Fact Sheet on Effects of Marijuana on the Body

Marijuana can also hurt a person?s immune system. People who smoke marijuana are more susceptible to getting sick because their bodies are not as healthy. A person?s body is not fully capable of fighting off viruses, bacteria, fungi and protazoa (Fact Sheet). One of the main chemicals in marijuana is THC, or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. THC is what damages the white blood cells in a person?s body (Marijuana). ?Marijuana use suppresses the production of white blood cells (the cells that fight infection and disease)? (What to Teach Kids 4).

THC disrupts the nerve cells in the part of the brain where memories are formed. This makes it hard for the user to recall recent events (such as what happened a few minutes ago), and so it is hard to learn while high. A working short-term memory is required for learning and performing tasks that call for more than one or two steps. Some studies show that when people have smoked large amounts of marijuana for many years, the drug takes its toll on mental functions. Among a group of long-time heavy marijuana users in Costa Rica, researchers found that the people had great trouble when asked to recall a short list of words (a standard test of memory). People in that study group also found it very hard to focus their attention on the tests

Thesis Statement: Marijuana has been regarded as a harmful plant that can endanger lives and is thought to be nothing more than an extra problem to be dealt with in today’s society. However, based on its economic value and medical benefits, the cannabis has proven to outweigh its negatives with numerous other positives.

Also, marijuana can be seen as being addictive in nature. “Approximately 9% of individuals that use marijuana become addicted” (Marijuana Statistics). Marijuana contains many chemicals, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which can cause many positive and negative effects to the human body and brain. A major attribute for medical marijuana is the economic advantages that are produced from the distribution of the drug. Also, the legalization of medical marijuana can portray positive and negative outcomes for law enforcement. Therefore, medical marijuana has many positive effects, such as treatment for diseases, and negative effects, such as immune system suppression. Throughout this research paper, medical marijuana will be thoroughly explained to exemplify the advantages and disadvantages of legalizing the

people who smoke marijuana 27 out of 30 days, critical skills related to attention, memory, and

The increased use of marijuana within the last two years has been noted among many college students around the United States. Marijuana is a drug that is transformed, combined, and used in many ways. Marijuana is one of leading drugs used among college students according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). It was hypothesized that greater usage of marijuana would be associated with lower memory scores. Eighty college students completed the survey- questionnaire. There was a significant negative relationship between the reported marijuana use and scores on the logical memory test, r (78) = -.92, p=.00. A Pearson correlation analysis indicated that a higher degree of reported marijuana use was related to lower logical memory test scores, therefore my hypothesis was accepted.

In 2006, A Drug Free World's "The Harmful Effects of Marijuana” emerged in the media. ADFW reasons that marijuana is harmful in numerous ways, including cerebral damage and debilitation to the immune system. Throughout the article, they also try to persuade the reader that cannabis is a "gateway drug" that undoubtedly leads the users into much harder drugs. When reading this article, one must consider that research to support anything can be found if one searches hard enough, but without a doubt the fallacy of their conclusion is due to their research seeking facts to support an already-assumed conclusion. Consequently, I have found that many of their points simply do not justify their conclusion.

Marijuana is a drug that divides people. Some people claim it as the wonder drug of the '90s, capable of relieving the symptoms of many serious illnesses. Others curse the day the cannabis plant was ever discovered. From pain relief to stimulating the appetites of patients on chemotherapy, marijuana seems to have plenty going for it as a medicine. The legalization of marijuana is a large controversy in many parts of the world today, but the obvious negative effects that the drug induces has kept it from being legalized. Many researchers have a strong positive attitude towards marijuana. It has been said that the drug is “worth investigating and even providing as a medicine for pain relief, severe

The effects of marijuana have been examined in several studies that focused on long-term structural differences, cognitive impairments, prenatal risks and neural functioning deficits. Long-term structural abnormalities include reductions in the volume of the hippocampus, amygdala and nucleus accumbens, where these structures also exhibited changes in density and shape. Participants in several studies showed impairment in memory, learning, concentration, coordination, as well as decreased motivation. Marijuana has addictive properties and has dramatically increased in potency over the last decade, which has led to an increase in marijuana-related fatal car accidents and to an increase in emergency room visits. On the contrary, the non-psychoactive

Alongside with detrimental effects to physical and mental health, the use of marijuana compromises a person’s education as well. Regular users of marijuana are diagnosed with the inability to learn and retain information. The use of marijuana impairs the ability to focus, sustain and shift attention (Top Ten Reasons Not to Legalize ‘Medical’ Marijuana). Long-term users also face a problem with the inability to organize, combine and process complex information. A study that was

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.

T/F - marijuana affects your memory and those effects can last days or weeks after you stopped smoking. True

Interestingly enough, new research is introduced every year on the effects of marijuana. Most information already exists on alcohol because of it being popular and legal for a number of centuries. The similarities and differences of the drugs are quite astonishing after being analyzed closely. Although, their method of consumption, physiological effects, and related health risks need to be taken into account in order for people to live safely in a world where these drugs and harsher ones

Marijuana continues to be the most widely used drug in the Western Hemisphere, its cognitive effects robustly revolve around memory. There have been many studies done on the chemical effects that marijuana has on the brain centers concerned with memory and learning. There are more productive studies relating to the effects of cannabis on short-term memory that show different memory processes effected by this drug. Though there is not much knowledge on the effects the drug has on long-term memory due to suspected confounds that temper with the process of collecting proper data, there have been studies showing lasting effects in adolescents and chronic users (Schoeler and Bhattacharyya, 2013). More research should be done on the long-term processes in order to better understand the lasting effects of cannabis use. Marijuana causes these adverse effects on memory by first altering chemical processes in the brain.

Marijuana is the third most popular recreational drug in America following alcohol and tobacco. It is most commonly smoked out of a pipe, or rolled like a cigarette. The active ingredient in marijuana that causes the “high” followed by smoking it is delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC for short. This is the most common perception of individuals who encounter the drug but what is failed to be considered