Marijuana And Its Effects On The Human Body

Smoking marijuana, in some ways, is like smoking cigarettes. Marijuana can produce airway injury, coughing and wheezing, some of the symptoms of cigarette smoking (Marijuana). But the downfall to smoking marijuana is it contains almost 50% more benzopyrene (the cancer-causing chemical in tobacco) than a cigarette (Fact Sheet). Marijuana contains cancer causing agents and toxic particles that can lead to bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer (What to Teach Kids 3). People do not realize how much more serious the risks of smoking one joint are compared to smoking one cigarette. Studies show that someone who smokes five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day (Marijuana). The affects of smoking marijuana are much severe than smoking cigarettes.

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

Another thing that is considered health effects of smoking marijuana is being pregnant while smoking it. Use of marijuana during pregnancy may cause a high risk for brain and behavioral problems for the baby. If a pregnant woman uses marijuana, the drug may affect certain developing parts of the fetus’s brain. This may result in challenges for the child and may include problems with attention, memory, and problem-solving. Marijuana may cause women to also give birth to babies with lower birth weight, temporary poor autonomic control, particularly in terms of regulating their alertness, and a "hole in the heart"(ventricular septal defect. Additionally, some research suggests that moderate amounts of THC are excreted into the breast milk of nursing mothers. Some researchers say that although marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug among women of childbearing age, there isn't much known about the side effects of prenatal exposure to marijuana. Women who are pregnant and use marijuana may be passing the THC into the breast milk and into the baby, where it can be stored in the baby's fatty tissue for several weeks. Infants who are exposed to THC through breast milk may experience an increase in tremors, poor sucking, slow weight gain, and poor feeding in the first month of thor life. In conclusion, marijuana clearly affects the brain, heart, lungs, immune system, and

Fifth effect of using marijuana is that it causes harmful effects during pregnancy. Marijuana consists of an ingredient called THC. It is known that it passes from mother to the fetus through placenta. Hence any amount of marijuana can effect fetus and cause complications. Use of marijuana during pregnancy can also affect children reproduction and studies indicate that it effect the baby’s brain development process. Marijuana also decreases sperm quality and decreases the ability of sperm to move quickly; in addition it also changes the structure of

1. Attention, memory and learning are impaired among heavy marijuana users, even after users discontinued its use for at least 24 hours. Heavy marijuana use is associated with residual neuropsychological effects even after a day of supervised abstinence from the drug. Heavy users displayed significantly greater impairment than light users on attention/executive functions, as evidenced particularly by greater preservations on card sorting and reduced learning of word lists. These differences remained after controlling for potential confounding variables, such as estimated levels of premorbid cognitive functioning, and for use of alcohol and other substances in the two groups. However, the question remains open

Marijuana smoke is a complex mixture that has many chemical components and biological effects similar to tobacco smoke. However, it also contains some different ingredients. This suggests the strong possibility that marijuana, like tobacco, could lead to lung cancer, or create respiratory distress. ?Smoking marijuana also causes changes in the heart and circulation that are characteristic of stress? states Morgan (5). Current evidence has shown marijuana also causes some chemical changes in the brain. After exposure to this drug, there have been reports of effects on brain electrical activity in human beings and in animals. Marijuana also has been found to produce an acute brain syndrome. ?This is a more severe mental problem consisting of confusion and loss of contact with reality? stated Berger (8). The main reason that the United States Drug Enforcement Agency doesn't want marijuana use to be legalized is because there is no evidence to date that proves that marijuana is an effective drug when used for medicinal purposes. Scientists have researched this drug for twenty years and have yet to produce reliable scientific proof that marijuana has medical value. New findings show that marijuana is acutely harmful to AIDS and cancer patients because the active ingredient in marijuana acutely reduces the white blood cells that fight off infection. The United States Drug Enforcement Agency agrees with police departments that if marijuana use is legalized, crime could

Along with the negative effects marijuana has on the lungs, it also has many negative effects on the brain. Smoking marijuana causes negative effects on attention span, memory, and learning; which can last for days and even weeks after the acute effects of marijuana wear off.(“Marijuana Abuse”). Many people believe that attention span, memory, and learning are not import when they smoke marijuana. Attention span, memory, and learning are all very important in everyday life, school, and work. “THC (tetrahydocannabinol) produces

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.

Marijuana is possibly the most controversial drug to date. The drug is so controversial because of the health hazards it poses but also has shown signs of being utilized as medicine. For decades, marijuana has been used to suppress the symptoms of people with chronic pain or recovering from a different medical instance. Is this drug, a drug that has the potential to help heal but also cause more damage, a drug that should be labeled safe to use? The subject has been debated and will be debated for an unknown period of time. There is a combination of positive and negative effects on the user.

Adolescents who inject marijuana via inhalation are more likely to report symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and have increased rates of respiratory infections and pneumonia (Tarter et al., 2014). It has also been associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and transient ischemic attacks during marijuana intoxication (Tarter et al., 2014). There have been numerous studies to suggest that marijuana increases your chances of developing lung cancer, but many of these studies have been disapproved because it had included people who smoke marijuana along with tobacco products. Regardless, there have been numerous, reliable studies that suggest that the inhalation of marijuana is associated with inflammation of the large airways, increased airway resistance, and lung hyperinflation (Tarter et al., 2014).

Lungs - Smoking marijuana can cause breathing diseases, including a chronic cough, bronchitis, and emphysema, and lung

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

Just like cigarettes, “marijuana smoke is an irritant to our lungs, and anyone who smokes marijuana frequently, will no doubt have respiratory problems resulting in unwanted severe coughing and phlegm production every day, wheezing, bronchitis and greater risk of lung infection leading toward tuberculosis” (Sgambelluri). Marijuana’s long term effects can lead to a constant struggle to breathe and can lead to lung cancer. Once a person is diagnosed with cancer, their life can be in danger. Another problem marijuana can cause is that more people would try to get high. Too much of one drug can send a person to the hospital. Although marijuana has many medical drawbacks, many people throughout the United States grow, buy, and sell marijuana illegally. Marijuana is one of the most profitable drugs sold in America. Marijuana usage has become so popular that “a borough man has been charged with possessing more than $1 million in heroin, cocaine and marijuana at his Third Street home, which authorities believe was a drug factory” (Deak). This is just one of many occurrences of people having possession of the illegal drug. In today’s society, drug dealers are making and shipping drugs in whatever way they can to the customer. They will store drugs in almost

My paper is going to be about the effects of marijuana on patients as well as users who use it culturally, and people who use it for personal use. This paper will also talk about long term and short term effects on the body and how it can help people get better and sometimes make people become dependent.

Many studies have showed that marijuana smoke carcinogens and to be an irritant to the lungs. They also show deregulated growth of epithelial cells in a person’s lung tissue. When people smoke marijuana they don’t understand the pain they put themselves in.