Posted by admin in Uncategorized on May 21st, 2009 | one response

For decades, marijuana has been the most common illegal drugs in the United States. Although legalization activists and many marijuana users will argue that smoking pot has no negative effects, scientific research otherwise indicates that there are marijuana side-effects that can cause many health problems. The previous point is reason enough why marijuana use should not be underestimated.

From a dry mixture of parts of the cannabis sativa hemp plant, marijuana has an active chemical called tetrahydrocannabinol. The marijuana side effects come from the reaction of the body, brain in particular, from this chemical. Not only that, marijuana has other chemicals that makes it impossible to believe that smoking it or taking it in would not present any side effects at all.

Marijuana is called by many names like pot, weed, grass, joint and Mary Jane. Also, its consumption takes many forms. Most common among them is smoking it like ordinary cigarettes. Often, the tobacco content of the cigarette is removed and then replaced with dry marijuana and then smoked. If smoking has negative effect, why would there be no marijuana side effects as well? In fact, marijuana is considered to be more potent than tobacco.

There have been a lot of studies concluding that indeed marijuana side effects harm its users. Despite of it all, many dismiss those studies, rather believing that smoking pot a few times won’t imperil them to marijuana side effects. It can not be further from the truth. Smoking pot here and there might not have noticeable immediate side-effects but it lays the foundation to marijuana dependency and addiction. Worse, addiction to marijuana may lead to addiction with other banned drugs.

When a person smokes marijuana, the active chemical THC enters the blood streams and goes to the brain. In the brain, some nerve cell membranes would absorb it. This would trigger a chemical reaction resulting to the person having a certain “high” feeling. The marijuana side effect would be to muddle the person’s perception of time, his or her surrounding and his or her feelings. When feeling “high” the person who used marijuana may exhibit a more aggressive behavior like reckless driving or manifest deviant sexual conduct. Marijuana intake contributes to accidents and transmission of STDs.

Paranoia is another side-effect that comes with smoking weed. Since weed is illegal, it is purchased and smoked secretly. After the smoking session, users would think someone or somebody is out to get them because they did something illegal. They might suspect everyone is after them because they smoked pot.

True, marijuana has medicinal value. But anti-prohibition groups should also look into marijuana’s psychological and physiological effects. Marijuana should only be allowed for medicinal use and not for recreational purposes. Patients with debilitating disease need marijuana but legalizing it altogether would just bring more harm than good.

Over the years, producers of marijuana have found some ways to increase its potency, perhaps to make it more competitive against heroin and cocaine. THC concentration has more than doubled. It can be analogous to more potent marijuana side-effects.

This worrisome development should unite government agencies, anti-marijuana groups and most especially parents to be vigilant in protecting the youth and fellow men from this half-century long menace. The fight against illegal substances like marijuana should never be given up and further strengthened.