There are three factors that are combining to make marijuana the most commonly used illicit drug in America.

1. The popular press.

2. The devotion and militarism of marijuana smokers themselves.

3. The progressive legalization of the drug.

Skipping the rhetoric of legalization, an individual’s right to abuse themselves etc., I believe it is more productive to look at scientific evidence. Is marijuana dangerous to a person’s health? The scientific facts unequivocally say it is. Skip the socio-politico debate, your body is not designed to operate under the influence of marijuana.

Short-term effects of marijuana usage:

The chemical in marijuana that actually gets a person high isdelta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. It acts on cannabinoid receptors in the brain.

The location of these receptors is important in determining what affects marijuana smoking has on behavior. These cannabinoid receptors are most numerous in the parts of the brain that affect pleasure, memory, concentration coordination and time perception. This makes sense since these are the typical behavioral indicators of someone who is high on marijuana. THC is a poison.

Long-term effects of using marijuana:

Research has shown that marijuana’s adverse impact on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off. Marijuana contains approximately triple the amount of tar found in cigarette smoke and marijuana smoke contains 50–70 percent more carcinogenic hydrocarbons than does tobacco smoke. Marijuana. Is that in the THC affects the immune system which can cause many body malfunctions. Studies have shown that there is increased risk of difficulty with narrow logical development in babies were born to mothers who smoked marijuana during their pregnancy.

Long-term marijuana abuse can lead to addiction; that is, compulsive drug seeking and abuse despite its known harmful effects upon social functioning in the context of family, school, work, and recreational activities.

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Scientists have learned a great deal about how THC (the active ingredient in marijuana), acts in the brain to produce its many effects.

When someone smokes marijuana, THC rapidly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream, which carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body.

THC acts upon specific sites in the brain, called cannabinoid receptors, kicking off a series of cellular reactions that ultimately lead to the “high” that users experience when they smoke marijuana. Some brain areas have many cannabinoid receptors; others have few or none. The highest density of cannabinoid receptors are found in parts of the brain that influence pleasure, memory, thoughts, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement.

Not surprisingly, marijuana intoxication can cause distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and memory. Research has shown that marijuana’s adverse impact on learning and memory can last for days or weeks after the acute effects of the drug wear off. As a result, someone who smokes marijuana every day may be functioning at a suboptimal intellectual level all of the time.

Research on the long-term effects of marijuana abuse indicates some changes in the brain similar to those seen after long-term abuse of other major drugs. For example, cannabinoid withdrawal in chronically exposed animals leads to an increase in the activation of the stress-response system and changes in the activity of nerve cells containing dopamine.Dopamine neurons are involved in the regulation of motivation and reward, and are directly or indirectly affected by all drugs of abuse.

Addictive Potential

Long-term marijuana abuse can lead to addiction; that is, compulsive drug seeking and abuse despite its known harmful effects upon social functioning in the context of family, school, work, and recreational activities. Long-term marijuana abusers trying to quit report irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety, and drug craving, all of which make it difficult to quit. These withdrawal symptoms begin within about 1 day following abstinence, peak at 2–3 days, and subside within 1 or 2 weeks following drug cessation.

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