By Dr Joel Enejeta
For long time marijuana has been one of the most common hard drug consumed by youths in form of smoking, mixing it with alcohol beverages and even used as vegetables in foods and others. Marijuana does not only have negative effect on body systems but also has effect on psychological and mental status of consumers especially adolescence who engage in consumption of marijuana.
Typical marijuana plants contain more than 400 chemicals, including about 60 that can interact with the body’s nervous system. If you smoke marijuana you might inhale more than 2,000 chemicals. Many of those chemicals are similar to the ones in cigarette smoke. Marijuana also can be contaminated with mold, insecticides or other chemicals. Health effects of many of these chemicals are not known.
Although marijuana may help reduce symptoms of certain medical conditions, it also may have some harmful effects depending on how often it is used.
There is clear evidence that regular use of marijuana increases the risk of heart, lung and mental health problems.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF USING MARIJUANA?
The effects of marijuana may include:
- A happy, relaxed or “high” feeling
- Slower reactions
- Dizziness
- Trouble thinking, learning and remembering
- Confusion, anxiety, panic or paranoia
- Fast heart rate
- Increased blood pressure
- Less interest in normal activities
- Hunger
- Dry mouth
- Red eyes
- Psychosis (rarely) — which is seeing or hearing things that aren’t real
These effects typically last two to three hours after marijuana is smoked or inhaled. When marijuana is eaten, the effects take longer to start and may last four to 10 hours.
ADDICTIVE NATURE OF MARIJUANA
Long-term marijuana use can, in some cases, lead to addiction, which means a person can’t control or stop marijuana use even though it interferes with daily life. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, about 9 percent of people who start using marijuana as an adult will become addicted. About 17 percent who start using marijuana between ages 13 and 25 will become addicted. And half of the people who use marijuana daily become addicted. Marijuana users make up 17 percent of the people that enter publicly-funded rehab programs.
LONG TERM HEALTH EFFECT OF MARIJUANA
Effects on Daily Life
Compared to other people, heavy marijuana users report:
- Less satisfaction with life
- Poor mental and physical health
- Relationship problems
- Less success at school or work
Cardiovascular Effects
Smoking marijuana makes the heart beat 20-100 percent faster. This increase can last up to three hours. Marijuana also can change heart rhythms. One study showed marijuana users are 4.8 times more likely to have a heart attack in the first hour after smoking. Older people and those with heart problems may be at greater risk for heart attack.
Respiratory Effects
Marijuana smoke irritates the lungs. Frequent marijuana smokers can have many of the same problems that tobacco smokers have, such as a daily cough, mucus, more chest colds and a higher risk of lung infections. One study found people who smoke marijuana frequently, but who don’t smoke tobacco, have more health problems and miss more days of work than nonsmokers.
Lung Cancer
It isn’t known if smoking marijuana causes lung cancer. Some of the cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke are also in marijuana smoke. Marijuana smokers may inhale deeper and hold the smoke in their lungs longer. So, marijuana smokers’ lungs may be exposed to more chemicals that can cause cancer. Lung tissue from regular marijuana users have shown signs of pre-cancerous changes. However, several studies have failed to show that marijuana smokers have a higher risk of lung cancer.
Mental Health
A number of studies have shown a link between regular marijuana use and mental illness. High doses of marijuana can cause a temporary psychotic reaction (not knowing what is real, hallucinations and paranoia). Using marijuana can make people with schizophrenia worse. There are also links between marijuana use and other mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and personality disturbances, including a lack of interest in rewarding activities.
