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20/02/2017

Is Recreational Marijuana Safe?

Christopher Hale Cannabis, Recreational Marijuana Addiction, America, Long-term effects, Recreational marijuana, Short-term effects, Your body

Marijuana is the most accessible and the most popular street drug in America. National reviews showed that 49% of Americans have tried it and 7% of high school kids said that they use cannabis every day. Because of this statistics, Washington and Colorado were first two states that legalized recreational marijuana in 2012. Many activists thought that the same thing will soon happen in their countries.

Success of medical marijuana had an influence on 18 countries which made this plant legal only if used in medical purposes. Doctors in those states are prescribing marijuana from treating glaucoma, an eye disease, to menstrual cramps. People who have cancer can smoke cannabis to relive the pain and nausea which is caused by chemotherapy. Multiple sclerosis patients can use marijuana to alleviate muscle stiffness.

Many physicians agreed that cannabis is safe to be used for treating some medical conditions, but on the other hand, recreational use in not quite understood. Some of the researchers think that short or long-term using of this plant can harm mind and the body. They also think that marijuana’s huge popularity among teenagers can have a bad effect on their brains that are not fully developed.

Short-term effects of cannabis

Marijuana has a psychoactive compound which is called THC. This substance is responsible for the high feeling. It acts on certain receptors in our brain and it produces numerous effects like: lightheartedness giddiness, introspection, relaxation, a desire to eat but also it can cause paranoia, disturbing thoughts and irritability. Using cannabis can also have a bad influence on your memory, to focus or concentrate. Driving a car can be very dangerous because marijuana dulls your motor skills.

Long-term effects of marijuana

Researchers are still working on the long-term impact of smoking cannabis, but there are already some evidences that can verify marijuana’s negative effects. The biggest problem is how this drug impact on teenagers. If you start using marijuana in early age, you have bigger chances to become an addict. Also you can permanently damage cognitive functions. People who use marijuana on regularly bases from time when they were teens, had dropped 8 IQ points into adulthood.

Cannabis can be addictive

Compared to other substances like alcohol, tobacco and heavy drugs, marijuana causes only a slight psychological addiction which is nothing compared to what other drugs can do to your body. Regular users claimed that they are nor addicted to the drug, but to the effects it brings. Marijuana is frequently used to treat all kinds of anxiety issues and it’s a great pain reliever. Even though most users are aware of the negative side effects of smoking marijuana, they still choose to use it because it’s a great alternative for many other drugs. There are fewer side-effects and a large area of usage. Those who are concerned about the damage caused by smoking, usually switch to using vaporizers that take away the negative side-effects.

More and more countries are starting to realize that hemp has a lot of different applications and we are probably going to witness full marijuana legalization worldwide in the next couple of years.

7 Health Benefits Of Marijuana

More than 20 American countries have legalized medical marijuana. Recreation cannabis usage is still quite controversial, but many people believe that this plant should be legal at least for medical uses. Nowadays, we have some new laws that can help in better research of this plant and its medical effect.

We have to keep in mind that smoking cannabis can have some negative effects. When marijuana is abused or overused, it can make a mess to your emotions and it can lead to memory loss.

On the other hand, there are at least two chemicals in cannabis that are good for health. One of them is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is good for pain relieving, and another is cannabidiol (CBD) which has a good impact to your brain without making you feel high.

Marijuana can treat Glaucoma – Glaucoma is an eye disease that damages the optic nerve and causes vision loss because of the high pressure in the eyeball. In the early 1970’s, studies showed that cannabis, when it’s smoked, can normalize intraocular pressure.
It improves lung health – In January 2012 it’s been established that marijuana doesn’t have any bad effects on lungs. It can even increase lung capacity by taking deep breaths while inhaling.
It can help in controlling epileptic seizures – In 2003 studies showed that cannabis can prevent epileptic seizures. First, it has been tested on epileptic rats which had stayed calm without any seizures for 11 hours. Active ingredients in cannabis, like THC, can connect to the brain cells, which are responsible for regulating relaxations and controlling excitabilities, and control seizures in that way.
Marijuana can stop cancer from spreading – 2007 was the year when researches from California reported that CBD can prevent cancer from spreading. Cannabidiol turns off a gene Id-1 and in that way it stops cancer. The researchers did that test on breast cancer cells in their lab which had a high level of Id-1 gene and they treated them with CBD. Cells had reduced Id-1 expression and stopped being aggressive after that treatment.
It can reduce anxiety – Some of the medical marijuana users said that cannabis helped them in relieving the suppress nausea and the pain caused from side effects of chemotherapy. Harvard Medical School researchers said that cannabis, when it’s used in small doses, can improve user’s mood and in that way reduce anxiety. Higher doses of this plant can make you paranoid and increase anxiety.
Alzheimer’s disease can be treated with THC – Studies showed that the active chemical in cannabis, called THC, blocks formation of amyloid plaques that are responsible for Alzheimer’s disease.
Cannabis can reduce the pain of multiple sclerosis – Jody Corey studied 40 patients that have painful muscle contractions caused by multiple sclerosis. He said that they didn’t respond to any other treatment except when they smoked marijuana. The THC in the cannabis connects to receptors in the muscles and nerves to relive the pain.

As you can see, marijuana is a truly healing plant and it can be used in healing many diseases.