Marijuana: How It Effects Your Body

by AdamS on August 5, 2012

Marijuana is a substance that has been used for thousands of years, and seems to have got increasingly popular as millennia has passed. There have been many disputes over whether or not cannabis is an addictive substance. The popularity and accessibility of the substance has created reason for scientists to really delve into the outcomes of extended marijuana abuse, even though it poses little danger of physical addiction or harmful withdrawal symptoms. The important thing professionals are encouraging marijuana abusers to examine is the effect that excessive and unneeded use can have on the body in the short and long term. Go to https://www.thewatershed.com/treatment/individualized-programs/dual-diagnosis/ for more information about how treatment facilities will address the co-occurring issues that might be amplified through marijuana use.

Your Mind

There has been an increased concern that excessive marijuana use is linked with the development of schizophrenia. A study published in Lancet (a leading American medical journal) found that psychotic symptoms and disorders are 40% more likely to develop in those that have used marijuana, particularly in those that use it regularly and people that have pre-existing psychotic tendencies. Marijuana use can severely impair coordination and reaction time which creates a higher risk of car accidents. The substance can also impede the memory and verbal learning of those that use it regularly; significantly affecting teens and young adults that are required to utilize high cognitive function while in school and active learning environments.

Your Immune System

One of the most commonly discussed effects of marijuana is that it can potentially aggravate or accelerate pre-existing illnesses. Natural immune mechanisms like microphages and T-cells are weakened; in turn impairing the systems’ ability to fight off infection. There is much speculation as to whether or not marijuana is a direct cause of a weakening immune system, and is primarily under question as to how it can harm illness further through the damage of its function.

Your Lungs

Marijuana has many of the same carcinogens that are in tobacco. So like heavy cigarette smokers, regular marijuana smokers can develop chronic bronchitis. Individuals are also at risk of impairment in the function of small air passages in the lungs, inflammation, as well as the potential development of cancerous abnormalities in the lining of the lungs. All of these factors can lead to a diminishing of the defensive mechanisms that are in the lungs which can cause the onset of multiple respiratory illnesses. These types of effects are likely to occur in those that smoke the equivalent of one joint a day for an extended period of time.

Marijuana might not be a physically addicting substance, but neither is fast food and it’s still bad for you in excessive amounts. If you are not using marijuana as prescribed by a doctor then you are putting yourself at risk for illnesses that can cost you your wellbeing in the future. Without written consent from a doctor, you are also using marijuana illicitly. The first offense of marijuana possession can result in up to a one year imprisonment or a minimum fine of $1000. Clearly, cannabis should be taken seriously for the possibility of destructive outcomes that can come with its abuse. Partial hospitalization may be a good option for those that are finding it difficult to quite using marijuana. Help is located at https://www.thewatershed.com/treatment/programs/partial-rehabilitation/.

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post:

Next post: