Effects of Marijuana to One's Health

The usage of Weed is the most common illicit substance used in the United States. Pot is one of the cheapest illegal drugs on the market and is more accessible to buy it. Marijuana is mainly imported illegally to the United States and cropping this plant or producing it, is not as hard as other illicit substances. Illegal Marijuana plantations have also been found inside houses where they have been produced thousands of pounds without being detected. It is estimated that Marijuana users are between the ages of 18 and 30 years old. It is not common to see people over 35 smoking Weed. Unfortunately, most of these consumers are adolescents that because of the dazed feeling that it produces, creates long-lasting consequences for the body and mind. The use of Weed has been linked to car accidents, health complications, psychiatric symptoms and poor educational outcome (Feeney and Kampman, 2016). Socially speaking, smoking Weed is not well seen, although many people have accepted doing it, especially celebrities. Cannabis is linked to illegal drugs like cocaine and crack. Illicit substances major distributors are drug lords who have made millions and millions of dollars trafficking in the United States and Europe where most of the consumers are. This activity has also brought crime to the cities since it has been a very lucrative business. Many people have died or go to jail for selling, distributing and producing illegal drugs. Making this drug, legal, will increase the number of people addicted to illegal substances and will increase crime too. To differentiate a legal drug from an illegal one would be very difficult so it will be available everywhere. Drugs are an epidemic that is killing our society, especially our young ones. A solution to one problem cannot be a destruction of another one. For decades, the world has been battling against drugs and making it

Marijuana is a popular and universal drug. It is easily accessible to most people and is the number one illicit drug used in North America. Although the availability and knowledge of this drug is fairly equal for all people in North America, marijuana tends to be more prevalent in teenagers and young adults. Maisto, Galizio, and Conners (2004) reported that "use of marijuana [in young people] was 8.0% among those aged 12-17; 16% among those aged 18-25," as compared to "6.8% among those aged 26-34; and 2.4% among those 35 and older." People of all ages, races, and religions use marijuana and have their own reasons to use it. Young people first try marijuana because of some common reasons. Some teenagers feel pressured by their peers to

Marijuana is the most popular illicit drug used among our teenagers in the United States. Research shows that 42% of high school seniors have smoked Cannabis, 18% within the past month and 5% smoked daily and 1 in 6 are addicts. More than 64% of teenagers reported that marijuana is very easily available (Gary). Unfortunately, some parents live in a world of denial and say “It’s not my kid. My child doesn’t smoke.” Unbeknown to us, there are unfavorable concerns for many young marijuana abusers such as the risk of addiction, poor school performances and a “gateway” to other lethal substances. Smoking marijuana increases respiratory diseases, impaired immune function, cognitive problems and motivational impairment. (National Institute on Drug Abuse). It is the leading cause of abnormal cognitive development which persists long after abstinence. Marijuana is the main drug used by children who seek emergency medical treatments and screened following an arrest or autopsies (Dennis et at).

“The earlier marijuana use begins and the heavier it becomes, the stronger the tendency to use other drugs is” (Effects of marijuana on youth 2). For instance, it introduces that among high school seniors who use marijuana daily, four times as many report daily alcohol consumption; twice as many report daily tobacco use. People don’t realize how dangerous marijuana can be; when they smoke it, they don’t think about the future consequences but only of the momentaneous pleasure it gives

One of the most similar things between marijuana and cigarettes are the reasons people use the drug. Cigarettes are used by people of all ages. Most smokers began smoking in their teens. Nine out of ten smokers started before they were eighteen. 99% of smokers started smoking before age 26 (Youth and Tobacco Use). Many young adults begin to smoke cigarettes to look cool, to be rebellious, or peer pressure. Adults smoke for many reasons as well including addiction, they say it relieves stress, to lose weight, and many others.

There have been copious amounts of research and studies relating to this topic, since the 1970s. However, to discover these long term effects, it is necessary to conduct tests, some of these requiring decades of research in order to produce valid statistics. More recently, neuroscience studies have also contributed further to the research relating to this topic, in particular, focusing on the area of the structure of the brain, due to modern technologies. Research has demonstrated that various long term issues have arisen from adolescents using cannabis. The main issues discussed in this report are the mental illnesses linked to cannabis use, the impact of cognitive function, as well as changes in brain structure, which, to an extent also affect cognitive and behavioural function. Through the research I have conducted, it has been concluded that there are many valid sources, proving that the use of cannabis in adolescents is harmful to the brain in the future.

