Marijuana & Teen Health

There is an ever-growing gap between the latest science about marijuana and the myths surrounding it. Some people think that since it is now legal in some states to buy and smoke marijuana recreationally, it must be safe to smoke.

However, your body doesn’t know a legal drug from an illegal drug. It only knows the effect the drug creates once you have taken it.

Marijuana comes from the Indian hemp plant, and the part that contains the “drug” is found primarily in the flowers (commonly called the “buds”) and much less are in the seeds, leaves, and stems of the plant. There are over 400 chemicals in marijuana and hashish.  The chemical that causes intoxication or the “high” in users is called THC (short for tetrahydrocannabinol). THC creates the mind-altering effects that classifies marijuana as a “drug.”

You may have heard someone say that because marijuana is a plant, it’s “natural” and that makes it harmless. — NOT TRUE!! Hemlock, a poisonous plant, is also “natural,” but it can kill you. In addition, burning dried leaves and buds and inhaling the smoke into your lungs is definitely not “natural”. Just like smoking cigarettes, using marijuana can be harmful to your body and cause serious health consequences.

Marijuana can be smoked as a cigarette (joint), but may also be smoked in a dry pipe or a water pipe known as a “bong.” It can also be mixed with food and eaten (known as edibles) or brewed as tea. Sometimes users open up cigars and remove the tobacco, replacing it with pot—called a “blunt.” Joints and blunts are sometimes laced with other, more powerful drugs, such as crack cocaine or PCP (phencyclidine, a powerful hallucinogen) which can be very dangerous and may cause death.

The immediate effects of using marijuana include rapid heart beat, disorientation, lack of physical coordination, often followed by depression or sleepiness. Some users suffer panic attacks or anxiety as well. — The problems don’t stop here.

According to scientific studies, the active ingredient in cannabis, THC, remains in the body for weeks or even months. One major research study reported that a single cannabis joint could cause as much damage to the lungs as up to five regular cigarettes smoked one after another.

Below find a list of the short term and long term effects of marijuana use on the body: