Marijuana, weed, pot, Mary Jane or whatever slang it is known as in your place, is the dried leaves, stems, flowers, seed from the plant cannabis sativa which is often use for either recreational or medicinal purposes. Of course, there have been a lot of talks since 'eternity' on whether there is short or long term health effects of using marijuana in different forms like smoking, inhaling or eating (with food). A lot of arguments, or confusions have sprang about cannabis sativa. A lot of its 'fans' are appealing for its legalization
in places where is not legalized (yet) stating its health benefits while those against its legalization are quick to point out the side effects of frequent or heavy usage, usually psychological effects. Despite different researches into the effect of marijuana on human, which in most cases are not conclusive or complete due to limitation of restrictions from the classification of marijuana as a schedule 1 drug. The questions still remain.
Is it a drug or just a plant? Is it beneficial to our health or disadvantageous?
Or does the good outweigh the potential harms?
Chemistry of Marijuana
Cannabis Sativa is a plant, but contains psychoactive ingredients that can affect the mind. It can take over some normal functioning of the brain and temporary impairs cognitive function. The psychoactive ingredients include over 65 cannabinoids, the biggest two are delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinal, popularly known as THC and cannabidiol, known as CBD.
THC
THC, delta-9-tetrehydrocannabinol is the most prominent compound found in cannabis plant, it is one of the over 400 chemicals present in marijuana. It is the chemical that gives people that use marijuana for recreational purpose that intoxicating effect. There over 65 other compounds relating chemically to THC, they are called cannabinoids. These cannabinoids are very related to substances found in our brain called endocannabinoids which are part of endocannabinoid system, ECS.
Endocannabinoids are responsible for giving you the feel food feeling, gets you light headed or relaxed. THC enters to you blood stream after smoking, eating or inhaling marijuana or using the it's oil. THC attach themselves to the cannabinoids receptors in the brain. This stimulate the brain to release dopamine, which sends a 'signal' to various part of your body and makes you feel high.
These receptors biologically receive chemical signals from the cells in the body. The signals can be that of pain, nausea and euphoria. Cannabinoids 'hijack' the receptors and prevent the natural chemicals from performing their duties, which leaves you feeling loopy instead of pain or euphoria after taking marijuana. The area of your brain the THC 'messes with' will determine the effect the marijuana will have on you.
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Few Areas of the brain THC can affect and the resulting effects
| Areas of the brain | Effects |
|---|---|
| Hypothalamus | Huge Appetite |
| basal ganglia | Motor Control - slow reaction |
| nucleus accumbens | Exaggerate reward feeling - euphoria |
| amygdala | feeling paranoid |
| Cerebral cortex | Impaired judgements |
| hippocampus | Poor focus or concentration. poor memory |
CBD
Cannabidiol, simply known as CBD has a different psychological property than THC. Though they are both cannabinoids with closely related chemical formation and properties. Unlike THC which has been proven to amplify paranoia and anxiety, cbd does the opposite. It decreases anxiety and sometimes counteract the effects of THC if present in the right proportion. CBD is majorly responsible for the 'medicinal' title and properties of cannabis. The therapeutic property and anti psychoticeffect in some strains of cannabis which is the reason for legalizing it in some states and the calls for legalization in others is largely due to the presence of CBD in it.
Low THC + High CBD = Medicinal Drug
Cannabis due to its therapeutic properties have been found cure or drasticaly reduce the effects of diseases and conditions like
- Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa
- Neurodegenerative disorders
- Cancer
It also reduces the effect of - nausea from chemotherapy
- pain
- epilepsy
- multiple sclerosis
Though there about 500 chemical compounds working together, to give something known as entourage effect.
The Good, The Bad And The Myth
When it comes to studies on marijuana, there seems to a lot of contradictory reports. And most of reports out there are either inconclusive or limited due restrictions from classification of marijuana as a 'dangerous' drug. They are not authoritative statements on the effect of cannabis on human (not rats) plus a good number of studies dated back many years ago but the strains of marijuana keep getting stronger over the years.
- Cancer : According to the national institute of drug abuse, there is no conclusive evidence that smoking marijuana causes lung cancer.
