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HOW DOES MARIJUANA AFFECT THE BRAIN?
Biology 202
2004 First Web
Paper
On Serendip
HOW DOES MARIJUANA AFFECT THE BRAIN?
AKUDO EJELONU
Pot, weed, grass, ganja and skunk, are some of the common words used to describe the dried leaves drug known as marijuana. Marijuana is a cannabis plant that is "usually smoked or eaten to entice euphoria." (1). Throughout the years, there has been research on the negative and positive effects of marijuana on the human body and the brain. Marijuana is frequently beneficial to the treatment of AIDS, cancer, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, and chronic pain. However, researchers such as Jacques-Joseph Moreau have been working to explain how marijuana has harmful affects on the functions of central nervous system and hinders the memory and movement of the user's brain. The focus of my web paper is how the chemicals in marijuana, specifically cannabinoids and THC have an effect on the memory and emotions of a person's central nervous system.
Marijuana impinges on the central nervous system by attaching to brain's neurons and interfering with normal communication between the neurons. These nerves respond by altering their initial behavior. For example, if a nerve is suppose to assist one in retrieving short-term memory, cannabinoids receptors make them do the opposite. So if one has to remember what he did five minutes ago, after smoking a high dose of marijuana, he has trouble. Marijuana plant contains 400 chemicals and 60 of them are cannabinoids, which are psychoactive compounds that are produced inside the body after cannabis is metabolized or is extorted from the cannabis plant. Cannabinoids is an active ingredient of marijuana. The most psychoactive cannabinoids chemical in marijuana that has the biggest impact on the brain is tetrahydrocannibol, or THC. THC is the main active ingredient in marijuana because it affects the brain by binding to and activating specific receptors, known as cannabinoid receptors. "These receptors control memory, thought, concentration, time and depth, and coordinated movement. THC also affects the production, release or re-uptake (a regulating mechanism) of various neurotransmitters."(2) Neurotransmitters are chemical messenger molecules that carry signals between neurons. Some of these affects are personality disturbances, depression and chronic anxiety. Psychiatrists who treat schizophrenic patient advice them to not use this drug because marijuana can trigger severe mental disturbances and cause a relapse.
When one's memory is affected by high dose of marijuana, short-term memory is the first to be triggered. Marijuana's damage to short-term memory occurs because THC alters the way in which information is processed by the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation. "One region of the brain that contains a lot of THC receptors is the hippocampus, which processes memory."(3) Hippocampus is the part of the brain that is important for memory, learning, and the integration of sensory experiences with emotions and motivation. It also converts information into short-term memory. "Because it is a steroid, THC acts on the hippocampus and inhibits memory retrieval."(4) THC also alters the way in which sensory information is interpreted. "When THC attaches to receptors in the hippocampus, it weakness the short-term memory,"(5) and damages the nerve cells by creating structural changes to the hippocampus region of the brain. When a user has a high dose of marijuana, new information does not register into their brain and this may be lost from memory and they are not able to retrieve new information for more than a few minutes. There is also a decrease in the activity of nerve cells.
There are two types of memory behavior that is affected by marijuana, recognition memory and free cells. Recognition memory is the ability to recognize correct words. Users can usually recognize words that they previous saw before smoking but claim to recognize words that they did not previously see before smoking. This mistake is known as memory intrusions. Memory intrusions are also the consequence of THC affecting the free cell of the brain. "Marijuana disrupts the ability to freely recall words from a list that has been presented to an intoxicated subject."(6) For example, if a list of vocabulary words presented to the intoxicated subject and few minutes later, they have to recall the words that were on the list. The only words that they remember are the last group of words and not the words that are in the beginning of the list. This is an initiation that their memory storage has been affected. "The absence of an effect at short term delay times indicates that cannabinodis did not impair the ability to perform the basic task, but instead produce a selective learning and/or memory deficit."(7) I did a study with two college students (Student A and Student B) who both smoke marijuana every other week. This particular study was done an hour before, while and after they were under the influence of the drug. Student A was watching television before she smoked marijuana, was asked which advertisement was splayed before the show started and she got four out of five of her answers correct. After this first section, she smoked a small dose of marijuana twice within an hour. Fifteen minutes after she smoked her last blunt, she continued her regular activity of watching sitcoms. When a commercial would come on, I would ask her simple questions like what happened before the show went to a commercial break. Her responses would be macro-answers about what was going on but when I asked her what the main character was wearing, she did not remember. This was ironic because the protagonist wore a bright yellow suit that my friend commenting on earlier when the show began ten minutes ago. Her short-term memory is weakening because she was only able to remember big picture information and not small picture. Though the results are interesting, I know that I would have had different response on someone else because it depends on how often the user smokes and if they have good memory prior to smoking weed.
Marijuana also impairs emotions. When smoking marijuana, the user may have uncontrollable laughter one minute and paranoia the next. This instant change in emotions has to do with the way that THC affects the brain's limbic system. The limbic system is another region of the brain that governs one's behavior and emotions. It also "coordinates activities between the visceral base-brain and the rest of the nervous system."(8) I am now going to use Students B to describe how emotions are affected by marijuana. Students B is an articulate and well spoken young woman who has a troublesome relationship with her best friends which gets her upset and tense up. But after she smoked one high dose weed, her body was relaxed however, she had trouble formulating her thoughts clearly and would talk in pieces and was jubilant. It has been researched that a person needs to have high dose of marijuana would be in the state of euphoria. High dose of marijuana is measured as "15mg of THC can cause increased heart rate, gross motor disturbances, and can lead to panic attacks."(9) Thankfully, Student A did not experience any of these extreme examples.
