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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
How does marajuana affect the brain
I smoked pot for years from teen years well into my mid 20's. When I first started weed was weed. You had to smoke alot to get anything out of it. As time went on I got into smoking better stuff, we used to call it Acapulco Gold, etc. and finally into the bud that twinkled, so to speak.
My later experience was not a good thing. To be honest all of it really didn't produce much good for my life. Depending on how good the stuff was, I oftened hallucinated and we would cycle into what we called the "white light". We did not doctor the stuff up. The guy I smoked it with quite often with believed I was Isis and he was, you name it, he was it both now and in past lives ready to blow open the spaces. He was a constant pot smoker as was I.
I'm not fond of Marajuana nor what it produced in my life which was alot of fantasy. My best friend growing up we called "burnt Ernie", why because he smoked all the time. He also was killed flying a kite that got caught in some wires, he literally fulfilled his name...
I like my life now, full reality and life. I don't need pot to be happy and content.
This is NOT the stuff you messed around with back in the day...
This heading is about the best way to put it.
I'm no expert by any means, but I'm no fool either
Meaning; just because I don't "fish" every day, I most assuredly expect Tilapia to taste like Tilapia EVER TIME I eat it; and I also expect Premium Unleaded Gasoline to perform as such.
1st of all, I would like to make it clear that I am hear to neither judge not be judged. Now, what I do know is that experience is the best teacher; and after that, you can judge yourself by your self.
Now, I would love any insight about the toppic of Marijuana.
Oh, but not the "Reefer" and or "Grass" you grew up on.
But this NEW subtle destroyers called "Scunk", "Endo", "Sticky", and the very worse of them, the notorious "KUSH".
I'll comment further, but I would love some insight because I know of atleast 10 lives this (so-called) "WEED" has subtly destroyed. Conscience awareness seems to be the target; and or that thing our grand parents use to call
"SCRUPLES"
Please.
Kush is flavored marijuana.
Kush is flavored marijuana. It's no different than normal marijuana except it doesn't taste nasty, and all those you just named are just nicknames nothing special about any of them.
RE : KUSH FLAVOR --wrong
Kush is not specifically restricted to flavored marijuana. in fact, marijuana is flavored naturally if it is grown with a little TLC, much like an orange grown from a grove using pesticides will likely taste (and look) worse than the same strain of orange grown organically. the "nicknames" you speak of are simply strains or cultivars of the Cannabis sativa (sub species Sativa, Indica, Afghanica) plant. These strains are much like clementine oranges or russet potatoes or pink lady apples, and usually have slight tendencies that make them unique to how the fruit/buds are produced or how the plant grows/looks. As for cannabis plants with "kush" in the name of the strain, this is referring to the Kush mountains which border Afghanistan, where most/all of a "kush" plants genetics come from.
IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FLAVOR. IF ITS TASTY AND LOOKS PRETTY, THANK THE GROWER, NOT FALSE ADVERTISING :)
ABOUT WEED FROM A 60-YEAR-OLD WHO SMOKED "back in the day"
I am in agreement with this person about the "new" pot on the block: kush, skunk, endo, etc, and I believe it's treated weed that is NOT an alternative I would choose.
Recently I came into contact with a smoker and asked if she would get me some pot, being rather sentimental about the feeling of freedom I remembered from the old days, and that being stoned carried me through many a 2nd shift night of working in a warehouse pulling orders (when I was working and in school too).
Through that acquaintance, I obtained two kinds of pot: "regular" and "kush". The ordinary pot was similar to the medium-grade, old-style pot --not Gold, not Thai stick, but just good old, everyday pot from long ago that was generally obtained from Mexico back then. It only took two or three tokes to get me a little stoned. I only wanted to BE a "little stoned" because what I was doing could also have been a bit dangerous if I was one toke over the line (I was cleaning and painting a house to get it ready to rent). Being slightly stoned helped me see this particularly onerous and (seemingly) endless drudgery job to its conclusion. I bought a very small amount, because the price of pot is truly amazing nowadays.
However, the person who got that pot for me the second time told me she couldn't get any of the "regular" pot (I think she probably wanted to be able to take a taste for herself and didn't like "ordinary") so she brought me "kush" and said that was what she smoked every day and I would like it. I had my reservations. Being from the old school, I was reluctant to try anything I didn't either have a hand in growing myself or know the source.
Regular pot was just that. Nothing special. It got the job done and mildly.
But Kush made me feel rather numb and dumb, and I wasn't able to function on it or work with any semblance of efficiency, and I did not feel "good" on that high.
I felt "Kush" was treated with something that was NOT good for me. I would not smoke that again. As a matter of fact, since finishing the chore I wouldn't smoke pot again, for fear that whatever I was given was tainted with other chemicals.
The person who said pot's an escape from reality and the stresses that everyday life bring is right. It also helps you plow through tedious, repetitive work that has to be done. It helped me a) get started by eliminating all that "dread" b) organize and c) finish. I have trouble finishing things and am a terrible procrastinator.
But as a regular thing, I guess I've outgrown pot...at least to the point that I wouldn't buy it unless I knew for a fact where it was coming from, and a fairly local (US) source at that, which could be trusted not to screw with it to get a harder high and thus more money for it.
Smoking weed used to be part of a social and political statement in the 60s and 70s. Now, it's simply another business. And like RJ Reynolds, doper businessmen know that to increase consumption, additives work.
SO beware and grow your own if you're going to smoke. Then you at least have a chance NOT to become an addicted cog in the wheel feeding money into the pockets of people who don't CARE what you're ingesting if they make money. Who knows what crap they're soaking it/fertilizing it with?
Seems like the money-grubbers can't let well enough alone....It's like Republicans have spread from the munitions business into into the pot business....
Yeah,I agree with you
Yeah,I agree with you 110%...I personally enjoy home grown wed by F A R.Its just as good,but its more mellow in nature,
the stuff added to weed nowadays defentaly increase thc content,among ther nefarious chems that are going to affect
God knows what mental functions in the user after constant hard,chronic usage. . . . Long live home grown weed.A flavor all its own:)
weed is good
Well all I got to say is the only side effects you get from smoking weed is being hungry, sleepy, very happy and sometimes paranoid. You said "After this first section, she smoked a small dose of marijuana twice within an hour. Fifteen minutes after she smoked her last blunt" smoking a few blunts is a large dose trust me.. one blunt is enough to give you cronic munchies a few blunts for one person is like telling someone to drink a whole bottle of vodka and then test them on remembering anything. Bottom line is weed should be legal if you compare it to alcohol and tabaco weed is much safer and better for you! Sometimes weed helps you to work better! it makes you sit there and focus on whatever your doing and by the time you're sober you will be well into it.
this is so stupid!! it makes
this is so stupid!! it makes everything better, music, food.. everything. if u think about it, all good things come from it, it allows you to se things in a different way. the ''drug'' itself is not bad. poeple just need to keep everything in balance. in meido stat virtus. virtue is in the middle.. everything done in excess will be destroyed. its true, you can literally fall in love with it and forget about everything else. evern in my everyday life..getting high is my first priority and everything else comes after. its a beautiful thing, we are only human and dont know how to walk away from temptation.
Its like food, if u eat too much all day everyday, youll get fat and then obsese and then die. okay thats the persons fault. people abuse fod beacuse its great. same thing with weed.. but we are lucky to have it. i dont think it makes people aggressive or rude or anything, if anything i think it makes better human beings that love the people around us and see things for what they really are... beautiful.
Well put
Well put. Virtue is in the middle; I like that.
There are many dis-functional stoners out there, and likewise there are many intelligent functional people (i.e. Carl Sagan - pot smoker) who enjoy pot for the fantastic experience it can provide. Saying that pot is to blame for the people who misuse it is like saying that food itself is to blame for fat people. I hope people can keep healthy, but the occasional treat only makes life better. It wouldn't make sense to outlaw butter ...or beef ...or sugar.
How exactly is it even legal for the government to tell people what they can and cant grow and imbibe? That's not freedom in any sense...
I Agree
I completely agree with everyone, Mary Jane betters this cruel world without it what would we have besides love?
Hi
Weed is good and bad. it just depends on how you treat it.
I have been smoking for a few years now and think it is great.
however, i do beleave it is addictive, but is very easy to quit/cut down, you just have to want to. anyone who says they are addicted doesnt want too stop and is just using it as an excuse or a get out clause if they get busted. a family member is much more reasonable if you say you are addicted and it is not your fault.
i also think everything would be better if weed was leagle, cos then you would know what you were smoking. you can get some really strong stuff and not know it and find your self in a semi comatosed state. i like the old school stuff cos it is easyer too get up in the morning.
it will also take away the fact that you are buying it from crinimals on street corners (who are also charging a hell of a lot for not much).
I like the point about it bringing differnt people together. i live on a traditional farm in jolly old england in a rural conservative area and i have socialised with all sorts of differnt people, people who i would have crossed the street to avoid before i smoked, and have found most of them too be sound people.
Keep smoking
Will from Hertfordshire
Know yourself...it's different for everyone.
Been reading through these comments and I see a lot of "blanket statements." The bottom line is that different substances effect people in different ways. We all have similar make-ups, but how we react and how our brains are effected by substances can vary greatly.
I have been a very light (few times a year) "social" smoker for about 15 years, and to be honest...I've never really enjoyed a weed high. It always makes me paranoid, hazy, introspective (in a bad way) and generally dulls all my senses. I'm always jealous of those who say it effects them exactly the opposite. But, the reality is, I've accepted the fact that weed just isn't for me. Why did I keep trying it? Who knows? Guess I kept thinking "it'll be different this time." Nope...but, i'm stubborn, I guess.
Weed hits me hard...even in small amounts. Just a few hits (always high end stuff) and I'm blasted. It's fun for a few moments, but then the negative side-effects, mentioned above, always creep in. And, the worst part is...often I feel partially stoned for weeks (sometimes more than a month) after smoking. Not high...just dull, and very disconnected, clumsy, spacey, and anxious. Not fun when you're trying to hold down a job that requires a sharp mind, attention to detail, good memory, and exceptional communication skills. It's very frustrating and you just want it to go away and feel "normal" again. Eventually it does...but, never quick enough.
That being said, I'm definitely for legalization. I see the positive side of MJ and think it far outweighs the negative side. I think all victimless crimes should be abolished. It's my body...I should be able to do whatever the FUCK I want to it as long as I'm not hurting someone in the process. But, on a personal level...weed is not for me. I really think I may have an allergic reaction to it, just like people do to a plethora of things.
Now, shrooms...that's a completely different story...love em'! They're my brain laxative and I always feel a million bucks after tripping. ;)
Bottom line is...know yourself and know your limits. Different strokes for different folks. Pretty sure I got high for the last time about a week ago. And yup...still feel fairly dull and not "quite right." To those that turn into superhumans...consider yourself lucky, and FIRE IT UP!
I'd pick Marijuana over Alchohol
Alright, so lets say theres two guys,who are the same weight, and same age, and who never had any addictions and boh of them were trapped on an island, one of them had to be a Alchoholic, and one of them had to be a Pot smoker, truy the one with the weed would live way longer, cuz you cant overdose off of weed or anything like that.
noone will probally ever read
noone will probally ever read this... but yea, i have done weed once... i didnt like it, because that night when i done it... my mate turned into a monster, he hit his kids for gods sake... i have seen peoples lives been ruined.. oh its not the drugs?????? it effects people in diffrent ways, just because your not effected by it, doesnt mean it wont effect.. if you tell me it wasnt the drugs... you dont know what your talking about
I agree with you. But then
I agree with you. But then you're right on another point as well. It depends on the person. If an idiot does drugs,..he or she will do stupid things,...because they're an idiot. If someone with half a brain smokes a joint,..they probably won't hit kids. Or maybe you're as stupid as he is! ?
b.s.
ive been studying the effects of marijuana and its uses for the past 7 years and my colleagues and i have noticed a recurring effect on certain people. marijuana does not cuase aggressive behavior or violence. however marijuana's only efect on mood is that is soothes the aggressiveness into mellow and enjoyable behavior. marijuanna also does not kill brain cells it STIMULATES them however the downside is that it slows reaction time kind of like a delayed reaction. pardon my blunt attitude but when u say marijuan cause ur "mate" to become violent you have no idea wut the hell ur talking about.read a marijuana journal. we publish one every year. read and learn before u make urself look like a bigger ass than u already did
yes.
exactly right man. weed does not make anyone violent, its the person who is violent, and they obviously dont know how to control themselves. weed helps you connect with the universe. brings everything together.
Lmao
are you sure it was weed your "mate" was smoking???? Lmao
It seems to me that the
It seems to me that the majority of people who have commented on this page are truly uneducated about the real facts about this "drug" or "medicine", as you would have it, and have come up with their own opinions based simply on personal experience, or through "word of mouth", propaganda and other less than credible resources. Please don't get me wrong...personal experience is a great resource for yourself and how pot can effect you, and affect your life. However, if anybody really wants to know the truth about the physical effects of marijuana (positive & negative), and the real reasons as to why it is illegal in Canada and the United States, then I strongly urge anyone and everyone who reads this post to watch the two following movies online.
1. The Union
2. Running from the Cure
Both of these documentaries are free to the public and available online, just visit google and type in the names. These two videos will surely open everyones eyes about anything to do with marijuana and please tell everyone you know about these videos as well. Please educate yourselves about this issue because with enough of us who actually know the truth about this stuff, it could change the world that we live in today. MARIJUANA IS BIGGER THAN MOST OF US REALLY KNOW!
Thank you all, Peace and Love
P.S. and yes, I am a pot smoker :)
Worst Grammar Were you high when you wrote this???
Were you high when you wrote this???
"Some researchers believe that has changes may put a person more at.."
I just don't get what you were trying to say, it is like you merged to sentences and forgot to fix it.
"There are two types of memory behavior that is affected by marijuana"
Hello... did your forget 3rd grade grammar??? Singular or plural????
why dont you stop
why dont you stop snowballing so much and you might be able to type a single simple sentence without any mistakes
You haven't set up the
You haven't set up the conditions well enough to qualify this "research" to be a credible experiment. Learn what the scientific method is and apply it to your studies before you can claim that what you observed in those two girls can be applied to all people who smoke weed.
whoever says mary jane is not
whoever says mary jane is not addictive ur so fuckin wrong! its got me trapped under a spell i cant get away from
dude, i smoke weed through a
dude, i smoke weed through a bong with tobacco and i can hardly say im addicted. there are times i really want a hit and times i dont care for a hit. point it, ive been doing it straight since august, and it is now may.
if your addicted, its only cause its the best thing that ever happened to man kind.
you are probably just obsessive compulsive.
you are probably just obsessive compulsive. its not the weed. if you weren't "addicted" to weed it would be TV or something else. treat your ocd and your "addiction" to weed will go away. cheers.
here here i agree just cause
here here i agree just cause you say it has over 400 different chemicals dont mean anything prescribed meds are 100 times more harmfull than pot will ever be and i dont see anyone complaning about that"o it helps you say no it dont the side effects are more harmfull then what your trying to fix and they kill lots of people every year and no one has died from pot so what now?
Not a subject
I think that smoking MJ or taking any other drug is not anybody's business except the one taking it. All these good doers that say it's bad to take drugs, should mind their own roaches. We all are individuals that do whatever our conscience tells us. Words can do more harm to one's mind than any substance as they (words) carry intent (often bad), MJ alters our perception UNBIASED. If I like altering my perception and direct it to match my current mood or needs, I don't need anyone's approval to do so. Alcohol is FAR more biased than weed, it alters your state in a predictable way. I think everyone who took both knows the difference. I don't know how other drugs feel, MJ is more than enough for me if I take it once a month or so.
READ: True Story of a Stoner
I do not condemn or think it wrong that people smoke pot, I believe fully in legalization. I have been smoking since I was 15 (now 22) and for the most part I truly enjoyed the recreational drug. For the past year, since obtaining a medical license, I have experienced a different side of marijuana. I smoked everyday from morning until night, literally I would go to class high, work high, everywhere I was high. I am an honors student and held onto my position as assistance manager, but the adverse physical side effects began to take control of my body. After a year of smoking 10-12 times a day I developed a smoker's cough and phlegm. Also, I developed anxiety, irregular heartbeats, panic attacks, tingeing in my legs, difficultly sleeping, loss of appetite, pounding heartbeat, chills, shakes and feeling like I was going crazy or having a heart attack none of which I had ever experienced in my life. I have since stopped using marijuana and the symptoms continued much like withdrawal from other drugs. I have been doing a lot of research and have found condemning evidence on adverse affects of marijuana on the brain. It does change the make-up of your brain and can have long-term adverse affects like other harder drugs. I did find it 'fun' until recently but I would truly as a 'stoner' advise the recreational/low-dose use of marijuana, treat it like any other drug. Furthermore, there has been condeming evidence that it can be physically addictive which I now believe to be true after going thorugh what I've gone through. This post is not to tell anyone what to do but to ask all the stoners to be careful, I used to think that marijuana didn't have adverse affects but now I know for a fact it does. Just be careful, enjoy the weed, but don't let it get to something like mine.
Kindly, former marijuana addict
10-12 times a day?
There's really no need to smoke 10-12 times a day, too much of a good thing can be bad for you. Sounds like you basically screwed yourself. I'm a daily smoker, started when i was 19, I'm now 27, and i feel fine. I'll take two or three hits out of the bong daily, a little more on the weekends. I have NOT experienced any of the negative side effects you speak of. Maybe you smoked too much or Marijuana simply isn't for you.
Interesting.
Hi everyone,
I have read through all these articles and find them helpful. Thank you for all of your inputs. I have been smoking pot since I was 18 and I'm not 39. I have stopped now since few weeks. Off and on I try to stop, but somehow it keeps coming back to me. It makes me feel very quilty to smoke so. I wish I could just stop completely and never touch that stuff again. It has affected my life. It has made me addicted. It has taken hold of everything. It has had a great impact. I wish I could go back in time and never have smoked, but unfortunately I can't. What's done is done and I just have to live with the damage it might have caused my brain and my lungs, lately my teeth. I have smoked it socially and also alone. I have a little boy, ten years old. He is my life, he is my prince, my everything. I feel quilty to look at him because I know I've been doing something wrong. I do not want him to follow the same footsteps I have. He knows I'm trying to quit. He is smart enough to know it's bad. I have never smoked in front of him but he knows about my addiction. We talk about everything. It has affected my life, my brain, my memory. I don't want to look back and think about pot ruling my life, however it has. I am trying to move forward without it, I've done enough of it. It has prevented me from reaching my full potential. I studied in University, went on to be a model, travelled the world, met all kinds of interesting people for fifteen years I've been around drugs. It does no good afterwards. In the moment you are stoned you feel great and it's easy to deal with anything; however later it catches up to you, (drug karma). I wish everyone good luck in life. Being without drugs is the best and to deal with everyday living high without smoking is the ultimate. Life is beautiful, regardless. Let's enjoy it to its fullest... There is so so much out there.
Hi Interesting, Some of the
Hi Interesting,
Some of the ways in which you've discribed hit very close to home. The person in my life seem to be very very effected by this drug in the most negative of ways.
But let me point out that the stuff this person smokes just cannot be the "weed" of which I'm familiar.
I've smoked weed before and I can assure you that this stuff called "KUSH" is no "weed". Although I do believe it uses "weed" as it's vehicle. The effects that this stuff seem to have on the people who smoke it is actually closer to a person who does "ACID"; and often.
I think that the biggest problem is that although both drugs cause the user to Hallucinate; "ACID" is a downer whereas "ACID" is an upper. That just don't mix.
Can you amagine having an upper mixed with a downer working in opposition of each other.
"A house divided AGAINST itself CANNOT stand".
When they can't get this DRUG they are MEAN and NASTY;
they take responsibility for NOTHING, and they sem to have no scruples. They (most whom I've encountered) do things that they would'nt normally do, and have no idea why they did it; they apologize then do the very same thing again. I mean crazy things; but it's all so subtle yet sinister.
simply ridiculous, you people
simply ridiculous, you people have no idea what you're talking about, kush is an indica dominant strain of marijuana, simply a different strain, it's all the same plant, just different potencies and different highs, all one plant people, get it through your heads. I personally have never "hallucinated" from marijuana, I've seen spots when I'm high off a good sativa strain but I also see spots when I rub my eyes for too long, so what? Maybe your person needs to grow up and you need to stop blaming their irresponsible actions on something that grows naturally.
i love being a smoker. its
i love being a smoker. its awesome and doin acid and shrooms
Wow
I am 24 years old and have only smoked pot a few times in my life. I am proud to say, that I will never touch marijuana again. First of all, the marijuana game has been changed quite a bit. Half of the time it's laced with some drug that you've never heard of or didn't even pay for. The only defense I have for alcohol is that it says exactly what is in it on the bottle. There is no composition label on marijuana, it's a guessing game. I think it's hilarious how people are commenting on grammar and punctuation. This is a blog, give me a break! I could honestly give two shits if these are complete sentences or your spelling is correct. Yes, marijuana has possibly affected your life in positive ways, but the sad thing is you needed a drug to do those things. If I read a book i'll probably get smarter. It will not affect my health, short term or long term memory, my emotions, or any mood changes. Now on the other hand if I smoke pot I may experience the growth of neurons and then eventually a depletion. My lungs will turn to shit. Not to mention there are so many better things I could be spending my money on. I would also like to point out just because society deems alcohol use acceptable doesn't mean you have to. I do want to state the fact that your mind is a powerful tool. If you think you will be smarter if you smoke pot you will be. Hence you really don't need pot to be smarter, to concentrate, to relieve anxiety, or to have fun. Technically your just pussys
faqq
duh you think your cool?
no k.! jus because your clean and a goodie good
ann probably are rich
don't mean shit
I smoke pot
and am just as smart okay.!
If that were true you
If that were true you wouldn't have said such a lame response.
I think people should be able to do whatever drugs they want or not. If they're stupid enough to ruin their lives over it let them it's none of anyones business. The law should only interfere as far as putting OTHER peoples lives at risk.
You ever read the side effects on your prescriptions, that you supposedly need to stay alive?? How can weeds' possible risk, of say lung cancer, be any worse than half of those risks??
Hey, if people wanna risk any possible negative effects, that is their responsibility to find out for themselves what they are! If they think it's worth it that's their business! I've got enough to worry about!
Weeds' not as bad as cigarettes that the goverment loves us for smoking!
marijuana is addictive
marijuana is addictive,trust me, i have been smoking pot for 20 plus years,and recently quit,it was one of the hardest things i have ever done,it may not be as addictive as some of the other hard core drugs,but smoke for as long as i have, then you know what you talking about!some of the withdrawl simptoms include unable to sleep more than 2 hours a night,really bad mood,sweating like crazy,depression,the list goes on and on.i got high 4 to 5 times daily and believed pot had no side affects,well now i realize how wrong i was living in a clowd of smoke.my memory is coming back,social events are so much easier to deal with,i am much more patient,i feel like a new person,dont believe pot has no side affects and is not addictive!5 years of smoking isnt shit and you might think it doesnt affect you but keep on smoking and ill talk to you in 15 years and you can tell me how right i am.
may have some bad after
may have some bad after effects. but like you said your memorys coming back. its tempery. if someone drank even a six pack a day for twenty years those health effect stay with. and theyd have more withdraw. weed is mentally addictive. you thought to much into it.
Where is the evil?
I have known people who should not drink alcohol. Others who should not smoke pot. Establishing your own boundaries and understanding yourself is the key. No one should broad stroke any substance as being good or evil. I have smoked moderately for over 40 years. As I've gotten older my frequency has decreased considerably. The only trouble I've had is with drug tests and ignorant minds. I'm a respected and accomplished artist who has always done respectable business. So, where is the evil? Studies are always good to have around for comparitive reasons. I've heard the pros and cons of my choice and give them all a listen. I only consume organic pot so I know what's in there. Let me detour this side of the discussion. The most serious problem that could arise in my life over my usage of pot is the law coming down on me. I am not some inner city, gang minded youth who terrorizes the streets with violence as part of my behavior. These idiots are the ones who wreck freedom for people like me. I live in the country as a peaceful nature loving soul. Why should I be judged the same as the afore mentioned gang thugs simply because I sit on the back porch at the end of the day enjoying a good smoke. Forget about whether pot is good for you or not. Ask why our system is so bent out of shape when it comes to discretion. Keep the studies going. More understanding is always important. Don't criticize people or their choice of substances unless it's painfully obvious that a change must be made in their behavior. I consider smoking pot as my constitutional right and part of my pursuit of happiness.
DAMN
my friend got 1600 in the SAT. and DUDE WAS BLAAAAZZZED!!!!
im doing a debate in school
im doing a debate in school for the legalization of weed. after reading these comments im just confused now. because old users are saying its bad and users are saying its good. i have smoked a few times and the only bad things that happen is if you let yourself get too high and fucked up. maybe people just need to learn their limit...are their any REAL statistics for the effects of weed on your health???
potheads
man ive smoked pot i used to do it all the time. But the thing is you guys are wrong when you say it does nothing to affect your brain. All my freinds at school call me a pothead because even when im not on the drug i sit there stoned and cant remember anything. It effects your memory greatly and dumbs you down a whole lot. My freinds also smoke pot and they are very lazy and all they do is sleep. It deprives them of there full potential in this world. It is not good to smoke it heavily and every day, ok i got this story for you. Okay theres this old guy that i c at my freinds store alot and he comes to get gas. Well he writes the check and gives it to them and they have to remind him how much gas hes supposed to get because he forgets what he wrote on the check. WAKE UP PEOPLE
dope
hey, dope is proven to make you think more effetently. she just hit the wrong key. its ok kid :] i just turned 16 and i have smoked weed for about a year now and i think it does a lot of help for me. it seems to make things so much easier and better i think anyone could agree with me if they smoke. i tend to get in less fights becuase im not always pissed off
It annoys me how the majority of people are misinformed
It saddens me that more people do not know the facts about cannabis...(and i find it hilarious that the so-called "dumb stoners" have much better grammer skills and a wider vocabulary than the idiots [mostly] who are attacking weed because they are stupid enough to buy into the media's bullshit rather than think for themselves)
I get deeply irritated by the fact that alcohol - a socially and physically destructive substance - is legal and yet pot, which in my opinion is a virtually harmless drug, is not.
The American government (i'm British) are the reason why weed is still illegal. There was a few reasons for this, the main ones being...
1. Weed makes people think outside of the box... meaning it's harder for the government to herd the flocks of sheeple into following their every command without question.
2. Weed is a natural substance, which means they can't patent it and put THC in pill form for over the counter megabucks medicine.
3. The American government started the war on drugs (the war on cannabis).... over 30 years ago... and don't want to admit they were wrong(it would be nice if they would.. but they won't). Seriously how can they turn round to all the people that have done jail time for the petty crime of possessing or selling a plant, and say "my bad".
People need to open their eyes and see past all the bullshit that we are fed on a daily basis... The American government also conducted a test which "proved" that marijuana kills brain cells... hmm lets look into this one a little closer:-
The government got a hold of 60 monkeys(don't quote me on that was a good few anyway) and fitted them with gasmasks, they then pumped enough weed through these masks and into the monkeys lungs for a period of 6 minutes (I think it was about enough weed for 500 full green joints)... and most of the monkeys braincells were killed... some died. "Oh no marijuana must have killed the monkeys, what a horrific and deadly drug", i hear you say. NO... the monkeys died because their brains were deprived of oxygen for 6 fucking minutes, the test would have had the same results without there being cannabis involved.