Cannabis has been mentioned time and time again and a treatment for the side effects of cancer. Though there have been overwhelming evidence in support of that claim.
According to Dr. David Meiri, the lead researcher on an Israeli project with his team studied 50 varieties of cannabis and their effects of 200 different body cells. He stated...
There is a large body of scientific data which indicates that cannabinoids specifically inhibit cancer cell growth and promote cancer cell death.
However he warned all body cells to do not respond to the effect of cannabis the same way.
Another researcher Dr. Abrams, a leading oncologist at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, also acknowledge the effectiveness of cannabis in treating the side effects of cancer and chemotherapy but cautioned people to wary of claims of marijuana as a cure for cancer. He said..
if cannabis definitively cured cancer, I would have expected that I would have a lot more survivors.’
Effect on IQ : A good number of pot smokers claim they perform better at mental tasks when under the influence of marijuana. How true is this? A major research into the effect of marijuana is the Dunedin Study in which a prospective study of a birth cohort of 1,037 people were monitored from birth. The cohort were 'divided' into three groups, those that smoke marijuana frequently, occasional pot smokers and those that never used marijuana in their lives. A significant reduction in memory and IQ was discovered in frequent pot smokers. The reduction was found to be more prominent in heavy smokers before 18 years of age with the average reduction of 8.
The subjects were monitored for almost 4 decades, right from birth. The effect of marijuana on IQ was significant and lasting in adolescents than adults. It is understandable as their brains were still developing.Good Ol' Weed Vs. New Breed Weed : The old timers always feel the the marijuana of the 60s, 70s or 89s are stronger than those of now. The truth is today's weed are way stronger than those of decades ago. People are now aware of the chemicals in the weed, the plant biology and the knowledge required to produce a strain that has higher THC. Though it does not automatically implies all the weeds been produced know has higher concentrations of THC or stronger than those of decades ago
Ryan Vandrey, Ph.D., an associate professor who specialises in cannabis and nicotine at Johns Hopkins puts it this way...
The quick and dirty summary is that the concentration of THC in cannabis now is way higher than it used to be,
People who are good at plant biology have gotten into cannabis and selectively bred plants to be higher in THC.
- Overdose : According to findings, it is almost impossible for someone to get lethally overdose on marijuana. Of course, it is very common for people to get very high on weed to the extent of losing coordination, feeling dizzy, extreme paranoia and anxiety but never overdosed.
In a 1988 petition, a judge wrote that in order to die, a person would need to consume approximately 15,000 pounds of marijuana in about 15 minutes. Put another way: That's a 154-pound person taking in more than 46 pounds of marijuana at once.
- Lung Damage : Smoking marijuana does not lead to extensive lung Damage like smoking tobacco. According to this study conducted in 2012, the researchers found no link between smoking marijuana for 20 years and any significant lung damage or lung cancer.
Marijuana contains cannabinoids that have significant anti-cancer and anti-tumor effects instead.
However, heavy smoking of marijuana can cause respiratory issue like bronchitis with symptoms like coughing, sore throat, chest discomfort, phlegm, shortness breathing.
The best treatment of bronchitis is to stop smoking.
There are others ways of using marijuana without releasing tars to the airways and the lung and risking respiratory issues.
Vaporising and using edible are more safer ways of consuming marijuana.
Conclusion
Many of the studies into the efficacy and side effects of marijuana are not conclusive or complete as it is classified as an illegal and one of the most dangerous drugs. To do a thorough and conclusive clinical research on marijuana requires permissions and licenses from different government agency and institutes which causes bureaucracy bottleneck and restrained of researchers from doing a thorough research on it.
Marijuana definitely has a good number of benefits as well as side effect especially when abused. Even too much of a good thing will stop been good, marijuana whether taken for recreational or medical purpose should not be abused. Heavy usage of marijuana, especially smoking can affect the respiratory, lead to accident due impaired focus among other possible side effects.
Cancer : Can Cannabis Really Cure It?
Study Shows Heavy Adolescent Pot Use Permanently Lowers IQ