There is a big debate on the health effects of marijuana on the body. We all know that marijuana is one of the famous street drugs all over the world. The other terms that marijuana is known for are the weed, grass, bud, and mary jane. Sometimes it can be used as a medicine, but if taken over and over again, it can be highly addictive to your body.

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What is Marijuana?

Marijuana is a mixture of greenish flowers of Cannabis sativa. People use it by smoking it like a cigarette. Some people use marijuana and brew it like tea for medical purposes. It can be used as a medicine as long as the doctor prescribes it.

There is a chemical in marijuana called Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol. It has intoxicating effects that most people yearn for after taking it more than the body can take. This chemical is on the leaf that is primarily from the female cannabis plant.

What Are The Chemicals In Marijuana?

Marijuana has 400 latent chemicals that are dangerous to health if people abuse it. As the study of most medical experts for cannabis, there are 66 constituents of list cannabinoids found in cannabis.

It was group into ten categories as other constituents are closely related to each other, and it has the same effects. Here are the ten cannabinoid groups that are in marijuana.

• Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol
• Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol
• Cannabicyclol
• Cannabichromene
• Cannabielsoin
• Cannabidiol
• Cannabinidiol
• Cannabigerol
• Cannabitriol
• Cannabinol

Among these ten components, the THC or the Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol is the main component responsible for cannabis or marijuana’s mind-altering properties that affect the brain. Consumption of marijuana as a medicine is done to treat symptoms like vomiting and nausea.

Marijuana Use and Abuse

There are a lot of active ingredients that marijuana has that affect our mind and body. THC is the most dangerous chemical that cannabis has. It can affect the brain and can be highly addictive if marijuana consumption is continuous.

If you take too much THC, you can have a psychoactive reaction and can affect how your brain works. Although it is not as strong as methamphetamine, it can be dangerous if you overuse marijuana.

Cannabis can have soothing effects on your body. However, this does not mean that it is safe to use. There are cases of effects of marijuana on the body like heart arrhythmias and cardiac arrest while taking or inhaling marijuana. It can also cause seizures which may be fatal.

These are some of the symptoms that the THC toxicity can cause with continuous use of marijuana.

• Uncontrollable Vomiting – In the medical field, Cannabis or Marijuana can be used to treat nausea properties. Using too much marijuana can cause uncontrollable vomiting. It can be relieved if you take a bath in warm water.
• Paranoia – As per cases on cannabis in the medical reports, the user can have hallucinations and moments where they seem detached to reality. There are cases that psychosis develops with constant use of marijuana.
• Heart Arrhythmias – There are several reports that heart Arrhythmias happen under the use of marijuana. Even though other drugs or alcohol can cause heart failure or cardiac arrest, there are also possibilities that cannabis can be the cause of it.

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How Marijuana Affects The Brain

The usual way to use of marijuana is for the user to inhale it or smoke it like a cigarette. When the user consumes cannabis, it automatically passes to the lungs then proceeds into the bloodstream. THC enters the bloodstream. The blood affected by the chemical will go to the brain and organs, and throughout the body.

It will not take effect immediately as it will take 30 minutes to 1 hour to feel the effects of marijuana. It depends on the user if he or she immediately eats or drinks after taking cannabis; this will make weed take effect faster than anticipated.

Effects and Safety

Cannabis and other drugs are especially unsafe if you are taking too much of it. Taking too much cannabis might cause a disorder called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. CHS can lead to vomiting, and it can even have a severe complication that might be the cause of death. 

Cannabis can be taken as medicine with appropriate dosage. In Canada and the U.K, cannabis is available as medicine to cure illnesses like nausea. People use it medicinally by spraying a liquid form of cannabis in their mouths. It may have side effects like dizziness, headache, and dry mouth. But the cannabis spray is only available if there is a prescription from the doctor. 

Smoking marijuana can cause wheezing and coughing. It can cause a cavity in the lungs to develop as well. Cannabis if taken too much, can cause an increase in heart rate, increased appetite, and higher blood pressure. The effects of marijuana on the body are serious. If you are experiencing any of these effects, seek medical attention immediately.

Doses

If you take marijuana as medicine, the right dosage would be 2.5mg of tetrahydrocannabinol and 1.5mg of cannabinol. You can only take twice a day for this dosage. You cannot take more than the prescribed dosage.

As for mouth spray marijuana, the standard of tetrahydrocannabinol would be 27mg, and cannabidiol would be 25mg per day. In recent medical research, marijuana is available as medicine for some illnesses. Experts are still experimenting with what kind of diseases cannabis can treat.

How to Know You’re Addicted to Marijuana?

Marijuana is already legal in some countries. Commonly, people do not have a problem with the use of marijuana than with the use of alcohol. But that doesn’t mean the use of marijuana is risk-free. To know if you are addicted or if you are in the stage of beginning to abuse the use of marijuana, it is crucial to know the symptoms of addiction.

The use of marijuana has both short term and long term effects on your body. But the short term effects can still pose some potential danger if you continue using cannabis. Similarly, long-term side effects of using marijuana have not been proven to be as damaging as short-term side effects. But how do you know if you are addicted to it? Here are some signs. 

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Using more marijuana

A way of knowing if you are addicted to using marijuana is if you are using more marijuana than you are intended to. What some people do is they say that they will smoke half of what they have but end up using all of it. If you are addicted to marijuana, it is usually hard to say the amount that you are going to use. 

Since it makes some people feel good, they tend to use a lot of it regularly. If you also find yourself smoking marijuana and spend almost all of your day using it, then you are in the stage of addiction.   

Using it as an excuse to avoid other activities

Using marijuana and getting high instead of doing other activities that could help you to stay healthy indicates that you are addicted to marijuana. You can observe this by looking at your schedule. If you have daily routines that are related to improving your physical activities and replace with smoking marijuana, you are there.

Our daily activities can say a lot about who we are. Some of our daily routines can help motivate and shape us into being responsible persons. You may find yourself slowly begin to stray away from your essential responsibilities and choose to use marijuana.  If so, you are likely to be addicted to marijuana. 

Using it to escape your problems

They are plenty of ways to handle issues. These problems often appear to show that there is something wrong and we need to attend to it. If you think that the only way to handle solvable issues that you encounter every day is to use marijuana, then you are in the wrong spot. Using marijuana to solve your problems is not the answer.

Effects on relationships with people 

When a person becomes heavily addicted to the use of marijuana, they start to be driven to use more and get more. For many, what they think about when their day starts is not the welfare of people they are close to. It is if they have the amount of marijuana they need for the day. Meaning, their relationships could go down before even realizing it. 

There is this thing called an emotional roller coaster. In most cases, it is not possible for a person that is addicted to drugs to care for most of the people that they care about. They start to have secrets and start lying. They also begin to become uncomfortable and aggressive when they do not get enough of what they need or when others ask about their addiction.   

Using marijuana to please yourself

Most of the people tend to depend on marijuana to make them feel good or to relax. But there are also other efficient ways that you can do to enjoy and achieve the same results. Work on relaxing or your body and mind. Activities such as breathing exercises for the mind and yoga or muscle relaxation for the body are excellent.

Continue to use despite knowing the side effects

If you are well aware of the problems that marijuana can cause you but chooses to use them instead is a big sign that you are addicted to it. Using marijuana can cause you problems at work, your school, at home or even with other people. It can also bring you negative consequences that you might deeply regret in the near future. 

Symptoms start to appear

There are specific problems that you might get when you use marijuana. Some of these are problems that can cause psychological disorders such as paranoia or anxiety. Another indication of addiction is overeating, where you feel hungry all the time. It can also affect your motor functions and your cognition. 

Some people who are heavily using marijuana developed some severe mental conditions. Some of them developed short-term psychosis where their thoughts and emotions have a deep connection that they lose the sense of reality. Others, tend to have worse conditions like having suicidal thoughts. 

Affects decision making 

Being heavily addicted to marijuana can also cause you to make bad decisions in your life. You are also not affected if you have made the right or wrong decision and the consequences that come with it. When confronted with a situation that requires an immediate decision, you become less interested in it, which results in bad decision making.

Missing big opportunities

It is also common for a person who is heavily addicted to marijuana to become less interested in what is happening around them. It can even reach up to the point where you lose your job and lose life-changing opportunities. When this happens, you become less concerned about how your life will turn out and continue to keep using marijuana. 

