Truth About Marijuana

10/21/2009

Many  people believe they know all there is to know about marijuana. However, most young people do not know what  marijuana even consists of. Marijuana is made up of dried flowers and leaves of the Indian hemp plant and creates its own chemical known as THC (tetrahydrocannadional). THC is the chemical that creates the mellow feeling sometimes bringing on sleepiness and hunger.

Marijuana is the most commonly used drug in the world. It has been estimated that in 2007 14.4 million individuals in the U.S alone had smoked marijuana on at least one occasion  during the previous month.  Marijuana is usually smoked as a cigarette or out of a pipe and at times it is even mixed in with food or brewed as tea.

Marijuana is a dangerous drug that comes with many side effects. Because  people build up a  tolerance to marijuana, a person has to continue to use more and more marijuana and can become addicted very quickly. Marijuana is considered a gateway drug that can lead a person into illicit drug use.

Marijuana has created a lot of false information amongst teens and adults in the belief that it is actually beneficial or that it's just a harmless plant.

Marijuana is usually rolled up in a cigarette called a joint or a blunt. It can also be brewed as a tea or mixed with food, or smoked through a water pipe called a bong.

Marijuana is often more potent today than it used to be. Growing techniques and selective use of seeds have produced a more powerful drug. Correspondingly, there has been a sharp increase in the number of marijuana-related emergency room visits by young pot smokers.

Because a tolerance builds up, marijuana can lead users to consume stronger drugs to achieve the same high. When the effects start to wear off, the person may turn to more potent drugs to rid himself of the unwanted conditions that prompted him to take marijuana in the first place. Marijuana itself does not lead the person to the other drugs: people take drugs to get rid of unwanted situations or feelings. The drug (marijuana) masks the problem for a while (while the user is high). When the "high" fades, the problem, unwanted condition or situation returns more intensely than before. The user may then turn to stronger drugs since marijuana no longer "works".

SHORT- TERM EFFECTS:

Loss of coordination and distortions in the sense of time, vision and hearing; sleepiness, reddening of the eyes, increased appetite and relaxed muscles; and heart rate can speed up. In fact, in the first hour of smoking marijuana, a user's risk of a heart attack could increase fivefold. School performance is reduced through impaired memory and lessened ability to solve problems.

LONG-TERM EFFECTS:

Long-term use can cause psychotic symptoms. It can also damage the lungs and the heart, worsen the symptoms of bronchitis and cause coughing and wheezing. It may reduce the body's ability to fight lung infections and illness.

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