Essay on The Benefits Of Medical Marijuana

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 been used in the treatment of AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, and chronic pain ("Medical Cannabis."). Researchers have been trying to explain the negative effects that marijuana can have on the central nervous system and how it hinders memory as well. The constant reports of short-term memory loss by heavy marijuana users brings up the question, is it the most common long term effect of marijuana use? Although it is said that marijuana has many effects such as exhaustion, increased appetite, offset sense of time, and bloodshot eyes, short-term memory loss is the symptom most frequently linked with the use or ingestion of marijuana. But why? Why does using marijuana have any impact on a person’s memory at all? Countless scientists have been working tirelessly to find an answer for this question. The active ingredient in marijuana, THC, is known to attach itself to areas of the brain linked to memory. When the scientists injected lab animals with THC at Rutgers University, they found that they acted as though there was no rhythm to their thought. It affected the hippocampal circuits in the brain to produce animals that were acting normal but in a delayed or offset manor.

Marijuana is a mixture of the dried parts of the cannabis sativa hemp plant. Excessive marijuana use can lead to an addiction. The main chemical in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which moves quickly through the bloodstream and to the brain, causing mild hallucinogenic effects. THC binds with cannabdnob receptors and activates neurons, which causes adverse effects on the mind and body. THC can mimic or block actions of neurotransmitters and interfere with normal functions. Marijuana use can lead to disturbed thoughts and can worsen psychotic symptoms. The short-term effects of marijuana include impaired coordination; skewed sensory and time perception; difficulty with thinking; shortened attention span and distractibility; impaired learning and memory. Long term users of marijuana often experience lowered motivation and some can experience anxiety, panic attacks, respiratory illness, and increased heart rate and risk of heart attack.

Cannabis has copious amounts of effects on your body and brain. The effects range from bad all the way to good. Negative effects of cannabis may include anxiety, paranoia, and lowered reaction time, increased heart rate, distorted sense of time, and in some cases, psychosis. Cannabis does have positive effects for people with illnesses including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and many more. For teens, however, there is an increase of cannabis’ negative effects on the brain. This may include decreased brain activity, decreased neurons, trouble thinking and focusing, and a higher rate of dropping out of high school. Chronic users of cannabis may become dependent on it. It can also increase your rate of respiratory problems,

This effect can last up to several hours after the drug has been smoked (National Institute on Drug Abuse ). The brain is another thing affected by smoking marijuana, leading to loss of memory in the brain. The nervous system also is affected when using this drug (National Institute on Drug Abuse). Loss of memory and the effects it has on the nervous system alone should raise concern for the American people. Continuing on with heath issues associated with the use of marijuana, it is proven to impair the immune system and can also promote tumor growth (Taylor). The immune system is essential to keep healthy because this is what fights off other illnesses within the body. Increased risk of lung cancer, and cognitive difficulties all can be associated with the use of marijuana (Wilbur). Research has proven smoking marijuana affects health several ways; even though most have been discussed take a look at the following chart, it will help visualize some health issues that are associated with smoking marijuana.

When I say short term, I mean damages that can restore to normal. Most symptoms from heavy usage vanish in about a year and a half of clean time. Although, not ever exactly back to normal relatively emotional and memory abnormalites are restored. The more evident short term effects though leave in about one full month. Since the more severe effects go away in one month one can see the potential for a problem in a weekend smoker. In cases of consistent use, about twice a week or less results in keeping the users of ever really being sober. The brain is one third fat. Cannabinoids are fat soluble and not only do they collect in brain cells, but they also accumulate in billion of other cells in the body and are consistently being released into the blood stream. In the case of moderate twice a week use, before half of the cannabinoids that are are being stored new cannabinoids are being introduced. The cannabinoid release process is very slow and if there is continued use, it can make the user "always stoned." Maybe not all of the effects of intoxication will be evident, but noticeable differences in thinking and talking are evident. It takes marijuana about 2 to 4 weeks to get out of your system. As much as one third of our youth are smoking marijuana 1 to 3 times a week. If these statements are both is true then 1/3 of youth also should have the problem of always being stoned.