Anyway i have to go now... have a lot more to say on the subject, but i'm just sickened about how we are lied to... whether you smoke cannabis or not... wouldn't it be nice to be fed facts rather than lies? You decide... Big Brother is watching you ;)
Weed is God!!!
I smoke weed like pretty much basicaly evry day and im jus fine. i have been smoken for like 7 years now and im like the smartest person in my class. probly even smarter than i was before. people who say weed is bad for you are just dum cuz alcohol is way worse and stuff and pot is just a natural herb in the ground. Its barely even a drug. if god put it here then it must be ok. its totally natural and stuff. plus all those so called scientific facts are just propoganda made up by the government cuz they dont want people to b happy. its like totally good cuz it can cure cancer, it relieves stress, and it makes music and food feel like sex.
LEGALIZE IT!!!!!! 420 GANJA SMOKIN 4 LIFE!
...Alright I hope most of you realized that was a joke. and though not every pro-marijuana activist sounds that fuckin retarded, it's basically every argument that is used. I just want everyone to get a perspective on how petty and ridiculous those arguments really are.
It's very obvious that weed effects everyone to a different degree. But to claim that it makes you smarter is absurd. In my opinion it neither improves nor hinders ones intelligence. I think it merely stunts the growth of your intelligence. It acts as almost a blockade to the growth of your intellect. And that's just a theory I've reached from smoking weed myself and watching all my friends and family smoke. It's something that will very easily piss people off. But whatever, refute it, accept it, it's just my opinion.
The other ridiculous argument that it's "natural" to smoke weed and that "god put it here for us to smoke" is just a desperate notion. Just because something forms naturally on the earth doesn't mean it's natural to smoke it. That would be like implying that it's natural to eat dirt or to snort poison ivy because god put it here. To say that weed is a natural and harmless plant would be completely true. However, to say that it is natural to smoke it is simply false.
First off, humans are the only species on the planet that consume drugs. In addition, if we were to go back to the first hunter gatherer human societies thousands of years ago, I think we would discover that the thought of setting a plant on fire and inhaling it would seem dangerous and unnecessary. It would provide no purpose of survival to them and would probably mostly just distract them. Also, with all these tree hugging hippy naturists saying they love the planet and they smoke weed because it's natural and such. Your essentially killing a plant, which is a living organism, and inhaling it's chemicals to use for your own indulgence. So you shouldn't have a problem with letting corporations tear down forests for their own financial benefit.
Mary Jane
I am so high right now, and I still believe that this is a better grammatically structured sentence than everyone criticizing marijuana.
*flex and kiss bicep
try this
get a life
I am so high right now, and I
I am so high right now, and I still believe that this is a better grammatically structured sentence than everyone criticizing marijuana
...that this sentence is better structured, in a grammatical sense, than the sentences being authored by those critical of marijuana.
Pot does cause psychosis
I am a middle aged woman and i was pot smoker back in my days when pot was in its natural estate and to grown in labs like it is now full of chemicals that are very harmful for the brain. I have been struggling with my son for the past several years and have seen how pot has been eating away from his gift abilities and has crippled him until he developed Bipolar Disorder which now rules his life and he is not able to accept.You young people think this is funny, but is not!The brain is a very precious thing and if you abuse it it will turn on you eventually, the brain is what makes us human.When you smoke pot you will never accomplish your full potential, i dont care how much you try to lie to your self, I have seen it over and over again.Yes given! pot does not make everyone psychotic, but unfortunately it does to some .So if you have a friend that gets parannoyed when he or she smokes pot, do them a favor and stop them, talked to them and you will potentially save their life.....The hardest thing for a parent like me, is to see your child and not be able to do anything about it
true
i cant beleived that all this people that commented are saying that all this information is FALSE...how many years of medical school hAVE YOU GUYS TAKEN....none i guess...so how can they be sure that MARIJUANA is not bad for you...I'M TOTALLY AGAINST MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION!!!!! PERIOD...its a drugs and its bad..all the marijuana users think is not bad obiously becasue they use it duuuu they'll do what ever it takes to say that is not bad for your helath..for one reason marijuana is ILLEGAL!!!!