Summary: The Short Term Effects Of Marijuana

Adolescence is a time where adolescents grow and mature at a rapid rate. It is also a time where adolescents are more vulnerable to taking risks, such as using and becoming addicted to illegal substances, due to raging hormones. Whether or not an adolescent chooses to engage in drug use and abuse depends on their home environment and those they choose to associate themselves with. Adolescents are confronted with an enormous amount of pressure to participate in risky behaviors by their peers. According to Broderick and Blewitt (2015), “risky behaviors are behaviors that constitute a departure from socially accepted norms or behaviors that pose a threat to the well-being of individuals or groups” (p. 389). One such risky behavior is drug use and addiction. Some adolescents use cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and prescription drugs in order to get “high”. Adolescents who engage in drug use are likely to become addicted, and thus, their addiction will negatively affect their brain development.

Marijuana creates many short-term and long-term effects on the body and brain. Some short-term effects include: impaired memory, altered senses, changes in mood, and difficulty with problem solving. Some long-term effects include: breathing problems, reduce memory, and decrease IQ. A study from New Zealand conducted in part by researchers at Duke University showed that people who started smoking marijuana heavily in their teens and had an ongoing marijuana use disorder lost an average of 8 IQ points between ages 13 and 38. The lost mental abilities didn't fully return in those who quit marijuana as adults (National). This study can be seen as reliable evidence because it was conducted by researched from Duke University, which is a private research

Marijuana has its strongest long-term impact on young users whose brains are developing and maturing. Researchers see a decline in verbal ability as well as general knowledge in children between ages 9-12. (National Institute on Drug Abuse August

Dr. Vokow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, has also found that long term use of marijuana can affect the IQ of adolescent children in which they never recover (3). Furthermore, young people can also suffer from anxiety; depression; even thoughts of suicide.

Humans’ brain doesn’t stop developing until they reach the age of 25 years. Therefore, there are many implications that can affect the brain cell while in the process of growing, including the use of drugs. Today’s adolescents are taking marijuana as a way to experience the greatness of “chill life.” However, they are not aware of how much it is impacting their lives.

Marijuana has linked to, lack of motivation, anxiety, reduced sexual capacity, confusion, mood changes, and schizophrenia-like brain changes, however all of these effects have not been proven. A study in 1999 concluded that heavy-users of marijuana over a 15 year period had not had any negative impacts on the users intelligence. (Armentano) These facts combined together show that both drugs have an effect on the brain but neither worse than they other.

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.

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 use among high school seniors in the United States has been on the rise causing greater concerns for addiction and health concerns among teenagers. According to the CDC, in 2010, marijuana use among high school seniors rose to 21.4%, with 25.2% being male users and 16.9% being female (Health, United States, 2011, 2011). This shows a steady increase every year starting in 2007 where 18.8% of high school seniors were using marijuana, with 22.3% were male and 15.0% were female. Ages as young as 12 years old also showed the same statistical trends, even in Middle Schools.

Additionally, Marijuana has some effects on our brain in both short terms and long terms. Talking about the short terms, it not only alerted the senses it also changes in the mood. It creates difficulty with thinking and problem solving. It impaired the body movement, memory and learning. (National Institute on Drug Abuse NIDA). Whereas, the effect in brain development is one of the example of long terms effect of smoking marijuana. When marijuana user begin as teenagers, it will reduce thinking memory , and learning functions and affect how the brain make the connection between the areas necessary for its functions . These effects may last for long time or even be permanent. A study Show that people who started smoking early have low IQ

These short-term effects include hallucinations, paranoia, increased heart rate, red eyes, impaired perception and immediate happiness. When people smoke marijuana at a young age, it can negatively impact the brain structure volume and ability to perform cognitive functions which is knowledge of memory, language and decision making. Smoking marijuana can affect two parts of your brain which is the hippocampus and the frontal lobe. The hippocampus is a small organ in the brain and is involved mainly with your long-term memory. When you smoke marijuana, memory impairment occurs because THC changes how information is processed in the hippocampus. Also smoking marijuana at a young age can affect the frontal lobe because it is one of the last parts of the brain that is not done developing until the mid-20s.

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.

The article explains what marijuana is and the most common and other ways of people to input marijuana into their system. The article also gives a brief explanation of what are the short and long term effects of marijuana on the human brain, short term effects include altered sense of time, mood, impaired body movement, difficulty in thinking and solving problems and reduced memory

Individuals who consume this substance tend to lose their motor control sensors and full consciousness of their actions. Those who use marijuana experience many unpredictable symptoms, causing the extremity of the effects to fluctuate according to the dosage he/she intakes. According to Christopher Aanstoos article, “Short-term experiential effects include feelings of light-hearted well-being and euphoria; increased sensory sensitivity and appreciation; and greater awareness, creativity, insight, and sense of humor. Negative effects include difficulty with concentration, short-term memory, and motor performance skills; and feeling anxious, tense, socially awkward, and paranoid” (Aanstoos). The depth of the effects all depend on how an individual’s body reacts to the stimulant. Furthermore, marijuana contains an addictive toxin known as THC that alters the brain’s ability to process information and manage proper body function. The effects from THC vary according to potency, dosage, setting, and the individuals experience and attitude (Aanstoos). The effects that come from using marijuana coordinate with the amount he/she intakes. An individual who consumes more THC is at a higher risk of experiencing longer and stronger effects. This all corresponds with Aanstoos proceeding statement that, “Longer-term experiential effects are more speculative. Many users report that insights remained significant and even life-changing. Negative effects also have been proposed, including amotivational syndrome and an increased tendency to later use other, more dangerous drugs (the “gateway drug” theory)” (Aanstoos). Marijuana not only qualifies as an addictive drug but also as a persuasive one. The “gateway theory” means that after a person is satisfied with the sensation they obtain from marijuana, he/she will potentially go on to try dangerous more abusive drugs. Researchers seem to believe

It has been discovered that most people who struggle with drug addiction began experimenting with drugs in their teens. Teenage drug abuse is one of the largest problems in society today and the problem grows and larger every year. Drugs are a pervasive force in our culture today. To expect kids not to be influenced by the culture of their time is as unrealistic as believing in the tooth fairy (Bauman 140). Teens may feel pressured by their friends to try drugs, they may have easy access to drugs, they may use drugs to rebel against their family or society, or they may take an illegal drug because they are curious about it or the pleasure that it gives them.