College students usually smoke marijuana because they are stressed over schoolwork and feel that marijuana can help them unwind. I have encountered marijuana smokers who are chilled and have no worries in the world but after the effect of the drug wears off, they're sometimes capable to tacking their problem or at the original state that they were in before the drug. The effects of happiness that marijuana usually cause to the user is not a lasting effect because even though a user smokes weed to get away from the troubles of his/her own life, they still have to face these problems after the effects of the drug wears-off. In a survey with college student, an organization called, parents: the Anti-Drug interviewed college students and found that "compared to the light users, heavy marijuana users made more errors and had more difficulty sustaining attention."(10) This was evident through my second experiment with Student B but not everyone who smoke high doses of marijuana experience the same affect.
The chemicals in marijuana bring cognitive impairment and troubles with learning for the user. "Smoking [marijuana] causes some changes in the brain that are like those caused but cocaine, heroin, and alcohol. Some researchers believe that has changes may put a person more at risk of becoming addicted to other drugs such a cocaine and heroin."(11) To prevent such harm, one must be cautious of their actions. Those who do not do drugs do not risk harm. So please the next day you light up, remember you that you central nervous system and brain will be at risk.
2)Marijuana: The Brain's Response to Drugs, A Good Web Source
3)Mind Over Matter: Marijuana Series, A Good Web Source
4)Alcohol Addiction & The Limbic System, A Good Web Source
5)Marijuana: The Brain's Response to Drugs, A Good Web Source
6)Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Learning and Memory Impairments Produced by Cannabinoids, A Good Web Source
7)Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Learning and Memory Impairments Produced by Cannabinoids, A Good Web Source
8)Marijuana and the Brain by John Gettman. High Times, March, 1995, A Good Web Source
9)Alcohol Addiction & The Limbic System, A Good Web Source
10)Parents. The Anti-Drug. -- Drug Information, A Good Web Source
11)Marijuana: Marijuana Brain Effects, A Good Web Source
Comments made prior to 2007
I smoked pot straight now since I was 13 years old Im
25 now I smoke it everyday literally through a Bong. I do not smoke
well im at work but as soon as im off and for the remainder of the
evening till I end up going to bed I do smoke. Now I read your page
about the effects pot has on short term memory and brain function,
Since I started smoking pot my asthma has vanished my grades went up in
school my mind learns at quicker rates and my short term memory is far
from gone There isnt much I forget about, unless it is because of my
selective memory. Were the people that you tested on already marijuana
smokers and also there are diff things to be taken into consideration
when testing a substance for example the way it was grown marijuana has
to be grown with nutrients and fertalizers to become potent enough to
smoke for a high but when people use these fertilizers and such they
sometimes do not leech the foods out from the plants which could lead
to all kinds of bad side effects Im wondering if this kind of
inforamtion is taken into consideration when giving test subjects
marijuana to smoke or ingest.
I have no side effects other than a burnt out feeling after smoking all
nite, and in teh morning of course but no brain problems like teh ones
your website describes ... Chris, 7 July 2006
Yeah...i disagree on a lot of things that you have to say about this. Like for one some of the things you mentioned only happen while you're high, but after the high goes away those things do as well. Marijuana is not addicting like other hard drugs or alcohol. Also marijuana helps people with ADD, makes them focus better, and sometimes learn better. Sometimes when you smoke your nerves are more dull, but sometimes they can be more alive, so to speak. You need to know that everybody reacts to marijuana differently. So these test that your doing don't go for everybody. You need to let people know that or else thats kind of false information. Something that really got to me is when you were talking about how people do it to relax and get their mind of things and once the highs gone all the problems come back. Well once again everybody reacts differently to marijuana. A lot of people when there high talk a lot about there problems and life in general. What I'm getting at here is that while their high they can figure out there problems because being high brings you into a new type of world and you think about everything more carefully. It's like it opens up your brain and lets you think more into your thoughts and about whats going on. A lot of times they can solve their problems like that, especially when there is someone there with them to talk to. Marijuana also brings people together. I know someone who hated a bunch of people, but then one day ended up smoking with them. Next thing she knew, they were all the best of friends. I know a group of people and within that group you've got your "gangster" type, Punk type, goth type, preppy type, hick type, and the list just keeps going. All of them probably wouldn't even talk if it wasn't for marijuana bringing them together. I have a lot more to say but, I'm not going to because I have pretty much proved my point. Also marijuana brings the creativeness out in people. Some of the greatest authors, poets, music artist, painters, and so on, get their great ideas or create there masterpieces by being high.
P.S I would also like to add that I am a chronic user and I could remember your whole entire report on it. I also have excellent grades in school, in fact better than when I didn't smoke. I also would just like to add one more thing: You will not understand or ever be able to know how or what marijuana does to you unless you do it yourself. Trust me I once was all anti-marijuana and always said that it does all these bad things to you and blah blah blah. Well now I actually know how it really does make people feel because I have experienced it and everything there is in that type of world.
P.S.S I do agree with a few things that you had to say ... Jen, 9 November 2006
Hi, I really found this information very useful because it IS a misconvention among most of the college/university goers that marijuana increases concentration and increases the work capacity of an individual. I personally believe that it DOES increase the work capacity of the abuser to some extent, that's when the drug abuser is not in a "stoned" state of mind, but then too, what is at stake is the brain and central nervous system malfunctioning, which degrades the intellectual, job and social skills. So in my opinion, it's not a good deal ... Ankur Gupta, 25 February 2007
allright tell me something if you say a list of say 20-30 vocabulary words and you were asked to read them over, then you were asked say 5 minutes later to remember as many of those words as you can, do you really think you'll be able to do that? no i bet if you asked 100 people to do that that around 90% of them wouldnt be able to do it.
also riddle me this batman, how many people die each year from drunk driving accidents? now dont im pretty sure you've been drunk, and maybe once smoked pot in your life right? well which had a more sever affect the weed or the alcohol? yeah the alcohol!
im a stoner i will proudly say that. but if i have the choice between alcohol and weed i'd take weed anyday. i've driven high that isnt a problem. when im high i drive a little slower then normal and im lookin for the nearest 7-11.
weed isnt a drug it has no addictive characteristics what so ever!!! ciggaretes kill more people then alchol,guns,and pissed off husbands who come home early.
now weed doesnt lead to other drugs what so ever, i've been smokin the stuff everyday for the past 4 years and i have yet to even think about trying other drugs. if mother nature didnt want us to smoke it she wouldnt have put it here!
its as simple as that!! ... Reader on the web, 21 July 2007
Hello, I was told about this site as a friend of mine was completing a research paper. As I looked over it, there seems to be lots of misinformation involved, and my friend has abandoned this site. I wouldn't mind if you read through all of my message carefully. To start off, the following statement is not backed by any scientific evidence what so ever. "Marijuana impinges on the central nervous system by attaching to brain's neurons and interfering with normal communication between the neurons." This has been proven to be false on multiple occasions since the 1970's. Cannabinoids to not not impinge on the nervous system what so ever, this isn't lysergic acid we're dealing with. "Marijuana plant contains 400 chemicals and 60 of them are cannabinoids" This quote right here is misleading. Every plant is comprised of hundreds of chemicals. In fact, they're not even chemicals, they're just substances that comprise the plants' structure. Also, the majority of cannabinoids that are also found in cannabis are produced by the body naturally. Also regarding cannabinoid receptors. "These receptors control memory, thought, concentration, time and depth, and coordinated movement. THC also affects the production, release or re-uptake (a regulating mechanism) of various neurotransmitters." This is simply false, I do not know where this source came from. Your brain does not use cannabinoid receptors for memory, thought, or concentration. Next,saying that "When one's memory is affected by high dose of marijuana, short-term memory is the first to be triggered." is also blatantly false. Marijuana does not directly impact memory, but short term memory only when high off of THC or CBD is affected because the user may be 'distracted' if you will from the plant it self. Also, referring to a 'high dose' of marijuana is ridiculous. There is no such thing as a high dose of Cannabis because there is no possible way to overdose. It is strictly impossible. The most obnoxious quote that i've read from this site is, "Marijuana also impairs emotions. When smoking marijuana, the user may have uncontrollable laughter one minute and paranoia the next." I cannot believe that this would even be published. MARIJUANA DOES NOT CHANGE A USERS STATE OF MIND. PEOPLE CAN MAKE THE SAME RATIONAL DECISIONS AS THEY WOULD WHEN NOT USING THE PLANT. PERIOD. I am actually appalled by what I've read here, and I'm even more appalled by the sources you've used. Unlike true informational sites, you've only used web sources. That is completely absurd. If you look at any reasonable fact site about Cannabis you will see that the sources that are used are mainly from published books and factual citations. Please realize that much of what is on this web page is completely false and misleading. I wouldn't mind hearing a response soon to defend your case ... Spiros Thomas, 7 November 2007
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| This paper reflects the research and thoughts of a student at the time the paper was written for a course at Bryn Mawr College. Like other materials on Serendip, it is not intended to be "authoritative" but rather to help others further develop their own explorations. Web links were active as of the time the paper was posted but are not updated. |
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Comments
marijuana?
i love it. it makes the world a better place.
ya
right on man i been smokin this weed since i was 8 well started any way i get hi evtry day ow i thik weed is gods gift to us and it sucks that givernment doesnt legalies it
Weed does affect you overall mental status
Ok i'm 17 and i've smoked weed for about 3 years, after quitting for a year and then starting to smoke again, i've recently started having panic attacks a severe anxiety constantly, i've also been having feelings of detachment and depersonalization. I've also developed depression. I was a chronic user who smoked numerous times a day. I would not recommend this drug to anyone, even if you just want to try it. The short term good effects of the drug arent worth the long term psychological and emotional effects.
hey
how long has it been lasting on you iv been finding it hard to breathe after 3 days? :(
love it
i love to smoke pot i read all these posts and it means nothing if i want to smoke pot i will i dont care if its going to kill me i bet u smoke ciggys they will kill u as it seems if u do pretty much anything in this world its going to kill you
smoke bowls all the time it filters out some of the bad stuff
btw been smoking every day for a year no side effects once my buzz is gone im back to the old me ready for more bongs
my husband smokes
My husband smokes weed. I can see the effects of it on him. He gets incredibly depressed and incredibly edgy. He is 27. The effects were'nt bad in him before we got married, so i thought it was okay. Now, he is trying to stop and the effects are showing allot more. I was really worried when he was so down the other day, then after a puff or two, he started laughing. I find it so hard to deal with. I dont know what to say, and when to say what. I just am hoping he quits in good time. I am nearly 30, and I do want a family. But I cant have a family until I know our kids can have a stable father. I cannot do anything about it. I dont want him to resent me for asking him to stop later. Should I stay or should I go.
Should I stay or should I go?
If you can't decide and it's YOUR life, how are people on the Internet supposed to help? What worked for them may not work for you, there's no single answer to any problem in life let alone drug use/abuse. Even a shrink would need to know more than what you've given us to go on. If he's genuinely giving it a go to give up he'll more than likely get depressed, my advice is exercise and healthy diet, that makes you feel good if you give it enough of a chance (like more than a week lol), I recommend weight training. It worked for me and I was coming off a multitude of drugs hallucinogens, opiates, amphetamines, coke/crack and other crap. It was a painful process and there were times when I felt suicidal, but in those times when I couldn't drag myself out of bed to exercise or do something I'd pick up my guitar and play some music, learn new tunes, enjoy playing old ones and listen to other people's music when I didn't want to play.
When I'm depressed I usually start by listening to a depressive tune so that it doesn't just get on my nerves, and have my play-list grow progressively more uplifting until it pulled me up from my sorrow a bit, sometimes it worked sometimes not so much. Sometimes if you don't feel like doing anything at all it helps to just do something anyway even if you don't want to, just pushing yourself to do anything at all helps.
I smoked 1/4 ounce a day on average, sometimes more - it helped in those gaps between fixes of harder drugs and helped a lot when going clean of everything (smoked around 1/2 ounce a day when I kicked the other stuff), and then I had to kick the weed too, I got down from that much to just a joint at night so I could sleep in 6 months, and in 3 more I got to smoking a single skin per day (for sleep) and from there I used codeine (mild opiate) to get to sleep, and stopped the weed completely, kicking the codeine from there was a piece of cake, the codeine step can me missed completely, I just couldn't sleep and in truth liked the weed too much to kick it.
Yeah that's another ramble from me lol, if you really aren't happy and he's not making enough of an effort then it's left with you to choose to boot him or not, if I were you I wouldn't even bother weighing up the pros and cons or even thinking "am I happy", just think "am I particularly unhappy?", because I don't know anyone who's actually happy, happiness isn't a natural human state, it's a passing feeling - that's why people do drugs, it makes them happy, and the key is moderation and variation.
please. just let go. if you
please. just let go. if you will stay and you will have kids with him, you are not only putting your life in miserable and so is yur future child. dont wait for that to happen. if you stay and have kids with him next thing you know your kid is smoking too. scary huh. but im dead serious. dont be selfish. you will find a better man than him and you will have a better life with non smoking weed husband.
well in this cause if your
well in this cause if your husband is trying to quit. the safest way with out all the emotion is to gradually cut back. for instance if he is smoking say 3-4 grams a day cut him back every week .5 grams from his daily does. his mood swings will stabalize as long as he gets a small dosage each day. all depends on how much he smokes daily and how often he smokes if you post his daily intake i can calculate a plan for u to fallow but will need updates on his emotional swings. cold turkey only works for single men, men in relationships tend to stress out easier
Ramblings...
Does he feel guilty about it? I was struggling with guilt, because it's illegal, however the benefits are good. In this fast paced life, I didn't know how to "stop and smell the roses" as they say, smoking a marijuana cigarette after work, or an hour or two before I go to bed would help me find a balance. I am not telling you to continue, or stop, that is your choice, actually his, but talk it out, pray if you feel like there is no resolution, and seek the truth. I know you here everywhere that marijuana is bad, but decide for yourself and do the research. But my point is this, I used to feel guilty about it causing me to get paranoid, and especially since I love God and all he stands for. So I stopped smoking for years, until once day, while having a stressful day (I am a LMT), I smoked a joint and my mind cleared up, I started reading again because I could not find the time because my mind was so clouded with "the future" meaning, I was always on the go go go... smoking in moderation I think is healthy, but again, make up your own mind. I'm rambling here because there is just so much to say, but if he doesn't enjoy it, or you see that it is changing him for the worse, I also suggest you look into counceling, or go to your nearest Church- I suggest a non-denominational Church because well, I just do. We are all struggling in some form or another, we are all sinners in some form or another, but we are given this life to succeed and have peace and abundance. If you're life is a hole in the ground, get up and go another path, just make sure you feel that it is the right path for your family.
I have smoked for the past
I have smoked for the past few years. I don't so much these days because I have a crazy schedule and don't have time. It's all about balance as usual. You can't chronically use something if you have a busy schedule and still have time to smoke all the time unless of course in your state it's not as illegal as Tennessee and you can smoke a joint in your car on your way to somewhere. Anyway, I had a lot of struggles with depression in my time also and I at one point thought it was from Marijuana but I came to realize that it really had nothing to do with the Marijuana. It was because I had a lot of issues in general that were causing me to be depressed. Instead of assuming that your husband is depressed because of "pot" and causing more risk to your relationship by having false beliefs, I would just talk to him about what is on his mind and maybe don't make him feel like smoking is bad. People with sensitive psyches can have a real problem if they are being told by everything and everyone around them that something is wrong when they know themselves that nothing is wrong with it. Of course Marijuana makes him laugh. One of the great things about "pot" is that it helps relieve the stress of the day and gives you a new perspective on what your troubles are so that you can have a lighter view of them. If you have ever used any mind altering chemical (i.e. alcohol, cigarettes, xanax, klonopin, marijuana, etc) you know that you do them to either have a good time or to help you relieve stress. Now anything can become a problem but it sounds to me that your husband doesn't have a problem with anything other than something that is going on inside that you and maybe even him don't know the root of. So what I suggest is to be more sensitive to him emotionally and maybe even talk to him about what is going on next time he is high. This can sometimes even help people discuss things a lot easier that normally they are either too "tough" to talk about or stuff they just keep hidden. Sorry for the long reply. I just wanted to try and be helpful. Remember, people who are "addicted" to pot just have an addictive personality. It's all mental. So your husband is not having any problems with trying to quit. If anything he just doesn't want to hurt you or something like that.
I'm 34 years old and have
I'm 34 years old and have been smoking pot since I was 16. During those 18 years I've known many pot users who shouldn't be using and many non users who probably should be. Eery person responds differently to the drug, whether it's their first use or their long term use. I know people very succesfull and happy who are long time users and others who need to stop smoking the shit because it weakens them as person and the person they need to be for themselves,their family and others.
It all depends greatly on the individual and the functionality of his brain and/or his environment.
In other words: it's good for some but evil for others.
Which I guess you can say about alot of things.
weed
i love weed so much it's crazy
you shouldn't give a dam if
you shouldn't give a dam if people smoke marijuana or not!! its not causing harm to any of us! i personally smoke pot every day but i can lay off of it for days with out having any trouble. its not addicting and it actually makes u focus more! don't complain about something that grew in earth just like we did! weed is way better and safer then alcohol, why is it that pot is illegal and alcohol isn't?!
THC as a mental stimulator
I think most people that smoke weed or seek highs from THC take relatively large amounts. Just like any other nervous system stimulator/depressant so can THC be consumed in doses that are small or large. Consuming THC through eating certainly delays the onset of the drugs effects but even smoking the herb comes with a slight delay. If anybody hasn't tried yet, you should try to consume just one hit (or even a "half" by exhaling it without holding the smoke for long). Personally I have found that this small amount very much enhances my ability to think, be creative, etc. without feeling tired or "lazy". I know I'm talking about a small amount here but maybe this also has to do as I'm suffering from SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and I've been supplementing with 5-HTP and other serotonin boosters for two months now. I take it through a drink called MoodBoost Drink.
Arguing over a plant? A waste of time
I have read a couple of these and every time pot it ever brought up its mainly an argument. Its pretty tiring that it is always a debate. This whole world is a stress factor i think pot was put here for us to use once and a while to truly appreciate everything, especially life. Life is too short to be pissed off or worried. Do your best to get by in life and drink a beer or smoke a joint its whatever you're feeling. Most importantly we need to laugh and enjoy ourselves.
Well this is obviously biased
Well this is obviously biased as hell. And you failed to mention that all affects are temporary. There has never been any conclusive study to show that marijuana causes any significant long term damage. Plus the whole thing was a bit dodgy. Go back to 9th grade English class and learn how to use more convincing persuasive writing techniques.
Weed Smoking no big deal
Hello everyone, I'm here to tell you that weed is actually not a bad thing. Weed in long term and short term use it not as bad as alcohol. I'm a 14 year old male and I've been smoking it since i was 12. Weed or marijuana actually helps cancer to deal with pain. It also kills cancer cells. Marijuana is actually not a drug it is a plant like tobacco and as i talk to most people they say marijuana should be legalized and alcohol should not because weed does not hurt or affect you in the way alcohol does. Therefore marijuana is not a bad thing.
Are you Kidding?!?!
Okay...the 14-year-old really needs to grow up. I teach 14-year-olds, first of all. Believing someone whose most significant achievement in their life is being a regular"part-time" smoker up to this point in their short lives yield no real credibility. Second, look at the facts. The FACTS. Your opinion means nothing in a court of science. Sure, marijuana is not fatal, however, it does you no good either. Anytime you are lighting up something to inhale into your lungs, there can be no real justification for it being "okay". Smoking already elevates your heartbeat up to 50% within the first few puffs; it constricts your blood vessels, makes your heart work unnecesarily harder, lowers your air capacity, etc..., but hey, you got to die of something, right? How about emphysema, lung cancer, any host of heart ailments, several different mouth cancers, lowered immune system, higher insurance rates, blah,blah, blah... Lastly, if you smoke marijuana, smoking tobacco can't be any more or less better for you.
I guess if I were 14 and not paying my medical bills and had the social responsibility of a Cheech and Chong movie, I would probably feel the same as he does.
Wow, you totally ripped that
Wow, you totally ripped that 14 year old... and you say you teach this age group? You must not like your job much.
i love people like you who
i love people like you who think the now so much about these things face it you grew up with a well set up life parents had a good job probably giving you a 100 bucks a month allowance and really had no stress on your mind but truth is im 20 years old ive been smoking pot since i was 10 and i manage a restaurant so really ya some people are more focused and that's why the so called becoming smarter from pot tends to come up and emphysema really i play sports all through highschool and preformed 10 times more effiecent then when i was sober simple because i was focused and creative. the only 2 things that really happen when smoking pot other then that social skill are an up down depending on the smoker. and the court of science who gives a shit. science over looks the good if the bad effects is a bigger list.
too many variables to state facts
please excuse my grammar ...ok look every body says different things about weed and im going to tell you why i think . thc is a drug that can have many different uses that are all not clear, it can be very different for all people because of its variety for one and because of our variety for two i mean it can be grown any were different strands different soil and light conditions also how its smoked or ingested pipes bongs joints etc. our bodies also so come in different varieties , for example i find really thought high quality weed makes me forget my train of thought but I'm also ADHD so i do that naturally .. weed can do different things for different people for one it could make them lose there memories but for another it could make them regain there memories. for some it makes them excel academically for others the opposite . someone once told me it enhances there mood for example if your in a bad mood you smoke weed youll feel worse but for some people depending on why there in a bad mood it could make them feel better .... what im really trying to say is that weed and its effects on us can not be truly be exact fact because there are to many variables between the weed the comsumtion of it and whose consuming it so it should be viewed in your opinions only because no matter how many people you test long term short term, were all different and so is it ,mother nature made it so that we could use it for different things to cure cancer or slow down someone with adhd i think i could be useful to all of us if it wasn't abused , if it was experimented with and then used only when it can help you . a lot of people say its not addictive but theres two sides to that fence on one side its not addictive like cigarettes you can smoke it and just not do it for a month and it wont make you on edge altho if your someone who smokes to to relive stress or when there angry then that might be different again variables but on the other side it is very addictive when you find what it dose for you , why lose a ability if you dont have too ,also smoking socially is very addictive i mean seriously around friends if consumed at a responsible rate can be very fun why lose that ... in the end there are some basic side effects 1. hungry 2. slowed down 3. happy/giggly 4. afterwards burt out depending on quality . but over all you need to give it a chance and find out what it dose for you
PLEASE HELP ME
Doctor, i am a 21 year old college student.A week ago i smoked some weed ,it was the third time in my life.This time i smoked like 9-10 puffs i had a few beers as well it was alot more than i did before.I had a panic attack that night with high heartbeat.Since then i feel always sleepy i have strange emotions and i think am getting mental and i cant really consitrate and some memory loss.I think i am getting better slowly day by day,but please give me an answer to my problem,is it that THC is still in my fat fat cells or what? am i go to be ok? should i get some medicine?
I never had in the past a panic attack or emmotions like that please give me some advice.....
Your Panic Attack
You had a panic attack because you smoked more than you can handle. You're not going mental you're just getting all hyped up about it, it's paranoia plain and simple. Your brain is powerful enough to make you ill even if you're not - I smoked a cigarette last night (hand rolled) and forgot it was a plain cigarette, I got really high from it, then remembered it wasn't a doobie, heck it had a filter in for starters! Soon as I realized the high dissipated in a couple of minutes.
It figures if you're only just asking on the net if there's something up it's not long after the event, you can expect to feel foggy for up to 5 days (ish) because it takes a week to get out of your system (i.e. to pass a pee test for example). Just relax, forget about it and continue with your life, if you still feel ill/out of sorts after a few weeks then go to a doctor.
If you eat fatty, sugary foods when you get high and for the days afterwards your body metabolizes them faster, and thus gets rid of traces of drugs from your system faster. Exercise also helps rid your system of toxins, which includes everything from drugs to toxins from food - it will also boost neurotransmitter levels, stuff like nor/adrenaline, dopamine.. etc. Boosting those chemicals makes it easier to think fast too.
my friend had the same
my friend had the same problem as ian21 and it wasnt scizo that got him like the other guys said but its sicosys. excuse the spelling but yes weed will unhitch your mind and tell you things about your body that some may not experience but the simple way is just continue back to everyday life and not to focus on those things cause thats how things get worse. and the panic attack and emotion is most likely and anxiety attack which triggered your mind to unhinge and then you started looking for answers and they just sound loopy.. and if u go to a doctor they give u a prescription of sodium carbonate which is going to put your mind back together... in other words a glass of salt water a day may hlp but im not a doctor
The pot probably unhinged
The pot probably unhinged your brain a little. It happens to people who were probably a little unstable (or super put together) It's not permanent, but it should go away, go hang out with your mates for a bit till you feel a bit better or a bit more normal, the experience probably freaked you out. You'll be alright worse comes to very worse you got a bit of schizophrenia. (which you can also cured if you brought it on yourself with weed.)
:D
Marijuana isn't for everyone. Since people are different from one another, it can do positive things for you or negative. I have been through both, and it's just another part of living like a stoner! haha. It shouldn't be illegal though. Marijuana is a fun, recreational way to spend a boring day.
While many of its affects are
While many of its affects are positive, there are a few negatives, a few downsides to using. Overall for me, I find it very beneficial. But try reading after you smoke a joint; I will read the same paragraph like three times and not recall its content. Having said that, I think the person who wrote the article had smoked an Amsterdam blunt before writing this because of the plethora of mistakes. Using the wrong word like "initiate" instead of indicate, "but" instead of by, and several flawed sentences that were basically incomprehensible detracts from the credibility of information here. I can write when stoned ... see. Which brings up another issue; how differently the herb affects people. The writer of this article should probably refrain from using when writing, just like I don't smoke right before I go into the grocery store anymore after the dropping the milk incident (forgot I was holding the damn thing)and due to the fact I would end up would an odd array of items in my home. Lot's of Ben and Jerry's.
Sometimes I get stressed out
Sometimes I get stressed out with life and have trouble controlling my temper with my kids. When I am stoned I'm more patient with them and my mood lightens. I gain a happy and "appreciative of life" perspective when high. I feel more sensitive to mine and others emotions and am able to perceive myself in a different perhaps even in a clearer way. Kind of like I'm on the outside looking in, when I'm sober it seems more like the other way around. As far as pot making me slow, lazy, forgetful and hungry, yes, yes it could, but it's not that difficult to override those effects simply by force of will. The more one smokes the easier it becomes to control ones self while stoned. It takes a little time to build up some resistance as with any controlled substance... Sure there are many other ways to snuff a short fuse, meditation, yoga, exercise, counting to ten doesn't work for me but pot is just as enjoyable. I love my drugs, and while I may be an addict, it can't be that bad if my sons second grade teacher is hounding me to put my son on a "low dosage" of speed to help him focus in class...
What do i do
You really thrilled me in your write-up. I think the use of Marijuana(weed) should be abolished entirely. I smoked this stuff about 2 days ago, ever since then i've not come to my normal sense. What do i do? I can't really concentrate like i use to. My mind is not always with me. I feel lost every moment i just need some help please.
seriously? the effects of
seriously? the effects of weed wear off within 4 hours after it has been used. But usally if you have smoked alot its alot less. Weed does not make you feel "lost" unless ur driving somewere high and dont know were u are at ( happend to me). The reason u feel like that is because of somthing else or u just cant handle weed like other people. Thats a sign that u shouldent smoke it/ eat it. For everyone else tho, its alot diffrent so i dont think abolishing it because u had a bad experinece with it is ethical whats so ever.
Cannabis
OK first of all long term effects on smoking marijuana is unknown! speculations and testing is done, but when the mind and brain is individual to any human! testing of memory, abillity to coordinate is more or less useless.
Things you can do is test yourself! periodically!
why?
1. It increases brain power to do exercises only for the mind!
2. It gives you a direct picture of what is going on when you smoke and when youre not!
lumosity.com
yes i smoke weed! not everyday though! i like the "different" thoughts i get on some of the same subjects i wonder about in normal everyday life..! i just think a LOT more! and yeah! I do exercises when im high! bodybuilding! even swimming etc. but still the focus is different! then when im not high!
i have no sideeffects yet
statistical psychology theorist
Pot is...
If someone can explain to me why marijuana is bad for you, do so. The benefits from marijuana is ridiculous. By making it legal, our economy will flourish once again. Not really, but it will help us tremendously to reach that point. Netherlands has pot legalized and the usage amount teenagers is lower then the u.s. Did you know that George Washington and Ben Franklin grew pot plants? Why dont we just call our founding fathers losers and potheads because they grew pot plants.Did you know the earliest known woven fabric was of hemp, and over the centuries the plant was used for food, incense, cloth, rope, and much more. People say its addictive and it can be but why dont we just make coffee, tobacco, and opiates all illegal because they have been proven to be more addictive then marijuana.
P.S: For all the people who are against pot, try it once and see if you like it or not. It been proven to not be mentally addictive but it can be physically, but that's only achieved after long term use. Once you try it, you will understand that it is a great thing everyone should experience once in their lifetime.
Does weed lead to inner peace, or violence?
I was wondering, I'm sure many smokers would agree that weed makes you more laid back, opens your mind, peaceful, even expands philosophy and spirituality,,, I definitely thought that, and still do to some degree, but I'm pretty confused. If that were true really, really true, it should work pretty much all the time, but for many people it doesn't seem to help them be more peaceful really, so it is true that weed gives you peace sometimes and sometimes not. I'm thinking of all the gangbangers in the country, all the incredible amount of murders that have happened
and continue to happen in this country, more than war in Iraq, but we just forget about these others though, and these murders, most of the time, probably committed by people who have some THC in their bloodstream recently. I mean come on, you're not going to argue that most gangbangers are usually somewhat pothead? if not extremely, or at least smokes sometimes, that's part of the gang culture. What about that album "The Chronic"? I liked that album, but damn, the lyrics can be pretty violent, and they're all some major potheads rapping, and they're talking about killing a lot. This would be true for just about all the gangs in the country. Then of course, are the peace and nature loving hippies, or whatever, at the opposite extreme, the people who say it has helped them so much. There are artists, writers, musicians, revolutionaries, etc too. What if we look at history at the people who have had the greatest positive impacts on society,, some could be potheads, like B Marley, Lennon, etc,, but most probably not.
I used to think that weed was the greatest tool to finding peace and knowing ourselves, but then I think about also the many people, who are far more focused on peace and helping humanity, and they are people that I don't think did, or at least they probably don't at all now, smoke weed,, for example like Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Eckhart Tolle, etc, and many others like them, these people are all about expanding consciousness for humanity in a very positive way, but never promote drugs, in fact, quite the opposite.
What?
Weed is not a control-all substance. Once you put it in your body it doesn't regulate your behavior, and it sure as hell doesn't change your personlaity. The diversity in which we see smokers, is the same diversity in which we see peopel in general. That's like saying, there are some people who wear clothes that are very very friendly, while the others go out and kill people, let us abolish clothes because it has proven to yield negative results! Not so my friend not so
What you have to realise is
What you have to realise is most of these 'gangbangers' also use cocaine, heroin, etc. Most of these people come from violent childhood families. There parents beat them everyday, therefore they become violent. People are usually in gangs for the money. When money involved i dont care what happens people can die. If someone is that obbsessed about money they dont care if they kill someone. Weed does not ever ever ever make you want to harm others. Its a peacefull plant. I hate when people refer to it as a drug because it simply is not. There are been people who I hated when I was sober. I got high with this people and I understand them now. The only difference between me and them is the choices they make. My main point here is just that people who are gangs who have smoked pot get violent because of money not weed!
My Boyfriend
My bf has a friend who is a pretty bad influence, but he looks up to him and stuff. So his friend gets high all the time and my bf always does it with him and I really hate it. His memory is really fucked up and he does things he won't normally do. He doesn't have good concentration at all like he plays video games and sucks at them when he's high. He's mean to mean too. He's looking for a job and since almost every job does testing nowadays he won't be able to. I'm seriously worried becuase weed is fucking up his life.
111111
if i was you i would jus strait up leave him bucause h e willsee how you feel when he loses you so don let the guy get to you tell him to pick u or weed you be the boss
Im am really sorry, to hear
Im am really sorry, to hear that about your bf.
long term use
i smoked pot for over 20 years and im here to tell you , long term use of pot will fry your brain .
i meet people who know me from school and i got no idea who they are .one guy said we hung out everyday in middle school and i did not know his name or remeber any time i seen him before .
i have never done weed n i
i have never done weed n i cant rem the name of guys we were inhigh school with 5 years ago thats just bad memory or in my case lack of interest t know the other people
Weed
Honestly Weed is Not That Bad
ok now i see that there are
ok now i see that there are two sides eather you are for pot or you are against it eather way both sides are rong most people that are against it try to use the scientific infermation to back there thoughts up when 72% of all marijuana research is done by govermentaly corrupt people conduct the research witch no matter what they find they will say marijuana is bad but the other side people who are for it i mean come on thats like trying to say drinking doesnt do anything smoking isnt bad i mean come on marijuana is bad but that doesnt mean that the people who dont use it should act like they are better it depends on the person me i dont smoke i dont need it becaus life is ok but for some they need it for like examples pain it does help with pain i geus i wouldnt know but hey and marijuana every once in a wile is ok but day after day use or cronic users is not good i mean get help dude if u cant stop and acualy some marijuana users are very smart so dont make fun of them ok so no matter what side you are on dont be a dick and make fun of the other side becaus they may need it and you dont so dont critisize them and besides alot of these are just people reaching out becaus they dont have anyone els but the internet
No, marijuana is great.
No, marijuana is great. What's bad is your spelling. You been taking some hardcore drugs it looks like
Weed
First off, weed effects everyone differently. I myself smoke weed everyday and i have a B+ average in college right now. Now when people say that marijuana is bad for u when in reality its better for you then cigarettes. For example, a cigarette smoker smokes half a pack of ciggs every day. Pot smokers on the other hand wont have that many joint in one day. Second of all, making marijuana legal would improve our quality of life tremendously. Do you understand how many jobs will be available? We will know have more jail cells for the people who really need them. Not the people who were caught with marijuana. Remember when alcohol was illegal? Now look at it, its a widely acceptable drug. The only reason our public today is so against marijuana is because the government has it labeled as a DRUG. And to the many dumb Americans who don't know facts will believe them that it is HORRIBLE for you and makes you soooo Unmotivated. Take Amsterdam for example, Marijuana is legal AND it is pushed by the goverment to use it. They seem to be doing just fine over their. Now i am going to go enjoy a nice bowl if Cali Mist, PEACE
questions I don't think you'll answer
If we weren't meant to take cannabis into our body's, why do we have cannabinoid receptors to pick up the cannabinoids?
Is the marijuana that contains 400 chemicals grown with synthesized fertilizer or organic fertilizer?
Why is okay that you can provide marijuana for a study if you're condemning it's use?
What about the people that don't care about any of the effects of marijauna other than the effects that make them able to deal with the unspeakable pain they experience everyday?
How many chemicals are in my milk?
How many chemicals are in my water?
How many chemicals are in my soap?
How many chemicals are in my deodorant?
How many chemicals in marijauna are synthetic or laboratory born?
How much neuro-alteration from pot smoking is permanent?
What kind of effects do cannabinoids have on the rest of the brain or body?
YO I SMOKED DAT POTZZZ AND I
YO I SMOKED DAT POTZZZ AND I AM DA SMAFTEST. 420 ROFLCOPTERS!
LOL YOU KIDS REALLY NEED TO GET A LIFE AND FOR EVERYONE THAT SAYS MARIJUANA DOESN'T EFFECT YOUR BRAIN LOOK AT THE MILLIONS OF WORDS SPELLED WRONG FROM THESE POSTS. GOD, I SMOKE EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE BUT AFTER READING POSTS LIKE THIS IT MAKES ME NEVER WANT TO SMOKE AGAIN.
Finally someone makes sense!
I was wondering if there wouldn't be a single being who would say something that actually made complete sense on this matter. If “Bob” smokes every once in a while and managed to notice the language mistakes of the previous writers, some of them college students, maybe the answer is to do it like him, moderately, like everything else should be done in life with balance. However, whatever it is that you decide it’s a good option for you, just go ahead and do it, there’s no need to try to convince anyone “you are right”.
Marijuana does affect your brain and your behavior, you don’t need any scientific studies to back up this, just observe yourselves or read what you have written, if you manage to go one week without smoking. If you can’t do it, that tells you something too, doesn’t it?
Some really silly, absolutely clueless individual said it was not weed that made people spell words ”wrong”, it was the stupid language with all the stupid “grammer” rules that only dumb asses (like myself, and English is not even my native language) really care about. Yep! Go ahead; blame it on the poor old grammar. And he even claims that he was “sober” while he was writing his 5 line post with over 10 language mistakes, but I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact he was probably high while he was supposed to be leaning the “stupid rules”. He should check out Portuguese, which is a truly complex language.
It’s never a matter of who is right and who is wrong. The point is what is right for YOU. Just make sure you are seeing things clearly and not fooling yourselves. If you say that you use a substance on an everyday basis for years and you truly believe you are not addicted than you are fooling yourself. If you are addicted to something, regardless of what it is, even chocolate, and you think this is not harmful for you, than you are fooling yourself. If you think saying that other substances, alcohol for instance, are worse than weed as a way of saying “weed is not bad”, than you are fooling yourself (or using the incorrect grammar) because when you say worse you are saying the first item of comparison is bad too, just not as bad.
There is correct and incorrect information everywhere, books, scientific research where everyone is trying to prove their own point; web pages, etc. It’s important to try and be informed, but always keep an analytical eye on everything you read and hear, draw your own conclusions and make your decisions. You might decide that even though Marijuana has negative effects you believe the benefits it brings YOU overtake the harmful effects; or that you know that it brings negative consequences, but you like it and you want to do it anyway; that’s fine too, just be prepared to live with the consequences and stop pushing others into making the same decision you made. If you want the freedom to make your own choices, shouldn’t everyone else have the same right to choose?
Its not the weed that makes
Its not the weed that makes people spell words wrong its our stupid language with all the stupid grammer rules that only dumb asses really care about!!!! theres probabley a few word spelled wrong and i know theres all kinds of grammer mistakes and guess what im totaly sober.
lottery
talking about whether smoking is bad or not at all is quite stupid. that's because in some cases it's quite safe and in other cases it's very dangerous. it depends on individual vulnerability associated with genetic makeup, age, doses, time span of usage etc. the correct question isn't whether mj is dangerous to one's physical & mental health but in what situation it is or how often it is.
I am a former heavy long-term (10 yrs) smoker. I used to smoke everyday, now I'm clear for 4 months and all I can say it's that mj has ruined my life. I have deep depression and TOTALLY destroyed cognitive abilities like memory or attention. I think about suicide everyday. so remember it can (but don't have to) happen to you. it's a f...ng lottery. I lost (sorry for my english, I'm a foreigner)