Up In Smoke
Marijuana has been around as long as 2700 B.C. There is evidence that the Chinese used the drug for treatment of rheumatism, malaria, and absent-mindedness, among other things. The Spanish brought marijuana to America in the 1500’s, and the English brought it to Jamestown in 1611. After the English bought the crop over, it was considered a principle crop. They primarily started growing the crop for the use of hemp rope. The English were uncertain of the hallucinogenic properties the crop produced when first brought to America. The recreational use for marijuana has been on the rise since the early 1900’s in America. The botanical name for marijuana is Cannabis. The cannabis is the plant that is used in order to form
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During these searches people under the influence of marijuana have experienced trouble determining what is real and what is not. They experience delusion and hear voices that are truly not there. These symptoms are rare, but do happen after someone smokes more marijuana than they would normally consume. Research shows that most people who experience these symptoms are those who are of adolescent age instead of adulthood. There is studies that prove that someone who is already susceptible for developing the mental illness, will have more of a risk of getting the disorder. This is a risk you take by using the drug recreationally. (National Institute on Drug Abuse, July 2012)
What is the affects marijuana has on the brain? Over the years there has been positive and negative affects shown of how marijuana use can affect your brain. Marijuana has been shown to be helpful to the treatment of patients with Aids, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, and chronic pain. However, research has confirmed that marijuana has harmful affects on the brain and the central nervous system. The prolonged use of marijuana has been shown to hinder the memory and movement of a person’s brain. Marijuana use invades the central nervous system by attaching to the brains neuron. It inhibits the mechanism of normal communication between the overall conductivity of the nervous system.
When someone is under the influence of
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
Smoking of marijuana can cause the person to become addicted to cocaine, heroin, and other drugs. Heavy or daily use effects the parts that control memory, attention, and learning (Facts for Teens, 13). When teens are 12 and 13 they are more exposed to drugs and most likely don’t listen to their parents (Age in Stem., 1). Some other psychological side effects would be paranoia, anxiety, fatigue, Euphoria, and mood swings (Fact Sheet, 1). Studies have shown that when a person uses marijuana it causes the heart to beat faster and work harder (Fact Sheet, 2). When people have smoked large measures of marijuana for years, the drugs takes its charge on mental functions (Facts for Teens, 13).
Cannabis. It’s been called everything from “Weed from the Devil’s Garden” to “the happy little herb”. Cannabis, which is also called Marijuana, has a known history that dates back over 10,000 years. The oldest remnant of the industry of mankind is a little piece of hemp cloth/fabric that dates back to around 8,000 B.C. (website, HIA: Resources: Education: FAQs & Facts: Facts).
According to National Institute of Drug Abuse, Marijuana is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of Cannabis sativa—the hemp plant. The marijuana is often called pot, grass, reefer, weed, herb, Mary Jane, or MJ. Most users smoke marijuana in hand-rolled cigarettes called joints, among other names; some use pipes or water
In the 1900s, weed had already had relatively long legal history in the United States. Many historians believe the Jamestown settlers were the first to introduce cannabis to the United States in 1611. Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, both grew hemp in the 1700s, which was distributed to drug stores to help cure migraines and menstrual cramps. In the beginning weed was used for recreational purposes, and still is used to aid aliments, some aliments worse than others.
“The oldest known written record on cannabis use comes from the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung in 2727 B.C. Ancient Greeks and Romans were also familiar with cannabis, while in the Middle East, use spread throughout the Islamic empire to North Africa. In 1545 cannabis spread to the western hemisphere where Spaniards imported it to Chile for its use as fiber. In North America cannabis, in the form of hemp, was grown on many plantations for use in rope, clothing and paper” (Cannabis + Coca). Marijuana used to be listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1850 until 1942 and was prescribed for numerous conditions such as labor pains, nausea, and rheumatism. Increased use of pot as an
For some people, this causes a harmless thought to snowball into a much more delusional thought, which may trigger paranoia and anxiety. While your senses are heightened users may also experience a distorted perception of time. This may happen because you can get hyper focused on your surrounding, the thoughts in your head, or even both. If your paranoia, anxiety, and distorted perception of time take over, this may, in some instances, cause blips of paranoia. This may cause users to experience hallucinations and other frightening effects. Having negative effects whilst on cannabis may leave you in a state of disarray.
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.
They are five times more likely to steal than those who do not use the drug. Some believe marijuana is a gate way drug that can lead users to consume stronger drugs to achieve the same high once marijuana no longer “works.” Cannabis has its effects both short and long term. Short term effects are loss of coordination and distortions in the sense of time, vision and hearing, sleepiness, reddening of the eyes, increase appetite and relaxed muscles. When these areas of the brain are disturbed, the user has a harder time walking and talking correctly, becoming quite clumsy. It also impacts their ability to drive which is why states like Florida, have not made the drug legal due to the fact they fear more automobile accidents. Heart rate can speed up. In fact, in the first four hours of smoking marijuana, a user’s risk of a heart attack could increase by five times. School performance is reduced through impaired memory and lessened ability to solve problems. The active ingredients in marijuana act in the part of the brain called the Hippocampus to alter the way the information is processed and how memories are formed. This blockage of memory formation can cause cognitive impairment in adulthood if use happens during adolescence. When young people start using marijuana regularly, they often lose interest and are not motivated to do their school work. Heavy pot smokers in studies scored lower than non-users on tests of memory, attention, and learning. The more they smoked the worse they did. Brain image scans of heavy marijuana smokers have revealed changes in blood flow to parts of the brain involved in memory or attention. Researches have also noted differences in the size and shape of the Thalamus, the part of the brain that’s
Marijuana affects the brain in many different ways. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) Which is the main chemical in marijuana and is what affects the brain . When Marijuana is smoked the THC goes through the lungs and is expelled into the bloodstream, it is also carried to
There are many signs of marijuana use. There are physical changes and there are changes in people's actions. Some physical changes are bloodshot eyes, faster heart rate, lack of coordination, increased cravings on snacks, and sleepiness. Some changes in someone’s actions would be
Hemp is identified as the first and oldest human agriculture crop,explained by Richard Hamilton in the 2009 Scientific American article on sustainable agriculture. Marijuana dates back all the way to 2787 BC in the writing of the CHinese emperor Shen Nung. They focused on its medication purposes; rheumatism, gout, and malaria. They ignored the intoxicating properties and thought the healing part was more important. In 1545 the spanish brought marijuana to the NEw World. The English then brought it to early JamesTown in 1611 and was grown alongside tobacco. BY 1890 Hemp became a major cash crop. Some historians say that its appearance came about during prohibition and Its recreational use was usually restricted to only jazz
It is important to distinguish between the two familiar subspecies of the cannabis plant, Warf said. Cannabis sativa, known as marijuana, has psychoactive properties. The other plant is Cannabis sativa L. (The L was included in the name in honor of the botanist Carl Linnaeus.) This subspecies is known as hemp; it is a nonpsychoactive form of cannabis, and is used in manufacturing products such as oil, cloth and fuel.
Marijuana comes from the Cannabis Sativa plant. Its discovery could have been as early as 2700 BC in China. Despite the Cannabis Sativa plant producing Marijuana it also produces hemp, which is a very useful cash crop that can produce several textile materials. Aside from hemp, Marijuana was used in America up until 1937, when it was banned by 47 states as a result of increased usage due to the 1920 amendment that
Marijuana is loaded with Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC is a dangerous drug that acts as a dopamine replacement. High exposure to THC can lead to depression and a re-wired brain. As sciencemag.org, one of the country’s leading science magazines, says in relation to marijuana