Marijuana: 4 reasons to understand why it is not harmless

Marijuana is a psychoactive substance that, when entering the body, alters it, generating stimulant, depressant and hallucinogenic effects. It can produce euphoria in the first instance, then relaxation and sometimes hallucinations and delusions.

Next we will mention 4 facts for which compulsive marijuana use in the short or long term is not harmless (in all cases we refer to smoked marijuana, not to the medicinal use of cannabis).

• Related article: "The 4 types of marijuana: cannabis and its characteristics"

Adverse Effects of Marijuana

These are some of the effects that make marijuana a substance capable of depleting people's well-being.

1. Alters the central nervous system

Marijuana use alters perception, can cause spatio-temporal disorientation, increases the probability of suffering accidents (car, at work) because psychomotor coordination is affected; concentration decreases, reflexes are altered, reaction times are slower.

In the long term, the higher the frequency of consumption and the earlier the relationship with the substance begins,

causes neurocognitive impairment. It affects cognitive functions, decreasing capacities such as solving mathematical problems, understanding texts, memory, making the learning process difficult.

It also produces a decrease in interest and willingness to study because the psychoactive component THC can also generate amotivational syndrome, characterized by a decrease in the ability to maintain the normal course of different activities such as holding a job or finishing studies.

2. May produce acute psychotic episodes

The consumption of marijuana, by altering the state of consciousness and perception, generates changes in mental activity to the point of produce auditory or visual hallucinations, paranoid ideas, depersonalization, feeling of loss of control, panic, terror.

This is because THC has an impact on parts of the brain responsible for perception, attention, and the senses. These episodes can occur as a consequence of compulsive consumption, as withdrawal symptoms, or due to a previous predisposition of dual underlying pathology triggered by consumption.

On the other hand, Marijuana smoking may increase the risk of schizophrenia, which can be triggered by three factors: frequent consumption + early onset of consumption + genetic predisposition to having said mental illness.

• Related article: "Research reveals why marijuana can cause schizophrenia"

3. It is capable of producing psychological dependence

Not all marijuana use will escalate to problematic consumption, however if the consuming person has predisposing factors in their body to addiction, psychological dependence can be generated, a relationship of necessity with the substance.

We can talk about psychological dependence when consumption is compulsive, when there are manifestations of irritability, anxiety, desire to use, mood and mood changes in times of withdrawal and the need to use marijuana to carry out certain activities. The dependent person feels that he needs the substance to function better.

4. Increased risk of developing respiratory problems, such as lung cancer

The high temperature of the smoke and the toxic substances produced by combustion, such as tar, are aggressive and invasive factors for the respiratory system; irritates the lungs and can cause some types of cancers. It can also cause respiratory crises, bronchitis, pneumonia, breathing difficulties, coughing.

And the rest of the drugs?

It is worth clarifying that the reasons mentioned to understand why marijuana is not innocuous are not exclusive to it, since they are also applicable to other psychoactive substances, such as the alcohol.

Ignorance of the harmful effects caused by the consumption of marijuana cigarettes favors that it is one of the main psychoactive drugs most consumed in the world, either addictively or in use recreational. Marijuana is very easy and fast to access and consumption in adolescence is increasing, from ever younger ages.

Tobacco cigarettes are often thought to pose more of a health hazard than marijuana cigarettes. Although it is correct that tobacco causes great damage to the entire organism, smoked marijuana is never beneficial to health, nor is its consumption without harmful consequences.