Marijuana Health Benefits

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).

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.

On the other hand there are those who believe marijuana is detrimental to the health of those who use it. The National Institute on Drug Abuse for believes that marijuana use has many long- and short-term implications. These implications include increased heart rate during use, respiratory issues including a possibility heightened lung infections and frequent chest illness, and finally long time use can lead to mental illness.

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

There are many myths about marijuana saying that it is bad for ones health. This does not stand to be true considering smoking marijuana has not been linked to any kinds of cancer. The carcinogens in cigarette smoke are much more harmful than the carcinogens in marijuana smoke. In the article “Marijuana Has Been Used for Centuries and Is Relatively Safe” Paul Armentano states:

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

In American Marijuana is becoming a popular drug with over 100 million people using it . Marijuana is known for being “safe” and “harmless” to a person's health. Upon looking closer at the fact you’ll find this is not true. In fact Marijuana has severe short term and long term effects. According to www.drugabuse.gov some of the short term affects are altered senses, mood changes, impaired movement, difficulty thinking, and impaired memory. In addition to this long term effects are Breathing problems, increased heart rate, and problems with child development during and after pregnancy. To go into more detail Marijuana can affect breathing because the smoke irritates the lung which causes coughing better known as a smokers

Marijuana over stimulates the parts of the brain that contain the highest number of receptors and can also affect the way the brain develops. When people use marijuana they can potentially impair their thinking, memory, and learning functions that can in turn affect how their brain

“Smoking marijuana can irritate the lungs and lead to breathing problems like cough, excess mucus, bronchitis, and the worsening of conditions like asthma and cystic fibrosis, but it is not clear if smoking marijuana is linked to lung cancer.” (Marijuana: Health Effects of Recreational and Medical Use). “Marijuana used during pregnancy can harm a baby’s brain development” (Marijuana: Health Effects of recreational and Medical

Medical marijuana has many negative effects to different parts of the human body. Although the drug is shown to reduce pain, other side effects exist as the drug targets essential parts of the body. Addiction specialist and author of the New York Times Newspaper article Rebecca Drayer explains, “Recent research shows that marijuana has detrimental effects on the brain, lungs, heart and fertility…false impression that there is a medical need for marijuana confuses and misleads a poorly

Marijuana can be very harmful. If this drug is misused, then there can be serious side effects. Marijuana can also be very addicting, and can lead to

Most college students cease to believe that smoking marijuana is just as harmful as tobacco or other illicit drugs. In actuality, marijuana has a high level of carcinogens, as well as carbon monoxide, which makes the heart work harder to deliver oxygen to deprived tissues. The same health issues that arise from smoking tobacco such as, emphysema, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems can also be brought on by smoking marijuana.

marijuana is no longer the "Devil's Weed" it was once thought to be, its long-term effects

     The physical effects of marijuana use, particularly on developing adolescents, can be acute. The emotional development of adolescent users may be interrupted. Scientists feel heavy doses during adolescent damages emotional and intellectual development a

Besides causing cancer, other long-term side effects can occur. Flu like symptoms can occur that includes eating disorders, chronic bronchitis, and mood swings that may not dissipate for up to 18 months. There is also the psychological effect that marijuana has on the user. Many studies have shown that long time users who tried to quit could not do so, not necessarily because of a powerful withdrawal like that of crack cocaine, but because they missed the actual "high" that marijuana offered. The "high" is actually causing mental problems as well. Studies done have shown that pot smoking can cause short term memory loss, as well as creating a sort of "fog" in the mind of the user. More serious mental effects include depression and suicide. As one doctor's journal stated: “It is generally agreed that there is a progressive increase in depressed mood from abstainer to substance user and a corresponding increase in suicide attempts.”(Joy, 13) A final problem that