You will know if you are addicted to marijuana if you have the signs listed above. Addiction to marijuana can happen to anyone. It is a choice. It is hard to resist once your body is used to this drug. 

What are the Bad Effects of Marijuana on the Body?

Some people like being adventurous. They want to do exciting stuff, and to do things that they’ve never tried before. Having this mindset can be useful because it can lead someone to success. However, there are times when being impulsive about things won’t lead to anything beneficial. 

One thing that some impulsive people tend to gravitate to is drug use. People do drugs for their reasons, but sometimes they try it because they want to experience what it’s like to get high. The most common drugs that people use are marijuana, heroin, opium, cocaine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, and club drugs. 

If you’re a sensible person, you know that drugs will destroy your life. However, if you’re not familiar with the effects, read on to know about what one of these drugs, namely marijuana, will do to your body. 

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Marijuana destroys your lungs

The effects of marijuana on the body will vary according to how you choose to ingest it, and the most common way is to smoke it through a joint or vape. Now, you can also add weed to your food or drink. However, do you know what pot does to you and your lungs?

Since you inhale pot, it passes through your lungs. Regular smoking of marijuana can lead to an increased risk of bronchitis and can also cause other respiratory problems such as asthma. If you already have lung problems, it can make your condition worse than before. 

Marijuana meddles with normal brain function

Weed can alter your brain. Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) triggers dopamine which makes you feel relaxed or at ease. However, your temporary high comes at a price. You might have difficulty in remembering things that you did while you were high. 

Aside from short-term memory loss, you might also experience anxiety and paranoia. You might even hallucinate, and you might not be able to distinguish reality from figments of your imagination. You could also panic because you can’t tell if things are real or not. Your reaction time can also slow down while using marijuana. 

Marijuana affects the body’s testosterone levels

Weed affects a lot of things in your body, even those things that are internal. Testosterone levels drop when a person starts smoking pot regularly., which means that you might feel lethargic at times. You might also gain weight. 

You will also notice that your libido will also drop. The drop can cause sexual problems, mainly for males. It also affects sperm production and even disrupts the menstrual cycle for women. However, things will eventually go back to normal once a person stops smoking pot, but it won’t be easy. 

Marijuana increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke

Smoking pot can make your heart beat faster than usual, which raises the risk of you having a heart attack, mainly if you are middle-aged or older. It increases your heartbeat as fast as 20-50 beats. You’re 10% more likely to experience heart failure. 

Aside from heart problems, people who use marijuana are also prone to having a stroke. Weed users are 26% more likely to suffer from a stroke than those who choose to stay away from the addictive substance. 

Marijuana can affect the unborn child during pregnancy

Weed can affect you and your baby, too. If a mother uses marijuana frequently while pregnant, it can lead to the baby having below-average weight and may also result in brain or behavioural problems. 

Marijuana can cause permanent damage

If you think that marijuana only has short-term effects, you’re wrong. You can suffer from the impact of substance abuse until adulthood. If you started in your youth, heavy use of weed could lead to a drop of at least 8 points in your IQ points.

Recently, THC levels in marijuana are steadily increasing. That means that weed can do more damage to you if you choose to try getting high. Regular use can lead to permanent hallucinations, paranoia, and even heightening the symptoms of schizophrenia. 

Marijuana has adverse effects after you get high

Yes, it might feel great when you’re high on weed. However, what comes after your temporary high? You might feel depressed, and you can also feel like you’re exhausted. Most people also feel great when they use it, but others experience anxiety, agitation, and even insomnia. 

Marijuana leads to Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS)

Long-term use of weed causes a lot of permanent effects. It also exposes you to CHS, a condition that leads to severe vomiting. Experts aren’t sure about what causes CHS, but they have linked this to long-term exposure to marijuana and THC. 

CHS has three phases: prodromal, hyperemetic, and recovery. You’d experience nausea in the morning and pain in the abdomen during the prodromal phase. During the hyperemetic period, you’d experience continuous vomiting. You’d also lose appetite, and weight loss will follow as well as dehydration. You’ll lose all the symptoms during the recovery phase. 

