The Effect Of Medical Marijuana On The Brain And Stop It All Together Essay

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

Millions are abusing marijuana every day. In fact, 1 out of 7 high school students smoke marijuana more than once a day. Marijuana is taken very lightly and is the most highly used illegal drug. For this reason, society should know its short and long term effects on the brain. Marijuana can effect these two areas emotionally or physically. Also in some cases physical damages causes the emotional response. Although most public information on drugs are funded by anti-drug organizations, hopefully we will still learn these true facts of marijuana in spite of that.

People might think smoking marijuana is cool. They might try it without knowing what it is or what affects is has on you. Once someone smokes it for the first time, they might keep doing it again and again and they could get hooked on it for life. People who use marijuana usually never use any other type of illegal drugs, but more than seven thousand five hundred people get arrested for using marijuana every year. There is a wide variety of marijuana, but they are all based off of two marijuana plants, Indica and Sativa. Marijuana is very popular in America, and all over the world. Marijuana affects the body, it can be used as medicine, and marijuana can be addictive.

A variety of studies have shown to exemplify the usefulness of marijuana, although it is still highly monitored by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Published in the American Chemical Society journal, new findings show how the active ingredient, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can inhibit amyloid -peptide, a plaque buildup that has been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, a neurological disorder that is expected to rise as the population ages.13 Furthermore, marijuana has been linked to alleviating pain for those with HIV, cancer, and arthritis, in addition to helping soldiers cope with PTSD.14 As more and more states now vote to push for legalization of marijuana for at least medicinal purposes, the new attitude towards drugs seems to be pushing scientists to create more natural, yet still effective,

In our world today, you would be hard-pressed to not have someone close to you with something as serious as cancer or Alzheimer’s disease. With cancer comes a great number of awful symptoms, but to waste away from a lack of appetite is quite common. Surprisingly, this complete lack of appetite can easily be alleviated simply by the consumption of marijuana, be it through inhalation or ingestion. The main compound in marijuana, tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, has unique properties, and it is the reason why marijuana is such an effective treatment for loss of appetite and chronic pain. Though the FDA refuses to accept THC as appropriate treatment for these symptoms, they gladly endorse Marinol, the synthetic THC. The problems with Marinol are varied, but primarily, it is not nearly as effective as cannabis for treatment, and is quite psychoactive. While marijuana itself is a psychoactive drug, Marinol is 99% THC, and as such, consuming a pill of Marinol can easily induce a psychoactive state. Users have reported to be incapacitated for days and experiencing awful hallucinations all because of this man-made THC. The research is being done, the facts are presenting themselves, state legislature is moving forward, but it is not enough. Research has been done that actually shows evidence that THC lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s, one of the most

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.

Not only are the toxic levels of alcohol much greater than those of marijuana, but the consequences of drinking long-term are far more damaging as well. Next to smoking tobacco and being overweight, drinking alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Not including all the accidents and homicides that are attributed to the use of alcohol, the number of people that suffered alcohol induced deaths was 20,687 in 2003 alone (Foland). Those who choose to drink face the risk of many different health conditions, including some cancers, liver cirrhosis, liver disease, and heart disease---not to mention the risk of physical dependency (“Alcohol vs. Marijuana”). The effects on the brain are just as detrimental. In contrast to the old myth that drinking alcohol kills brain cells, recent studies have shown that instead it prevents new cells from being made. This process of making new cells, called neurogenesis, was found to be decreased by over fifty percent in abusers of alcohol. Marijuana seems to have the opposite effect. The same study showed that the use of marijuana actually increased neurogenesis, thus increasing the making of new brain cells (Wenk). Recent studies

Found in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol other known as THC, is widely used in the medical world. THC is said to help slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. It was found that the active chemical in marijuana, THC, slows the formation of amyloid plaques. Blocking

Marijuana in the late 1960s’ had only one percent of tetrahydrocannabinol, compared to present day where Health Canada has discovered there is at least 10 percent of tetrahydrocannabinol and 30 percent in some cases. The tetrahydrocannabinol is a strong chemical and works immediately after one has inhaled it. Tetrahydrocannabinol mimics the neurotransmitter anandamide, which fills in the synapse between neurons and this disrupts the brain’s regular functions. In a normally functioning brain, anandamide activates the cannabinoid receptors but when smoking marijuana tetrahydrocannabinol activates these receptors which are in the hippocampus, cerebellum and basal ganglia. This affects the short-term memory, coordination, and learning and problem-solving skills for an individual. Brain development is also affected by the use of cannabis. Dr. Harold Kalant conducted a study in the 1980s’ with rats and cannabis use. He separated the rats into two groups; rats exposed to cannabis at adolescents and rats exposed to cannabis in adulthood. Kalant observed the rats exposed to cannabis as adolescents, had difficulty with memory and learning even after nine years of no exposure. In comparison, the rats who were adults when exposed to cannabis didn’t have long term effects. It is evident that brain development was disrupted by the use of cannabis in the growing years. Also, Dr. Andra Smith saw in her functional magnetic resonance imaging of brain activity of regular cannabis smokers and non-smokers, that the smokers had a more brain activity. She stated it was due to the brain having to work hard to “respond accurately”. It is obvious that brain function and development is harshly impacted by the use of

Would you choose to slow down your brain processes to save your life? Marijuana slows the electrical signals sent to the brain by intercepting the cannabinoid signals, typically interjecting THC in between them slowing down the brain processes down. For people who have seizures or severe panic attacks, this will break down their thought processes enough to help them get through everyday life without incident. Unfortunately, this slowdown also makes it harder to notice small details in everyday life.

"That THC could be a potential therapeutic treatment option for Alzheimer's through multiple functions and pathways" (Cao, et al, 2014).

Available scientific evidence indicate that marijuana contain a useful chemical that treats several mental disorder illnesses. The useful purpose of this drug has prompted a long standing debate as

One region of the brain that contains a lot of THC receptors is the hippocampus, which processes memory. When THC attaches to receptors in the hippocampus, it weakens short-term memory. The hippocampus also communicates with other brain regions that process new information into long-term memory. In the brain, under the influence of marijuana, new information may never register, and may be lost from memory.

There are several chemical processes involved when marijuana enters the brain, and it is important to know what these processes are in order to better understand marijuana’s adverse effects on memory. Though there are many chemicals in marijuana, there are only two main ingredients linked directly to the cognitive effects of the drug. The principal psychoactive component in cannabis is delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), it is linked to the adverse effects of the drug on various cognitive functions, including memory (Schoeler and Bhattacharyya, 2013). The second

Marijuana has been proven to help in the fight and cure of neurological diseases and disorders. Toxicologist Paul Consroe believes that THC in marijuana may help tone down the spasms that people suffer with Huntington’s disease, spinal cord injuries and other disorders. His studies show that specialized proteins that serve as docks for THC, are in regions of the brain known to play a role in movement disorders. These receptors also bind to anandamide, a marijuana-like substance manufactured by the body. In a 1986 study, Consroe showed that cannabidiol, a component of marijuana, calmed the abnormal movements of five people suffering from dystonia, a condition that makes muscle spasms that contort the body(“Marijuana as Medicine“).