     Long-term effects of alcohol are liver cirrhosis, stomach ailments, impotence, vitamin deficiency, increased stroke risk, decreased mental performance, heart disease, peptic ulcers, hepatitis, and various forms of cancer. Alcohols effects on the brain are loss of coordination, poor judgment, slowed reflexes, distorted vision, memory lapses, and even blackouts. Long-term effects of marijuana are mouth, throat, and lung cancer, increased heart rate, decrease in testosterone levels for men, increased testosterone levels for women, diminished sexual pleasure, increased blood pressure, increased stress, decreased motivation, and respiratory problems. The THC in marijuana damages the nerve cells in the part of the brain where memories are formed, making it hard to remember things.

Many could argue that marijuana is destructive physically as well as mentally. “The National Institute on Drug Abuse says marijuana can cause heart irregularities, lung problems, and addiction” (Welch). “One joint can be just as damaging to [the lungs] as smoking at least

This propaganda led to 27 states passing marijuana restriction laws. The Marijuana Tax Act, which would make use of marijuana a criminal offense, was introduced in April of 1937. The two congressional hearings combined totaled less than one hour. Oddly enough, these hearings were bases solely on the propaganda of the media. When the American Medical Association (AMA) came forward to state, among other things, that there was no proof that marijuana was at all harmful and that prohibiting the drug would severely compromise physicians' abilities to utilize the therapeutic qualities of the plant, AMA Legislative Council Dr. William C. Woodward was told:

     Short-term memory is very important in our everyday lives. It is what allows people to remember many various things such as, phone numbers, directions to a friends house, and so on. Short-term memory impairment is fairly obvious with marijuana users. Many of the times users frequently forget the beginning of a conversation, or even the beginning of a sentence, but regularly they are still able to complete what they were saying without any knowledge of the topic (Tart, 2001). It is still unknown why this happens, but it is feasible that it relates back to the problem of too much information being processed faster then usual, allowing for distractions to take over the person’s mind, making them forget what they were originally talking about.

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 does have side effects. Your body and mind be relaxed to the point that you can be in your own world. It can cause a person to be paranoid and temporary loss of memory. Marijuana can also have hyperphagia, which is excessive hunger. Medical marijuana can make a person lazy. Medical marijuana can help people with insomnia because it can help a person sleep. Marijuana can make a person be alert and in some people, marijuana can help a person function and think things clearer like dealing with psychological problems depending on the person.

Many people when they think of Marijuana, better known as weed, think of partying and having fun. Some may even think of the pharmaceutical uses of this herb but very few people truly know the destructive capabilities of this drug. Marijuana has been known to cause a multitude of harmful effects to not only the brain of the user but their body as well. Marijuana can even cause these damaging effects to those simply around the user of this drug. It is true that some medical uses for marijuana have been discovered and verified but the dangers of this drug far out weight any and all beneficial uses for it. Such has been agreed on by most all pharmaceutical companies and doctors in the nation.

One negative effect of marijuana is short term memory loss. A person may be doing something, or about to do something but completely end up forgetting what they were doing. For example they may be really “stoned” and get hungry so they get a hot pocket and put it in the microwave for two minutes, in the mean time they go sit on the couch and watch television while their food is getting ready, but end up forgetting about the food and thirty minutes later do the same thing as before and go to heat up a hot pocket, but boom they open the microwave and there is the hot pocket from earlier that they completely forgot about.

Marijuana affects brain development, especially if overused as a teen. A study showed an average decrease of 8 points in people ages 13-38 if they abused marijuana as a teen. People who have abused marijuana often have a hard time making connections or remembering things. It impairs both thinking and learning. Sometimes the damage is permanent and other times the person can overcome the problems. Other problems Marijuana smokers have are things like: