La influencia de la marihuana en el cuerpo humano

Marijuana's effect on the human body

For centuries humans have been using substances to alter their state of mind from alcohol or cigarettes, to more extreme drugs. The most commonly used illegal drug in North America is cannabis, also known as weed, pot, grass, info, ganja, Mary Jane, bud, dope, skunk, Devil's lettuce, etc. It is a preparation of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug and as medicine.

When this drug is consumed it can have immediate effects on the body if smoked or if eaten can take much longer for the effect to get in to your system, the short term effects can include heightened mood or euphoria, relaxation, loss of coronation and distortions in the sense of time, sleepiness, reddening of the eyes, increase of appetite (Known as the munchies) and muscle relaxation.

The effects that marijuana can cause on the body can be psychological. for example anxiety, fear, distrust, panic and in some cases schizophrenia over time. The effects on the brain are that the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, act on the cannabinoid receptors on nerve cells and that influences the activity of the cells. Many cannabinoid receptors are found in areas of the brain and these are the ones that influence your memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, corddinated movements and pleasure. When large amounts of marijuana are used, usually when eaten, the user can experience delusions, hallucinations, impaired memory and disorientation.

Marijuana also has a large effect on your heart, within a few minutes of smoking the heart begins to beat more rapidly and blood pressure drops. This substance can cause your heart to increase by 20 o 50 beats per minute. Because the heart is beating at such a high rate and the blood pressure is so low, the users risk of a heart attack is five times higher within the first hour of smoking it.

The effects that this substance has o the lungs is that it can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, resulting in heavy coughing. Regular use of this drug can have the same problems a tobacco smoker has which is increase risk of lung infection, obstructed airways, cough and phlegm production and frequent acute chest illness.

Marijuana consumption can cause different long term health issues, for example cancer. Studies have shown that marijuana users are three times more likely to develop cancer in the head, neck and lungs compared to people who do not smoke. It can also impair the body's immune system from fighting disease which can obviously lead to many health problems. Some problems could increase the risk of developing a tumor or a bacterial infection, making lung infections the most common infection there is when it comes to a marijuana consumer.

This drug isn't as harmful compared to others like alcohol or tobacco, because marijuana is nontoxic

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