Marijuana refers to the dried Cannabis sativa or Cannabis indica leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds. The plant contains the psychoactive chemical THC as well as related chemicals. Additionally, cannabis plants can yield extracts (see “Marijuana Extracts”).
After tobacco and alcohol, marijuana is the most often utilized addictive narcotic.
1 It is often utilized by young people. In 2018, around 11,8 million adolescents and young adults consumed medical marijuanas australia anxiety in the previous year. 1 According to the Monitoring the Future poll, rates of past-year marijuana use among middle and high school students have stayed stable, while the proportion of eighth- and tenth-graders reporting daily use has risen. Teens have begun vaping THC (the active element in marijuana that generates the high), with nearly 4% of 12th graders reporting daily use. Moreover, the number of young people who believe that frequent marijuana usage is dangerous is declining. 2
A growing number of states have legalized marijuana for medical or recreational use by adults, which may alter these opinions. Read more about the medicinal use of marijuana in DrugFacts: Medical Marijuana.
How do people use marijuana?
People use marijuana in the form of hand-rolled cigarettes (joints) or pipes (bongs). They also consume it in blunts, which are cigars that have been refilled partially or entirely with marijuana. Some individuals are utilizing vaporizers to prevent smoking. These machines extract the marijuana's active chemicals (including THC) and collect their vapor in a storage chamber. The individual then inhales the vapor and not the smoke. Some vaporizers employ a liquid marijuana extract.
How does cannabis impact the brain?
There are both short-term and long-term effects of marijuana on the brain.
Immediate Effects
When a person smokes marijuana, THC rapidly enters the bloodstream through the lungs. The substance is transported to the brain and other organs by the blood. The body absorbs THC more slowly when it is used orally. Typically, they will experience the effects within 30 minutes to 1 hour.
THC operates on brain cell receptors that normally respond to naturally occurring THC-like substances. These natural substances contribute to the normal growth and function of the brain.
Marijuana overactivates regions of the brain with the highest concentration of these receptors. This results in the “high” that many experience. Additional consequences include:
changed senses (for example, seeing brighter colors)
altered perception of time alterations in mood immobility
cognitive and problem-solving difficulties impaired memory hallucinations (when taken in high doses)
delusions (when taken at high quantities) (when taken in high doses)
psychosis (risk is greater with regular use of high potency marijuana) (risk is highest with regular use of high potency marijuana)
Long-Term Outcomes
Marijuana also influences brain development. When marijuana use begins in adolescence, the drug may impair thinking, memory, and learning functions, as well as the way in which the brain forms connections between regions important for these tasks. Researchers are still investigating the duration of marijuana's effects and the possibility that some modifications may be permanent.
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