Teenage marijuana use is at an all time high, it has been found that today’s teen marijuana smokers are doing so at extreme amounts, some even do so daily. What are the factors that cause them to start experimenting and smoking marijuana? The amounts of marijuana being smoked by today’s teenagers must have an effect on the developing teens. The minds and bodies of the teens who smoke must be facing some sort of developing issues. Marijuana is a mild drug compared to harsher drugs like cocaine, heroin, meth, etc. the users of marijuana will eventually look for a stronger and long lasting high so they will turn to these harsher and more addicting substances. The decisions that today’s teens are making to smoke marijuana might have a

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 major health issue that is seen with the use of marijuana is a loss of coordination. As a person uses the drug they begin to become slower and slower when an instantaneous reaction is required. For example, using marijuana can make it difficult for a person to simply catch a ball in the sport of baseball even if before using marijuana that same person did not have difficulty with this task. (“Marijuana”) The main ingredient in marijuana that has a negative effect on the body, specifically the brain, is THC. When the drug is inhaled it begins affecting the brain immediately. These effects include the aforementioned issue of losing certain motor functions in addition to a few other effects. One of the dangerous effects of marijuana in the more long-term spectrum is what THC does to the brain. According to “Drug Facts: Marijuana,” a recent study has shown that the use of marijuana causes a major deficit in the brain when it came to memory and learning. This effect carries into careers and lives, and therefore the legalization of marijuana in Colorado will cause an issue in the comprehensiveness of employees all over the state. The inability to comprehend and remember will be a financial and generally inconvenient strain on the economy of the state simply because employees will need to be retrained more often than if they did not use the drug marijuana. Furthermore, marijuana gives its users a sense of dizziness and sluggishness, which, if used during work or driving could

In the short-term, marijuana can cause sensory distortion, panic and anxiety, poor coordination, lowered reaction time, hallucinations, short-term memory loss, and an increase in pulse rate which also increases the risk of heart attack (Cox, 2014) (WebMD, 2014). Additionally, after the initial feeling of euphoria, the user will feel sleepy and depressed. Long-term use of marijuana can cause apathy, drowsiness, lack of motivation, personality and mood changes, as well as suppress the immune system and reduce resistance to common illnesses, and increase the number of abnormally structured cells in the body due to abnormal cell division (Foundation for a Drug-Free World, 2015). Studies have also shown that long-term marijuana use leads to structural changes in the brain (Harrah, 2014). One study showed the hippocampal volume in marijuana users was inversely correlated with cumulative exposure to the drug in the left, but not right, hemisphere. This finding suggests the left hippocampus may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of cannabis exposure and may be more closely related to the emergence of psychotic symptoms (Harrah, 2014). Careful scientific analyses have identified at least 6,000 of the same chemicals in marijuana smoke as are present in tobacco (Iversen, 2008). The main difference between the marijuana and tobacco is THC in marijuana and nicotine in tobacco (Gumbiner, 2011). Today, there are new medications and treatments that are more effective in treating diseases and illnesses than marijuana, (Bergeson,

This periodical article explains how marijuana , especially the substance 9-delta-tetrahydrocannabinol, affects the brain. The article pointed out how THC affect different body functions. According to this article, studies have revealed that there is a communication system named the endocannabinoid system that is mean how marijuana act in the body. This system is composed of a substance cannabinoid (CB) receptors that are found in many areas of the brain. That is why marijuana affects different body functions. The author affirms that when someone smokes marijuana, THC gets into the brain rapidly and attaches to cannabinoid receptors. The natural endocannabinoid (EC) system is tuned to react appropriately to incoming information. The EC system

In today’s society, the drug marijuana has become quite popular. People use marijuana to relieve stress, for anxiety or medical issues and recreationally. What many tend to ignore are the effects the drug has on the human body when used. Marijuana has a major influence on the memory part of a brain. There are many parts to a person’s memory and the use of marijuana impacts all of them. Although there are many beneficial effects of marijuana, the harmful effects of marijuana on the memory outweigh the overall benefits. Current research provides plenty of evidence that proposes that there are real effects of marijuana on memory.

Marijuana, also known as Cannabis is the third most well-liked recreational drug, which only falls behind alcohol and tobacco, in the United States (The Whitehouse, n.d.). Marijuana is made up of dried leaves, plants, stalks, and pits from the hemp plant Cannabis Sativa, which comprises of the mind-altering compound delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in addition to other associated compounds. This plant substance can correspondingly be converged in a resin called hashish or an adhesive black fluid called hash oil. Efforts to legalize marijuana for medication treatment and recreational use in the United States have grown in current years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that marijuana may perhaps

Marijuana is the most common sobriquet of cannabis, a plant indigenous to Central and South Asia. It is widely known for its psychoactive properties and its usage can be reliably traced as far back to the 3rd millennia BCE. Marijuana has been used for both recreational and medicinal purposes and, according to studies done by the United Nations, is consumed by approximately 4% of the adult population. In the United States, possession and sale of marijuana is illegal under federal law. The illegality of the marijuana, along with the piercing, negative stigma attached to it, has polarized Americans profusely for much of the 20th century up to now. Advocates of the drug heap praise on its medical benefits and stress its relative harmlessness

Young teenagers from ages 12-18 and young adults ages 18-20 have reported higher rates of marijuana use (NIDA, 2016). There are many different reasons that may explain this trend among young teenagers. For instance, peer pressure results in a lot of teens and adolescents of trying marijuana. Many people try this drug, because they want to fit in with a certain crowd. Many people who engage in marijuana usage later find themselves depending on the substance. For example, people state they