Health effects of marijuana use
- Short-term effects of marijuana include problems with memory and learning, distorted perception, difficulty in thinking and problem solving, and loss of coordination.
- Long-term chronic marijuana use is associated with Amotivitional Syndrome, characterized by: apathy, impairment of judgement, memory and concentration and loss of motivation, ambition and interest in the pursuit of personal goals.
- Researchers have found a correlation between marijuana and an increased risk of deppression; an increased risk and earlier onset of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, especially for teens that have a genetic predisposition
- Like tobacco smokers, marijuana smokers experience serious health problems such as bronchitis, emphysema, and bronchial asthma.
- Extended use may cause suppression of the immune system
- Marijuana contains toxins and carcinogens, as a result users increase their risk of cancer of the head, neck, lungs, and respiratory track.
- Withdrawal from chronic use of marijuana can cause physical signs including, shakiness, sweating, stomach pains and nausea, as well as behavioral signs including restlessness, irritability, sleep difficulties and decreased appetite
- Marijuana smoke contains a greater amount of carcinogens than tobacco smoke.
- Marijuana smokers inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers do, further increasing the lungs exposure to carcinogenic smoke
- People who smoke marijuana frequently, but do not smoke tobacco smoke, have more health problems
- Marijuana today is more potent than marijuana of past decades; for a while delta-9-tetrahydrocannadinol (THC) levels averaged 2.3%. Today average THC levels are higher than 8% and can go up to 35% in medical marijuana
- There are 33 cancer-causing chemicals contained in marijuana
- A comparison between marijuana smoke and tobacco smoke shows that when an equal amount is smoked, marijuana smoke deposits four times as much tar into the lungs
Respiratory effects of marijuana
- Marijuana smokers when compared to tobacco smokers have shown that there is a prolonged and deeper inhalation and it is smoked a shorter butt length and at a higher combustion temperature. This results in an estimated five-time increase in carboxyhaemoglobin concentration three-time greater amount of tar inhaled and retention of one third more tar in the respiratory tract.
- Long-term marijuana smoking is associated with an increased risk of respiratory complications, including an increase in cough, sputum production, airway inflammation, and wheeze - even at a young age and persisting after adjusting for tobacco smoking
- Smoking devices that use water filters have been shown to involve equivalent amounts of tar and do not reduce risks of inhalation
Consequences of marijuana use and driving
- Drugs, including marijuana, can alter your perception, attention, balance, coordination, reaction time, and other skills drivers need to stay alert and safe
- Research indicates that marijuana is the most prevalent illegal drug detected in impaired drivers, fatally injured drivers, and motor vehicle crash victims.
- Drivers who drive after drinking alcohol AND using marijuana are at even higher risk