Marijuana can lead to other problems

Using pot can lead to other issues at home, at school, and it can also affect your relationships. If you’re high on most days, you won’t be able to function well. Substance abuse can lead to lower grades at school. You can even get expelled since schools ban drugs on campus. 

It can also affect your personal life. You might have to steal to maintain your drug use, which can lead you to other criminal activities. You’d also use your money on drugs instead of using it for other useful things, and this can lead to financial difficulties. 

Using marijuana can also affect your performance n work. Slower response to things can get you fired in the long run. A study showed that people who tested positive for marijuana use has 85% more injuries in the workplace and 75% more absenteeism. 

Marijuana is a substance that can destroy your life. A few puffs may seem harmless for now, but if you continue to use it, it will damage your body. It will affect your lungs, your heart, and your brain. For pregnant women, even their unborn child is affected by marijuana. A temporary high isn’t worth the risk. It will feel good for now, but your body will pay the consequences for a long time. 

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Benefits of Quitting Marijuana

Smoking marijuana nowadays is becoming more acceptable in many societies. Several countries already legalized the use of marijuana. Marijuana or cannabis is widely known to have a lot of side effects that are harmful to a person when abusing it. The debate on whether it is beneficial to use marijuana or not continues. And what will be the benefits if you stop using marijuana?

Effects of Marijuana Abuse

There are adverse effects of marijuana on the body when a person becomes addicted to using the drug. A person may be affected physically and mentally with cannabis abuse and overdose. There are cases when cannabis available as a medication as advised by some medical experts. More often it is used as a recreational drug.

When you consume more cannabis, then you are more likely to experience its side effects.

A person who smokes marijuana may suffer from respiratory disease and develop lung problems. A heart attack may also occur because marijuana reduces the ability of the blood to carry oxygen. 

Marijuana intake may also affect the capability of a person for normal brain functions. Perception is altered and the user may experience hallucinations and delusions. It may also affect a person’s judgment and he or she can become irrational. According to some studies, marijuana can affect and lower a person’s IQ. It is most likely to happen if the consumption of marijuana is frequent and in high doses. 

Addiction to marijuana can definitely affect a person’s life. When you start to prioritize your drug use than your family, friends, and life goals, then you’re letting the drug control you. That is why before anything severe and irreversible happens, think about quitting marijuana. 

Stopping Marijuana Use

Some say that it is difficult to discontinue using marijuana because it has an adverse effect during the withdrawal stage. But quitting marijuana has a more significant benefit than using it. Marijuana intake, whether it’s for medicinal purpose, recreational or regular use with high dose, has more harmful effects than not using it at all. It is best to quit than abuse cannabis.

Quitting marijuana restores brain functions and improves mental health. Such improvements are the following:

• Reduced anxiety 
• Eliminates hallucinations and panic attacks as well as paranoia
• Avoid having psychotic episodes
• Improved perceptions of time and space
• Lesser risk of depression
• Restored memory function
• Improved IQ
• More focus and control in decision making
• Improvement in sleep and avoid insomnia
• You will no longer be irrational
• You will be more motivated
• Improved social interactions
• Improved in learning and listening skills

These are the improvements in physical health when quitting marijuana:

• Healthier lungs 
• Healthier heart
• A healthier brain
• Improvements in breathing
• More stable heart rate
• No frequent and severe headaches
• No more uncomfortable chills and shaking
• Relief from palpitation
• No more involuntary muscle twitches
• You’ll feel more energetic
• Fairer and healthier skin
• You’ll have better food digestion
• Reduce risks of having bladder problems
• Makes you more fertile
• Reduce chances of heart attack
• Reduced negative effects on fetus for pregnant women

Related article: Why Quitting Marijuana is Best for You?

How to Quit Marijuana?

Marijuana is known to many as ganja, mary jane, bud, herb, pot, grass. A dried plant that is green with gray colour and the scientific name is Cannabis Sativa. People use a rolling paper to smoke it just like a cigarette also called joints, and some use water pipes or specialized pipes. Some even use Marijuana to make tea, and others use it for medical purposes.

