Marijuana, also known as pot, grass, or weed, is the common name for a crude drug made from the plant Cannabis Sativa. The main mind-altering ingredient in marijuana is THC or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. Aside from THC, there are more than 400 other chemicals found in the marijuana plant.
A marijuana "joint" is made from the dried leaves of the plant and rolled like a cigarette. Aside from the amount of THC, the weather, the soil, the time of harvest, and other factors determine the strength of marijuana.
The strength of marijuana that is currently illegally sold these days is ten times greater than the marijuana used in the early '70s. This more potent marijuana increases both the physical and mental effects and the possibility of health problems for the user. Hashish, or hash, is made by taking the resin from the leaves and flowers of the marijuana plant and pressing it into cakes or slabs. Hash is usually stronger than crude marijuana and may contain five to ten times as much THC. Pure THC is almost never available, except for research studies.
For some people, they consider this marijuana as a starter drug or an open gateway for much more harder drugs. But nonetheless, many clinical studies suggest that marijuana and some of its chemical properties can actually have medicinal advantages, as compared to those of chemical manufactured prescription medications. Some immediate physical effects of smoking marijuana includes a faster heartbeat and pulse rate, bloodshot eyes, and a dry mouth and throat. However, no scientific evidence indicated that marijuana improves hearing, eyesight, and skin sensitivity. Studies of marijuana's mental effects shows that the drug can impair or reduce short-term memory, alter the sense of time, and reduce the ability to do things which require concentration, swift reactions, and coordination, such as driving a car or operating machinery.
One major concern about the effects of smoking marijuana is the negative impact it has on young people. When young people start using marijuana regularly, they often lose interest and are not motivated to do their schoolwork. The effects of smoking marijuana can interfere with learning by impairing the whole thinking process, reading comprehension, and verbal and mathematical skills. Research studies even showed that students do not remember what they have learned when they are "high".
Scientists believe that the effects of smoking marijuana can be especially harmful to the lungs because users often inhale the unfiltered smoke deeply and hold it in their lungs as long as possible. Therefore, the smoke is in contact with lung tissues for long periods of time, which then irritates the lungs and damages the way they work. Marijuana smoke contains some of the same ingredients in tobacco smoke that can cause emphysema and cancer. In addition, many marijuana users also smoke cigarettes; the combined effects of smoking with these two substances creates an increase in health risk. Either way, it would be better not to try and smoke on anything in particular, whether it be tobacco or marijuana, since both can affect one's health, especially the lungs. |
