative impact but the prolonged use can cause personality, mood, cognitive functioning, various physiological problems and can be fetal if there is interaction with other drugs or if overdoses (Perkinson,
A person who inhale marijuana on frequent basis suffer from many diseases related to heart, lungs and brain. It disturbs the normal functioning of brain, interfering with a person’s ability to think, feel and act (Sane Australia 2014).
Marijuana is considered in popular culture to be a widely accepted mainstream recreational illegal drug used in the United States; its use comes with severe adverse side effects that are often overlooked. Long-Term use of marijuana 'sis shown to have negative effects on physical, mental, and environmental health. Studies have shown that in the United States, up to 20% of daily marijuana users become dependent (Marijuana and Lung Health) showing a physical or emotional need for the drug. Marijuana use has the potential to affect every aspect of a person 's physical and mental wellbeing negatively. Its use also comes with potentially life-altering risks to one 's future including an individual’s likelihood of obtaining a degree, impacting their future earning potential and decreasing their overall reported life satisfaction. Once dependent on marijuana, people stop caring about their schooling. Long-term use of smoking marijuana can result in the inability to learn, retain information and think critically.
A person’s daily life is a stake when marijuana is in their lives. Marijuana has the potential to pose difficulties in daily life or cause someone’s existing problems to become worse ("Health Effects of Marijuana Use."). Consumers have reported lower life satisfaction, worse mental and physical health, problems within relationships, and less success in their schooling and careers as opposed to their non-smoking peers ("Health Effects of Marijuana Use."). Studies have shown that marijuana usage is linked to accidents, increased absences, workman’s compensation claims, and job turnover ("Health Effects of Marijuana Use."). Studies have shown that marijuana usage is linked to accidents, increased absences, workman’s compensation claims, and job turnover ("Health Effects of Marijuana
Lungs - Smoking marijuana can cause breathing diseases, including a chronic cough, bronchitis, and emphysema, and lung
The majority of clinical research studies concerning marijuana use and its effects unravel the uncertainty which surrounds the subject and present the common pattern of insisting that further clinical enquiry is necessary. Measurable immediate effects generally translate in a temporary alteration of perception, as "colors and sounds may seem more intense, and time appears to pass very slowly. The user's mouth feels dry, and s/he may suddenly become very hungry and thirsty" (Yacoubian). Admittedly, these manifestations hardly seem to pose any social danger. However, the overall objection to marijuana is based on negative long-term effects, which seem to be carcinogenic, harmful to human immune, respiratory and reproductive systems, and compromising of short-term memory and cognitive capacities.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse writes that an estimated 9% of marijuana users will eventually become dependent on marijuana (National Institute, 2014). The American Society of Addiction Medicine defines addiction as “a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors” (American Society, 2011).
The lungs are also severely impacted by inhaling marijuana smoke. It has been reported that marijuana smoke contains more carcinogens than tobacco smoke. The damage to the lungs can often be worse in marijuana abusers when compared to chain cigarette smokers. Chronic abusers also suffer from lower oxygen levels and lessened lung capacity (Marijuana and Lung Health). People who smoke marijuana are also more likely to suffer from chronic lung infections and bronchitis. They are also more likely to develop asthma, and regular marijuana users show changes in their lung cells similar to what happens with the beginning signs of lung cancer. Another physical result of marijuana use is the negative effects on mental health. Extended use can lead to creating mental disorders that result in physical suffering, and this can affect the ability to cope with everyday life. Some of the mental health disorders include anxiety, schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorders. Long-term marijuana use can even cause a relapse of mental health issues that have been previously controlled with
Marijuana is a contrast to tobacco and alcohol when addiction characteristics do not show with the use of marijuana while addiction shows with legal tobacco and alcohol. It shows that less than one in ten marijuana smokers convert to consistent consumers of the drug, and most intentionally terminate their use after age 34, by comparison, 15 percent of alcohol users and 32 percent of tobacco smokers display indicators of drug dependency. Cannabis withdrawal indicators are uncommon and do not need replacement medication to stop the habit. When smoking marijuana comes to an end of an intake, the vast majority of smokers do not feel subjected to uncomfortable withdrawal indicators commanding restarting the use of marijuana.