Some effects of smoking marijuana are getting high or unable to control their senses properly. Others are experiencing great happiness while after using this plant and some are craving for food. Each and everyone has their types of experiences of using marijuana. The problem here is that using marijuana can cause addiction and here are some tips on how to quit.

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Start Doing Sports

Finding another way to get yourself busy is one of the best ways to quit marijuana. You can try sports which can bring back stamina and provides better health. It can be basketball, volleyball, football, or any team sports. Team sports can help develop self-esteem and confidence towards people, especially if you are using marijuana to beat anxiety.

Anxiety can put someone in depression. That is why you should right away find a way to address this. Using marijuana is not the best option to do it. If you are not physically capable of doing active sports, you can try other games that will not need you to move a lot. It can be Chess, Scrabble, UNO, and more. These activities are excellent and beneficial for you.

Out of the Country Travels

Travelling to other places can be very fun and exciting. And doing this will help you quit your addiction to marijuana. And seeing new areas will also add knowledge and learnings on how pretty our world is. Another benefit of travelling is that you cannot bring your marijuana to other countries. It is not allowed, and you can suffer legal consequences doing it.

These are some best travel places around the world right now that will give you a one of a kind experience. Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia, a lovely place, especially their ancient lakes that have unique features. Cape Breton Island of Nova Scotia, perfect for hiking and mountain climbing. French Polynesia, you will enjoy the white sands of their beaches.

Meet New People

Meeting new people is also a meaningful way to quit marijuana. But you should also pick those people that don’t have the same addiction. Meeting new people can provide motivation and share each and everyone’s knowledge about your situation. And being with other people can also be very fun and exciting, which is what you need to quit using marijuana.

Anyone need someone on their side to move forward as the saying goes, “no man is an island.” Being with somebody can inspire and motivate us and being with them, you can do anything. You may feel that it is hard to find someone to be with you. Always remember that there are still people who will help you overcome your situation right now.

Start Doing the “Cold Turkey” Method

It means to stop and never do marijuana again. But doing this is not an easy task; you be mentally and physically ready because there are consequences in stopping. You will experience different types of withdrawal syndromes. It includes irritability, mood changes, losing appetite, and even difficulty in sleeping or insomnia, which will affect your daily activities.

Withdrawals to other people may vary depending on how long they have been using marijuana. Some are severe, and some are just minor, but the thing is you will still experience it. There is no other way to hasten withdrawal symptoms and the only option for it is to face it wholeheartedly with one thing in mind, to survive.

Find Medical Help

Another way to help yourself quit marijuana. There are a lot of medical doctors that you can go to. You ask for suggestions or even alternative things to take for you to stop using marijuana. In this way, you will have a more comfortable withdrawal experience. Although there is no exact medicine to stop the addiction, they can provide you with scientific options.

Medical doctors can also help you with your withdrawal symptoms. Having a severe withdrawal is an uncomfortable experience to have. That is why you should visit your medical doctor as soon as possible to lessen the experience. Some medical doctors will advise their clients to try and do meditation. It will provide better psychological motivation.

Go to a Rehabilitation Centre

It should be the most effective way of all and the last thing you should be doing. Going to rehabilitation centres is for people who are having a hard time stopping marijuana, especially if they are heavy smokers before. Although going to rehabilitation centres can be very expensive and requires significant commitment so that your money will not go to waste.

Rehabilitation centres or rehab can provide intensive treatment for those people who are struggling. They also offer medical help and counselling sessions to monitor marijuana user’s way of thinking and development through the process. And most people who went to rehabilitation centres quit using marijuana successfully.

Takeaway

Quitting marijuana can be tough, but with the right and proper way, you will get out of it successfully. The tips that were said above are the most effective way to do it. Getting into sports can help you build your self-esteem, and you will find a new habit. Travelling out of the country is fun and exciting, and which is perfect, especially you wanted to stop marijuana.

Meeting new people is also a great option to do. And meeting new people you will find new meaning and reason. Going cold turkey can be challenging but seriously effective if you dedicate yourself to stopping your addiction in marijuana. And finding medical help is perfect if you are experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. Lastly, going to a rehabilitation centre will help you find the support and supervision that you need during your recovery. Call Inspire Change Addiction Rehab in Vancouver for addiction treatment programs.

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