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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
Medical marijuana works for mental disorders
I've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and from experience my prescribed medication doesn't work when I'm extremely manic or depressed and the ONLY thing I have found to work is marijuana. That's all the proof I need. For every person that says marijuana damages the brain there's a brain doctor out there that says it does not.
I think more clearly, and I had a bad memory before I smoked so it didn't have that much of an effect on my memory, it helps me sleep when I'm manic, it helps me eat when I'm manic and everything is funny as hell when I'm high so it makes me happy when I'm depressed. The only reason why I get paranoid is because it is illegal so I'm paranoid of getting caught and people snitching on me.
For the people it doesn't work for common sense should tell to obviously not give it to them but for the people, like me, it does work for shouldn't have to suffer because it works for us.
I used to be a stoner......
hey people....
im 18 years young and i used to smoke hash from i was 11 untill i was 14..
i smoked it everyday before going to school and as a result i was stoned in school.. these were my junior cert years and i thought i was waisting them away getting stoned but little did i no i was going to go into my exams stoned and honour every last 1 of them.. after my junior cert and still smoking hash i became paranoid and didnt get the munchies and giggles that i used to get from smoking hash.. i decided to give it up because of the paranoya and also i felt wen i had been smoking hash the night before school i cudnt get up out of my bed the next morning.... i just didnt want to do anything with my life.. i lost all interest in my goals in life... i did my laving cert at the age of 16 and wasnt smoking hash and did worse than in my junior cert... i really think that if i had of still been smoking hash that i wud have gotten better grades... but as i said it lead to really bad parranoya so i gave it up... i have tryed smoking it a couple of times since but whenever i did i got paranoid and wanted to sleep.. My point to all this is.. smoking hash affects every individual that smokes it in different ways... researchers are just pinpointing some of the more common symptoms of smoking it.... i really strongly believe their are pros and cons with smoking hash... but in my case the cons took over the pros after a period of time.....
Wow, thank you for making the decision for me.
I read allot of comments, and you just proved this guys point, did you READ your comments, you didnt even have to say your High, your grammer, and spelling gave it away. Thanks for helping me make the decision to NEVER Do Drugs, oh and everyone Ive known who smoked marijuana, have been the biggest Jerks ive ever meet, and they just keep on doing it....one more time.
seems to me you can't spell
seems to me you can't spell either..
Chill
You don't have to smoke pot to be a jerk. There are plenty of straight edged people out there pissing on world -so to speak. Are you sure the jerks weren't druggies or ass holes to begin with? The true pot heads, that i know, are mostly genuine and very pleasant to be around; unless, of course, they are annoying jerks to begin with. I do have to agree with you on some of outragous poorly written comments. They were kind of hard to read. Hey, maybe that's how they talk in real life. My grammer is not the best either. We all come from different lives. Some are not as privialeged as others. Don't be so quick to judge. Maybe, in real life that person who can't spell or write and smokes pot is actually "cool shit".
PS:
I love somking weed. I'm not high right know, I probally won't be tomorrow, but for sure, i will be high again.
i smoked weed b4 all thiz
i smoked weed b4 all thiz shyt is ot true cuz i tall tha same
and i dont have any effect while im high
weed
it's wrong for many more reasons than itis right for most people.
name a few
Name a few of the negatives. I HIGHLY doubt there are more cons to smoking weed.
I accept the challenge, for no one else will!
--Within an hour after you first smoke, your risk for heart attack nearly QUADRUPLES.
--A joint of marijuana has more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than a cigarette, and it also contains about three to five times more tar.
--Marijuana leads to a decrease in motor skills and also affects your short-term memory. Since your long-term memory forms from your short-term memory, it's not a stretch to say that it also effects your long-term memory.
--There's a greater propensity to develop both head and neck cancer by smoking marijuana.
A little research goes a long way...
i love marijuana i think
i love marijuana i think it's ridiculous that it is illegal.
There are people getting trashed, driving killing kids and just dumb stuff like that...whens the last time youve heard of something like that relating to marijuana?
exactly
but i am scared of the effects on my lungs and other stuff
caus i am also a newport smoker
figures hahah
lets be serious i've smoked
lets be serious i've smoked i havfe family and friends who smoke
it fucks up your life if u are a pot head
i quit that shit because i wanted to succed in life.
get a job and enjoy life for what it is
I dont need no drug to make me have imagination and experience the most awesome and entertainment momments i was immature and stupid when i smoked and all those people that cant even have a good job that has thier license taken away
tickets to pay, spend the money stupidly, dont even have thier own place cant afford shit, and prefer smoking than having an education seriously 7 out of 10 weed smokers fall in this category and the other 3 are kids whos parents got money.
REALLITY CHECK EVERYONE WEED IS NOT ADDICTIVE PEOPLE GET ADDICTIVE THEMSELVES JUST LIKE VIDEOGAME ADDICTION, FOOD ETC EVERYTHING IN EXCESSIVE MANNERS IS AN ADDICTION AND WHEN THINGS ARE EXCESSIVE THEN THERE IS WHEN THE PROBLEMS BEGIN. DONT BE PROUD TO SAY YOU SMOKE POT EVERYDAY I FEEL SORRY FOR A LOT OF YOU. GET OVER THE WEED. IS JUST AS BAD AS ALCOHOL. AND OR CIGARRETES.
Weed screwed me, and I don't smoke.
Let me start by saying that I have never smoked weed even though I would really like to. I know that marijuana can be smoked by a lot of people their entire lives and have no negative side affects what so ever. I know it affects all people differently. And I know that its a natural plant. But I have never smoked it and it screwed my life. My dad smoked it in high school and then stopped. About 10 years later it screwed his mind over. The marijuana caused chemical inbalances in his head along with other side affects I still don't know about. He got depression, became bi-polar, and schizophrenic. Because of the suicide notes, agressive behavior, and mental hallucinations and voices, my parents got a divorce and forced me to live the best years of my life in fear, anger, and depression. Now I know that I'm using inductive reasoning here, which doesn't the big picture or much of anything for that matter, but I don't think its fair that so many people can smoke weed without any side affects their whole life, and I, a person who has never smoked it, have to have a broken family and more because my dad smoked it. I know why a lot of you stoners and pot smokers want to legalize it. Taxes, so that police can look at "real" problems, because it has no negative side affects (to most), or because you just want to get blown out of your mind without consequences. There is nothing in this world I would like to do more than to trip all the time, but I'm not going to risk harming my future wife and kids as well as myself. The chances may be low, but i'm not risking it. No matter what statistics, facts, and testimonies I hear, marijuana keeps sounding better and better to legalize. And I'm not a specialist when it comes to marjiuana or the mind and all its chemicals. But I have a personal experience. When you think about weed, to all you smokers, at least think about this. And don't deny it or think that it was something else that affected my dad's mind, you didn't live with it, you don't know.
after reviewing almost and
after reviewing almost and hour of variuos opinions only, not facts, based on each individual experience.ive come to the conclusion and i want you to think about this unequivocally,why did i log on to this site? ill tell you why......everyone is concerned about the possible damaging affects of this drug and what it can cause. you obviulsy have some doubt about it and began to research. if you feel any doubt whatsover and feel it is important enough to reseach.....THEN THE DRUG IS NO GOOD FOR YOU AND YOUR CONCERNS ARE ACCURATE.....i am marijuana free beacuse i have already experiened the affects of uncontrollable laughter, hunger, sleepy eyes, sluggish speach, unwise decisions, heavy breathing, paranoia, and the desire to continue smoking to live in a non realistic world that ive created under the influence, and then realize its not real,and with the constant desire to revisit that world because i now couldnt deal with reality on a natural high in life.....WHY WOULD I CONTINUE TO ABUSE MYSELF BY NOT DEALING WITH WAS ONLY MEANT TO BE?? ITS CALLED WEAKNESS and im no longer weak but strong mentally and physically, but naturally. i honestly logged on to this site to prove a point to my boyfried who has a practical daily desire to smoke. when he is not high he is not happy, his withdrawls consist of: boredum,unhappiness,and sighing......I REFUSED TO BECOME A VICTIM OF MARIJUANA AND THE DRUG DEALERS THAT PROFIT ON MY ACCOUNT.....THINK ABOUT IT............
check this out
i'm sittin at skool right now stoned and i'm the most concentrated one here i'm doin a project on sweet mary jane and i just have one ? did you people ever think that if they legalized bud that would be the answer to all the taxes i mean yes if they did legalize it you could grow your own and not worry about it but who is gonna wait 8 months to smoke weed nobody it would be so easy to go to the store and pick it up and if they just relized how many people do it that would be the answer to all taxes but the govement just ain't that dam smart
I LOVE MARIJUANA. I smoke
I LOVE MARIJUANA. I smoke weed everyday and love every moment of it. And by the way one way of avoiding short term memory loss, you just stay stoned all the time!
I Love Marijuana, I smoke
I think people who want to stay intoxicated with marijuana and any type of drug, should ask themselves why? Also, is it okay to be an addict? By the way do you consider your self of being an addict. I happened to log onto this website because of a paper I have to write and was amazed at some of these comments. Those who use this drug, especially on a regular basis, should consider why they would enjoy not being themselves. When marijuana is smoked it does affect the brain and every other side effect that was mentioned is true. Consider getting some help. My opinion is staying stoned all the time is not cool it's sad. Furthermore, with the economy the way it is I'd rather spend money on something that going to last, something of value.
Laugh!
I should laugh at you! Some of these things you're mentioning on here, oh my god, you've just described most high school students. Most kids nowadays have memory problems and some of them have never even touched pot! And of course, teenagers have insane mood swings. And I always speak in a broken way and I can't recognize half the words in front of me. They're just there. It'll take me a few minutes to see the word as what it says. I can't even pronunce numbers anymore! But, I'm not a pothead. I've never even touched the stuff. And my friends have the same problems. None of us have smoked because we don't see the point. So, how can you say THC affects all these things, when a bunch of kids who've never smoked resemble weedsmokers?
ITS NOT FOR EVERYONE
FIRST OF ALL PEOPLE USE WEED AS AN EXCUSE TO DO EVERTHING. YOU CAN SIT AND SAY THAT IT HELPS YOU FUNCTION BETTER BUT YOU ONLY THINK THAT BECAUSE YOU ARE HIGH DUH! IF YOU CANT FUNCTION WITHOUT WEED YOUR ADDICTED. I KNOW PEOPLE WHO CHANGE THIER WHOLE PERSONALITY WHEN THEY SMOKE, ITS RIDICULOUS. I USED TO SMOKE WEED AND I DID IT BECAUSE OF THE FEELING IT GAVE ME BUT IT WAS POINTLESS SO I STOPPED. I FELT SO STUPID WHEN I FINALLY REALIZED THAT SMOKING WEED WAS DUMB. I WOULD RATHER BE IN MY RIGHT MIND AND KNOW WHAT IM DOING THEN TO ALTER IT BY ADDING A SUBSTANCE TO IT.
I am glad I finally got out of the whole weed trap ordeal
I have smoked marijuana from age 15 to 42 with some periods of abstinence in between. I finally just got sick of it and the way I was enslaved to it as in unable not to use even when I did not really want to. Most everyone I know are chronic hardcore stoners, some more functional than others. If I could smoke it once in a while, I would not have given it up, but it became a real problem in my life that I only realized when I stopped using it.
My mind cleared up, my emotions were finally balanced, I was not over thinking things anymore. I had myself convinced that it was helping me focus, though now that I am off of it, I find I am focusing even more. At first it seemed like this great creative muse of sorts, but in time it just made me depressed.
It is not for some people and now that I have my brain chemistry working in a more functional and peaceful manner, I do not want to even risk putting the 400 extra chemicals back in there to affect my neurotransmitters in any way.
I see my friends messing up their lungs and not making enough money in a lot of cases. They are great artists, but that is about all. Most everything else is about scoring and staying high.
My ex-boyfriend is one of the most self-centered, and at times totally irrational, head-tripper hard core pot heads I have ever known. He makes good money, he works hard, and is an excellent artist, but at what ultimate cost to him? His lungs re already showing signs of ruin and he just is not all there on some level to be present in a responsible enough manner to others in his life.
He freely passes the balloon from his vaporizer to his 21 year-old daughter (and I am sure did so when younger) and she has enough problems and is trying to get through school. I see her suffering with concentration problems, a drinking problem on top of it, and just generally being frazzled by small things like I used to be.
Not everyone reacts to weed the same, but to those who think it may be causing them more problems than they are willing to admit, do yourself a favor and try to quit for at least 30 days. You may never go back to that.
A few hard-core pot-heads I know, have expressed a desire to quit, or "take a month's break" or have quit for one year, but then have gone right back on excessive use or are not able to take a break. It can be a real trap for some and it ends up in the end, blunting the full experience of life ultimately.
I understand it helps people with serious illnesses medically, but I can't say I really envy the ones that are in denial about a pretty insidious addiction with a high ceiling for hitting a bottom.
sex drive
I have smoked pot for 10 years and loved sex. now havn't smoked for 2 months and have no urge to do it and when i do my orgasam is so quick and soft, is this rite? i thought it kills ur drive when ur high, i never had a problem doin the damn thing when i was high, why now?
canabis is great i smke it
canabis is great i smke it all the tym it gets me wrecked and the world luks so much pretyier everyfin slows down and makes me feel i am free of every uva fuker but it puts me on paras sumtyms lol
It's not just about you
speaking from first hand experience, stoners aren't the only ones affected by chronic smoking. my boyfriend and i have been through hell and back, have overcome so many obstacles, but i think this one is going to kill it. his day consists of looking forward to the next time he can smoke, which is 2 to 3 times per day, whereas it used to be time with me that he looked forward to. i honestly feel replaced... by a stupid fucking plant. emotional unavailability is the best way i can describe our situation, and the worst part is he doesn't even see it... i love him to death, but i don't want to have to pay for his addiction
Where are the facts
Anyone know of a better site to find factual information pertaining to the effects of MJ on the human body?
it is not bad!! how many ppl
it is not bad!! how many ppl do you kno that have died from smoking marijuana???? answer me that question!!! and i make all As in highschool and i go to college at night i smoke every day!!! i am fine not hazy or nasty i care about my self and i think smoking marijuana is just fine!!!!! dont care what no body else has to say about it!!!
You dont care???
I cant give you names of people I know who have died from smoking marijuana, but here are some names of people who have died from a marijuana driver, Tammy Engelking, 27, and Henry Yao, 40, Kim Kim, 55, and Hyek Young Kim, 53, Max Purdue, 38, Mandy Niblett, 17, Daniel Kelly, 37, and Mr Kelly's children Gavin, 8, and Natalie, 7, Kurt Sanger, 50, Adele Roffis, 61, tell there Family you dont care...
Please don't kid yourselves
best quote regarding weed: "hashish gives you the gift of imagination, but robs you of your ability to profit from it"
Denial is a horrible thing... All users of (fill in the blank) have it. Like many of you here, I used weed at a young age, but didn't use daily until about 22 years old. I worked hard, was on the deans list, and belive very strongly that I will have money and sucess. The problem is brain chemistry! Whether you are rich poor smart or dumb, our bodies can only handle so much altered reality. I've quit cold turkey for about 7 weeks now and I'm starting to get better. Bottom line - it's better to function daily with our natural functions and what "we came with" so to speak. When you need treatment, get it, but daily use of anything will cripple you. Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional
I think weed is fine for
I think weed is fine for anyone who wants to smoke it it is no worse then anything else you can do and its natural and thats that
hmm..
Firstly: cannabis doesn't entice any form of euphoria at all, unlike you stated.
Secondly: You stated it has 400 chemicals in it, this is incorrect.
Thirdly: You said THC is a steroid, it's quite the opposite, how many muscular stoners do you see?
Fourthly: A blunt is a very high dose of marijuana, so assuming you ever even did that experiement, it was in unfair circumstances.
Fifthly: Marijuna doesn't make anyone suddenly change emotions ever, and i've seen alot more of it smoked than you'll ever see, trust me.
marijuana is really not a
marijuana is really not a good
thing to do because once you do
it you would get addicted to it
and you would't be able to stop.
It depends if you could controll
it, though.
There need to be more
There need to be more studies about marijuana's effects on young people's brains. As an advocate of the legalization of marijuana, I certainly don't buy into misinformation that says marijuana is categorically harmful. However, I do think that young people, turbulent enough with hormones and moodiness, may not be able to handle marijuana's possible effect on mood and motivation. But this concern is just anecdotal, and I would like to see some empirical study of the issue.
short term memory 'loss'
Much association has been made between 'loss' of short term memory and smoking marijuana. Much of what has been said is blinkered text book argument that uses the status quo as a control model.
Yes it does alter short term memory, but what constitutes loss is another matter.
It alters short term memory primarily because the mind is more occupied with more interesting things than the tripe it is usually cluttered up with and it is this clutter that is discarded, forgotten, or 'lost'.
Of course, such clutter makes up for the average day of the normal human drone, so its loss will obviously be seen as a problem, or a spoke in the social wheel.
As for me, I forget why I started writing this ...
AS FAR AS ANY DRUG GOES...
okay...im 13 years old;a freshmen never used drugs never plan too,because im straightedge...but dont hate me for that! :D
of course i find any drug very stupid,my opinion being that,(aside from heath) if it changes who you are....makes you mellow or whatever than why would you want that?it's dangerous for anything to taint your mental abilities...ANYTHING! i do believe alcohol is more dangerous than pot...and of course hard drugs such as crack and opiates are worse...dont tell me i have no experience because one of my best friends started using when he was in 7th grade...he's EXTREMELY SMART! and he still is surprising for such a pothead...haha///but he's became much more withdrawn...and he turned into a person i no longer wanted to be around...also///my uncle is an alcoholic...he is in jail for assulting a police officer...sober he's witty lovable and a great guy...but drunk he's rude clumsy and abrasive...my cousin is addicted to crack and that is ruining his fathers life...and he was a smart kid too...i dont understand alot of things...i dont understand why anyone would do this kinda thing to themselves! drugs hurt the people who love you.plain and simple.
medical m.j.(i cant spell it can i... XD)
it has been proven to help...and i say...give it to them///though im unsure of my thoughts on this...hummm....
PS:
another thought might be that if legalized...it may become less common...m.j. is not so much of a drug that will make you freaking spazz out or anything...but yeah.thats all i have to say so far... :/
I started smoking pot at the
I started smoking pot at the age of 13, it was that rush of doing something against the grain. joining others who were also doing something wrong but not violent or anti social. that being said it adversely affected my instant recall. It held me back from being the better me that I could have been. I smoked before class and after class and sometimes during lunch in highschool. I was a poor student and pot didn't helpt me get better it only made things worse.
I knew some straight a students who smoked pot. I envied them like no tomorrow because I came from a uncaring family when it came to school work( I was on my own basically to learn). Most of the kids I hung out (including myself) stair stepped from pot to other more addictive and more harmful drugs. A lot of them ended up in prison or permanently stupid
.I myself wasn't that dependant of a person like my sisters and mother I didn't need to self medicate on a daily basis.
whether it was alcohol , meth, lsd, mushrooms, crank, cocaine or heroin. I thank some inner part of me that wouldn't allow myself to lose myself in my own self pity to choose that same path.
Could it be a religious belief ? well that topic is up for debate. we all attended church at one time or another.I could claim I was more devote than my family but who's to say.
I just have natural proof. My middle sis is still using pot, alcohol and what ever pill she can to medicate her emotional behaviors INCLUDING prescribed medicine(xanax0r something) . It's hard seeing her all drugged up vs her normal self.
I don't think she even knows that her normal self is the better person to be.
My oldest sis is a recovering alcoholic but before that she was a heroin addict. and she was hooked on coke before that.
we all smoked pot.
we all did poorly in school.
I did poorly in college twice. I kept trying even though I was at first still too much of a stoner then too much of a stoner/partyer.
after i hit the age of 25 with the help of my child I straightened out. a couple of years ago I went back to college for some managerial classes and recieve As and Bs.
It took a long time for the effects of instant recall to be usefull to me again. I took memory courses and built back my instant recall. It still troubles me to this very day and I try not to use it as an excuse.
It's just always there .
There are side effects...
I smoked for about a year straight, chronic only. I'm talking high almost all day, every day, 24/7. I was going through more than a quarter a week at one ponit. And after a while I started to lose touch with reality, and I felt like I wasn't even there anymore.
Just imagine FEELING like you are living someone elses life, and nothing is real. It's hard to look at pictures of me because I FEEL like I'm looking at a different person. Hell even the things I own seem like they are someone elses.
There are side effects with some people, and with some there aren't. It all depends on the person, as is with any drug.
If it helps you fine, if it helps someone else, who cares. I don't see why so many people care. If you like it or not, it really doesn't affect anyone who feels differently than yourself.
I could sit down after
I could sit down after smoking continuously for ten days and write a significantly more coherent paper.
"It has been researched that a person needs to have high dose of marijuana would be in the state of euphoria."
I'll sleep blissfully tonight with that knowledge.
Marijuana
C'mon guys:
Everyone loves a good joint :p
Why, in England are they trying to make it a class B drug?
Even the Home Secretary admitted that when she was younger she smoked it.
marijuana is amazing (: i
marijuana is amazing (:
i find it rather soothing.
and it makes food 3471894739187589137x better (:
yeep thats all.
Stop smoking weed
I discovered this site during my search for solutions. Though have stopped smoking marijuana since 2004, but the side effect is still there - MEMORY LOST. I can read 2 chapters of a Textbook without remembering anything(i noticed this after i stopped smoking), this is really affecting my studies.
I will advice you guys out there to quit smoking. Please if you have answers to my problem, let me know.
Quitting marijuana.
I smoked marijuana for years, until it became an addiction. At first it made me feel good and all was well in my world. Then it took away my motivation, and I began to have mood swings. I was even taking some of my valuables to hawk so I could buy more. I'd buy my valuables back, but I always wanted to make sure I had extra cash to buy more pot even if it meant I had to go without nutritious food or something that I needed. One day I thought,"This HAS to STOP!"
I've tried to quit before, but had always relapsed. Now, I have a new tool. And my new tool is this:
I went to a meeting (not AA, nor a religious meeting, but a spiritual one). The Elder who had spoken at this meeting said," Right now, some of you may be battling an addiction. You and your addiction are fighting for control. Remember this: Which ever one you feed is the one you will make stronger."
Sure, I've had cravings for the high, but I do not give in to it. I want my life back. I want to be the one in control.
My views of experience with marijuana
I've smoked marijuana for two years straight. Recently I've just gone to an interventional therapy program, and now've been clean for 30 days. Like said before everything under the sun has its pros and cons. Everyone is affected adversely by marijuana. I used it as a dependent, i was a co-dependent of marijuana because of all my under lying issues. Mairjuana worked to reduce my stress, though as soon as the effects would fade the next day all the stress would still be there and almost feel even greater than before I had smoked, it brought me to a new low. Using marijuana is a personal choice reason with it how you many. Marijuana is not going to kill you, create and overdose to your body. Though the day to day problems that you cover with marijuana will always be there in the long-term.
any side affects or
any side affects or marijuana can be counteracted succesfully by the knowledge that it is just that, a side affect. if you are paranoid and you can tell yourself quite simply, im being irrational, this is an affect of all that high grade chronic i have put into my system and therefore there is no longer an issue. peoples weak mindedness and societies constant enforcement of the 'fact' that drugs mess you up leads people to believe that using drugs will eventually one day get to them, these thoughts in the subconcscious mind begin to appear in everday thinking and this is what in turn causes people to believe that drugs are having an adverse affect on them. in reply to one of the comments above, the idea that 'GOD' saved you from a cannabis addiction is laughable. the detsiny of your mind your personality and what you want to do in your life is controlled by solely you. putting it into the hands of something that you cannot even begin to prove could even possibly exist in any shape of form is ridiculous. addiction stems from not being accepted into society after indulging in substances that many consider immoral. if they were widely accepted it would not mean more people would do them, the people who feel the need to do drugs already do so, it would quite simply make it easier to function as a part of society aswell as enjoying your passtime. it is not an addiction, simply a different way of living that the majority dont understand and therefore attempt to control through fear as apossed to understanding. once again it is people narrow mindedness which has had a bad affect on not themselves but other people.
Its great
I see cannabis as the drug out ov all ov the drugs that have been classed as the least worst because ov prices and what kind ov effects they can do to your apperence and the sort of debts you get.
The feeling when smoking it is unexplainabe had some pritty wierd ones but its all good.
Another former pothead speaks...
I started smoking my junior year in high school and barely graduated. I always managed to keep a job, but all I lived for was to eat, pay rent and get high. That was the extent of my vision for my life. Outside of work, my whole world revolved around pot. I only hung out with other potheads because anything we did together involved getting high. My wife and I both smoked and for both of us this opened the door to other drugs. She tells me now that as we laid around stoned she used to think, "Is this all we're ever going to do with our lives? What will we do if we have kids?"
We were both set free from our ADDICTION! (YES! That is exactly what is!) literally by the grace of God at the age of 23(we're both the same age). My wife knew the moment HE came into her life that she would never need ANY drugs ever again. I stopped one day later because I just knew within myself that pot and other drugs were not something HE wanted me to do. Interestingly enough, all of our "friends" quit coming over when they realized that they wouldn't be able to get a free high(we were pot dealers and ALWAYS had dope. It was just a given that we would turn on our guests; a part of pothead hospitality, I guess).
But that was okay because we got a whole new group of friends; mostly other former druggies who had been set free. And that was EXACTLY what we needed! It is nearly impossible for most people to get away from that lifestyle if they keep hanging out with the same old drug-using crowd.
After a few years, I began to realize just how much pot had dominated my entire outlook on life and I see my old mentality in all the pothead comments on this site. I really believe that pot and other drugs put the user under a delusion
that causes them to defend their destructive lifestyle and blinds them to the dangers and harm; all while being reinforced by what one person referred to as "the hippie mantra". We chanted the same old lines all the time we were using.
But then, the drug makes its users immune to common sense and totally open to these lies. GOD HELP YOU ALL TO WAKE UP AND MAY HE SET YOU FREE FROM THIS DELUSION!
I finally broke free of the
I finally broke free of the weed trap myself after many years and I can't say how glad I was for being able to do it. Of all my addictions I have beat, this was my last holdout and by far the most insidious and harmful one.
I was depressed all the time, had major anxiety problems. I thought I was using it for chronic pain but when I quit, I realized the pain was worse while using.
It was an illusion that having weed in my life made life better for me. It blunted my experience of life and I finally got sick of being a slave to a psychoactive plant. Good for you!
I am sorry I wasted so many years at this that I cannot get back when I could have been moving forward in more productive ways and making saner, healthier friends who were emotionally and intellectually more fit and less dysfunctional than the company I have kept. They are not all bad, but some of these folks really need to get a grip on their ego problems and ongoing immaturity.
I don't smoke, but I have a
I don't smoke, but I have a lot of friends that do. Yes, they are lazy, but I have noticed that many of them are depressed all the time unless they are smoking. I think they do pot so that they can deal with life and that this is the way they have learned to cope with it. I wish they would start running, volunteering, mentoring, or something that would trigger a dopamine rush in their brains like pot does. Moderation is the key to everything, otherwise it will harm you and those you love.
marijuana
I am a student studying Microelectronic Engineering, and yes I smoke weed. More than I would like. Ive continually smoked marijuana everyday for at least three years. Bongs, spliffs, bottlenecks, joints, gravity bongs, pipes, u name it, Ive smoked it.
Now I'm at a point where I don't know if it is seriously affecting my studies as well as my IQ. On unofficial tests my IQ has dropped from 135 to 133 to 128, not that that is a true indicator of real intelligence, but am i really getting more stupid? One thing is for sure: MARIJUANA MAKES YOU LAZY. But at least mind over matter can cure laziness. It cant cure the hole in my head where brain cells used to be.
Sometimes I know that weed cannot be helping me in my studies, but then at other times I really struggle to understand my work unless I get a little high first. I do find that I am more thorough when high. But the question lies, am I doing more harm than good.
