Marijuana is a widely consumed drug around the world, despite the fact that in most countries its cultivation and use is illicit. Considered by many as a natural substance and, therefore, harmless, the truth is that it brings with it numerous harmful effects on our health.
Here We will see what are the main effects of marijuana on the body, phenomena that end up affecting both our brain and the heart, lungs and endocrine system, consequences that we will delve into below. Stay to discover how this substance affects our body.
Psychotropic effect, brain damage and mental disorders associated with marijuana
Marijuana or cannabis is one of the most consumed psychotropic substances on the planet, and it is also one of those with the largest number of crops. Since its consumption is so widespread and popular, there is a tendency to relativize its negative effects, even considering it a soft drug or resorting to the naturalistic fallacy of “how is it going to be bad for our health if Mother Earth brings it to us?”
However, the reality is that it is a drug, a substance harmful to our health, addictive and potentially dangerous for our body Our entire body can be damaged by this substance, altering our cardiac, respiratory, endocrine and nervous systems. Contrary to what many believe, it is a highly addictive substance and brings with it economic, family and social problems, damages that, although they occur outside the body, affect the consumer’s quality of life.
As a psychotropic substance, cannabis has as its first consequences those that affect the nervous system. When taking it, the consumer feels an ephemeral sensation of euphoria and joy, which can become manic, which leads them to find fun in trivial aspects, laughing irregularly and uncontrollably. It is the typical thing you see in movies and series, the classic scene of a “smoked” teenager who laughs at the shape and size of his own hand, a crude but clear example of this effect.
The duration of these effects varies depending on the amount of marijuana consumed, in addition to the individual’s own characteristics and if it has been combined with other substances. The alterations to the nervous system are momentary, but if marijuana is consumed regularly it can lead to long-term problems, even in the form of long-lasting and irreversible mental disorders.
Marijuana consumption affects the brain directly, harming the areas responsible for such important functions as memory, learning, attention, decision making, coordination, emotions and reaction time. In the short term it slightly affects attention, memory and learning in addition to negatively influencing the mood, while it is in the long term and due to long-term consumption that more serious problems arise in all the areas mentioned.
Among the most affected brain areas we find:
Marijuana brings with it more or less dangerous hallucinogenic effects. Many experts consider this characteristic to be one of the most important when it comes to causing addiction, since Taking cannabis is linked to experiencing unreal situations, sometimes interpreted as mystical Experiencing hallucinations can motivate people to consume more, which causes users to develop dependence.
The main effects of marijuana on the body
It has been seen that marijuana users are at greater risk of presenting chronic mental disorders compared to non-users, mental problems including schizophrenia and its particular hallucinations. There is also a greater risk of suffering from psychosis, that is, loss of contact with reality and delusions. Additionally, marijuana has been linked to an increased risk of depression and anxiety along with suicidal thoughts in adolescence.
1. Sexual problems
Another effect of marijuana that can be observed in those who consume marijuana has to do with their sexual capacity. Behaviorally, Cannabis can generate a high degree of sexual disinhibition and even a greater predisposition to maintain intimate relationships
Ironically, physiologically, the body does not seem to be going in the same direction, since it is not strange that after consuming marijuana the genitals do not respond, the quality of the sperm is reduced and its secretion is accelerated, reaching orgasm before time and with lesser sensation of pleasure. It also affects the eggs.
Cannabis consumed inhaled, that is, smoking cigarettes or vaping, damages the respiratory system. In fact, it is this system that is most damaged by cannabis users, since the most common way to take this drug is by inhaling smoke, an element that damages lung tissues. Lung capacity is seriously compromised the more “joints” you smoke increasing the risk of suffering from bronchitis, cough and phlegm production, as well as lung cancer.
Secondhand marijuana smoke contains tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the chemical largely responsible for the psychotropic effects of this drug. In addition to THC, we also find many components shared with those of tobacco smoke, therefore, when inhaled, even if not by directly smoking the cigarette, it can affect the health and alter the behavior of non-smokers, including babies and children who are exposed.
3. Heart problems
Many people may find it somewhat shocking to learn that marijuana affects the cardiac system. Recurrent or large consumption can affect the heart’s ability to pump blood, causing it to not circulate properly through the body and causing a feeling of generalized weakness. If consumed in high doses, cannabis can cause tachycardia. Added to this, it can also cause the following heart problems.
High heart rate and blood pressure.
Chest pain when exercising.
Increased risk of heart attack.
Increased risk of strokes and mini-strokes.
4. Addiction and withdrawal
Some people think that marijuana is not really an addictive substance, that it is not even a drug. However, science and statistics dismantle this myth, since About 1 in 10 marijuana users become addicted, a proportion that goes from 1 to 6 in consumers under 18 years of age. Among the signs that indicate that the person may be addicted we find:
Not being successful in stopping taking marijuana.
Stop meeting family or friends to use marijuana instead.
Continue using despite knowing that it implies health problems.
Continue using even though consumption prevents normal daily life.
The withdrawal syndrome caused by stopping marijuana use is one of the most important psychological consequences of marijuana. The need to use again, the feeling of nervousness if consumption is delayed (“craving”) and even attacks of anger due to the inability to consume are the most distinctive effects of addiction.
Effects of marijuana according to the mode of consumption
Although all the ways in which marijuana is consumed imply some of the effects that we have seen up to this point, it is worth saying that The way it is done may imply a greater intensity and duration of the same
Marijuana infusion
Marijuana infusion is the most common alternative to inhaled marijuana, being somewhat less harmful because reduces damage to the respiratory system and does not imply as much alteration on the nervous system
In any case, even if it is a milder form of consumption of this substance, it is still a drug and therefore the risk of addiction or the other negative consequences associated with its consumption will not be eliminated.
Ingested marijuana
One of the ways that have become most popular in recent years to consume marijuana is by ingesting it, in the form of food. There are many recipes in which this peculiar ingredient is introduced, with sweet things being preferred: cakes, pastries, brownies, sponge cakes, candies, cookies, sodas, chocolate bars…
We must take into account that Cooking marijuana can increase some of the effects produced by this drug, which makes consumption in this way more dangerous than inhaling it. Smoking marijuana slightly reduces the effects of cannabis, while incorporating it entirely into food keeps them unchanged. As a consequence of this, there are many cases of intoxication from marijuana consumption caused by having eaten brownies or candies with this substance.
Unlike marijuana that is smoked, cannabis edibles can take between 30 minutes and 2 hours to produce their effects, but these will last longer than they usually do inhaled. Added to this, it is more likely that more THC will be consumed by eating food with cannabis, since a serving of marijuana cookies or brownies could perfectly contain 100 mg of this substance, which means that eating a marijuana cookie would be like take many puffs on a cigarette at the same time.
