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Weed, grass, marijuana, or pot, there are different names for the drug derived from the same cannabis plant. You can smoke, vape or even eat it. Most men use marijuana for pleasure and recreation. However, doctors prescribe it only for some medical conditions.
Marijuana contains compounds that alter your body and brain. It’s not only active but could be highly dangerous to your health. Check the impacts of using marijuana to understand what we mean.
Effects of marijuana on your body and mind
1. Compromises your respiratory system.
Like all tobacco items, cannabis smoke comprises several toxic elements like hydrogen cyanide and ammonia. These harmful substances irritate your lungs and bronchial passage. If you smoke weed frequently, the chance of coughing and wheezing increases.
Pot smokers are at high risk of lung and bronchitis and infections. Cannabis also triggers existing respiratory disorders like cystic fibrosis and asthma. In addition, marijuana contains carcinogen that increases the risks of lung cancer in your body. However, it cannot cause lung cancer single-handedly.
2. Impairs your brain
Marijuana contains THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol), which affects the brain parts that are responsible for concentration, coordinated movement, time perception, sensory, thinking, memory and pleasure. It overstimulates these parts and hence results in memory problems, poor concentration & coordination, poor sensory & time perception, and creates problems in processing information. Teenagers below the age of 25 are more vulnerable to these negative effects of weed.
A regular marijuana smoker faces difficulties while completing complex tasks, learning new skills, taking decisions, recalling information and staying alert. Such impaired decision-making generally results in risky sexual behavior leading to STDs like AIDS and unwanted pregnancy. In addition, the person is at risk of exposure to other substances.
3. Hampers your circulatory system
THC enters your bloodstream via your lungs and within a few minutes, it travels to almost all your body parts. This substance increases your heart rate up to 50 beats per minute from normal. This high heart rate continues for around three hours.
The increased heart rate demands more oxygen. In case you have a heart disease, you are at high risk of heart attack in such situations. Your eyes also look red when you are under the influence of marijuana. It happens because weed causes blood vessels to expand and fill with more blood.
4. Testicular cancer
Long-term and frequent marijuana smoking habits increase the risk of developing the most aggressive types of testicular cancer. So, a pot smoker has a 70 per cent higher chance of getting this problematic disorder.
5. Distorted thought process
Weed alters your judgment and senses. The effects depend upon the potency of the grass you smoked and how you used it in the past. It heightens your senses, especially your ears and eyes. In addition, marijuana degrades your driving skills. Therefore, the risks of vehicle accidents are higher if you drive or ride under the influence of cannabis. It’s the reason driving after smoking grass is illegal.
6. Addiction is not good for you
One out of ten marijuana smokers get addicted to it. An addicted individual never cares about relationships, finances, jobs, or health. The risks are higher if you start smoking pot in your teens.
An addicted person depends on the substance. So, if you are habitual of smoking weed and you do not get it, then you might get restless. In addition, you feel irritated and uninterested in consuming food. There are high chances that you might not be able to sleep properly.
Conclusion
Marijuana addiction causes serious harm to your social life, work, finances and health. It damages your lungs, impairs your brain, creates problems in your thought process and exposes you to multiple heart-related diseases. So, instead of using weed to relax your brain, you should engage yourself in workouts and focus on your health.
Include walking/running sessions and meditation in your lifestyle. You can also talk to someone you know can support you. Have an honest conversation with one of your loved ones and move on. Remember, there is a lot more in life than a few puffs. All you need is the ability and will to overcome your weaknesses.
Thank You 🙏
- The effects of cannabis use on physical and mental health
- Is there a link between marijuana use and psychiatric disorders?
- Chronic Adolescent Marijuana Use as a Risk Factor for Physical and Mental Health Problems in Young Adult Men
- Harmful Effects of Smoking Cannabis: A Cerebrovascular and Neurological Perspective
- Marijuana Dependence: Not Just Smoke and Mirrors
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