How long can I keep going like this? Will my poor memory catch up to me, or is it of little consequence? I really think if I should be asking these questions, then surely I already know the answers. Marijuana is of so little consequence that it is easy to smoke it everyday and go on with your life normally, but because of that fact, many people tend to keep smoking for years on end, and never quit.
Weed is less harmful than alcohol, thats true, but I dont really know any alcoholics that get themselves fucked 5 times a day, everyday, for years (probably because they will die in the process). But it cant be good to do the same with any drug, marijuana included.
Weed is a coping mechanism. We all have something or other that helps us cope with our daily stresses and strains. And if ur going to do something harmful to your body, it might as well be weed. If any of u think it is harmless, think again. Here I am studying for a semester test and all I can think about is lighting up my bong with some nice bud. Its distracting me. I think the worst must be if I wake up one day and realize that its too late. Ive missed the bus and destroyed the opportunities that I had.
Socially it is hard for me to distinguish my antisocial behaviors. Whether they are attributed to my marijuana addiction, my introvertial personality, or my studies that occupy my time. Intellectually, I know of alot of Engineers, Doctors, and Scientist that smoke the herb, and they are all doing fine in their degrees. But again I also know of a lot more that do not smoke, and its hard to tell whether they find it easier or more difficult.
I have found that marijuana is WONDERFUL, but slightly ADDICTIVE. Yet on other times it is JUST what i need to GET ME GOING. The question arrises: am I fully capable of doing my daily activities without marijuana. (WHAT am I even saying? Most people will be asking, am I even capable of doing all my activities on weed, and I am asking can I do it sober) Now YOU tell me that I am not addicted to marijuana, YOU tell me it is not addictive.
I think all stoners realize that they are going to have to stop smoking at some point in their life. Or at least hope they will realize that they will have to stop, but right now, just for today, lets get a little high.
So lets all jsut meet up for one last bong olympics and call it quits.
this is my third year doing
this is my third year doing weed, im in college. initially everything was all hunky dory. but now i realise weed is dangerous. It has affected me greatly. My life has changed. It does lead to paranoia and anxiety. Not for everyone of course, but i strongly advice those who have mental problems, or are weaker emotionally etc not to do weed. it has changed me, and i dunno wat to do. My social life is suffering greatly coz of this.... so plz , i dont want others to come the way iv come. Im gonna quit soon m and i hope i become normal , else i will have to go to sum pychiatrist or counsellor
Marijuana
I agree with most people on this page in reference to daily puff puff. Memory and motivational skills are hindered, yes this is true, but as far as not being able to be successful in life is straight bullshit. I would consider myself a recreational smoker based off the facts that i only blaze at night when all my responiblities are accounted for. I believe everyone has their poison and a way to blow off steam. Will i say marijuana is the best thing going, not by far. But if alcohol and cigarettes can be legal, why not the good ole natural plant?
Damn you kids out there.
As an ex-heavy user i also agree on the facts. i admit i had a hell of a time when i would smoke but eventually it just became boring and pointless. the people who complain about how crappy there lives are that they must smoke is bullshit. if your depressed get the fuck out there and do a sport or something productive. if you suffer from anxiety... shit...cut the act that shit is all in your head. for the people who say that it makes them smarter or what not, its an illusion. your just too damn stupid to figure it out. i knew a kid who use to say that and he slept with his cousin thinking it was bad ass to get laid. plus if you want to hit it big then that shit you smoke will not be tolerated. i can go on but i figured you people would skip the rest and email me telling me how stupid and arrogant i am. if you do end up smoking for the rest of your life email me in 10 years and lets see how far you achieved in life. either you will have quit and realized that smoking is one of the dumbest things you tell your kids or your homeless and have to use to the public library to email me telling me your life is great and you understand it. have fun.
p.s if any of you potheads type
me back saying that i
spelled something wrong
because the weed makes you smart
then im just gonna tell you
to fuck off.
Yup
I agree with you 150% dude. these are pretty much ALL kids replyin to this page, they are still wet behind the ears and are prolly stealin money out of there moms purse to go buy cigs and act cool at school. they dont understand, young and stupid. they will learn when they grow old.