Previously, marijuana use was something that one only ever heard about. It was an activity far removed from our daily lives and we thought of it as something that is only used by reckless, rebellious “drug addicts”.
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Nowadays, it is a phenomenon that we are confronted with in everyday life. It is often freely available in schools, it is available in most neighbourhoods and if you ask around, you will find that most of your colleagues have experimented with it at some time or another. Marijuana has slowly but surely become the latest fashion and is frequently experimented with.
Even clinicians and websites describe the wonderful medicinal properties of marijuana, e.g. that it works wonderfully for arthritis and glaucoma.
Worldwide there is a heavy ongoing debate whether the substance should be legalised. Pro-marijuana candidates describe the substance as not physically addictive and therefore not harmful. It is also suggested that there are no lasting, harmful side effects. But is this the complete truth?
Marijuana's effects
Some research points to definite physical addictive effects of marijuana. These results also indicate the development of "tolerance" after long-term use of the substance. This means that more of the substance must be used per occasion to reach the same effect of euphoria than was previously the case. There are also signs of withdrawal symptoms as someone suddenly stops using it. These include irritability, restlessness, insomnia, anorexia (loss of appetite) and moderate nausea.
Furthermore, it is known that the psychological dependence that develops over the long run is as strong as the physical dependence on the substance, and that it brings about the same cravings.
Much research has also been done on the short-term, acute effects of marijuana, in other words, the effect of the substance on brain functioning while still in the body.
It has, for example, been shown that a person’s motor and decision-making abilities are affected under the influence of marijuana and that he/she for example cannot drive as well.
Furthermore, the substance has an effect on a person’s attention and concentration ability, as well as short-term memory. The person will thus typically have difficulty concentrating on new information and the subsequent recall of it.
Very long half-life
For a long time it was suggested that these side effects disappear as soon as the marijuana is not in a person’s system anymore or has been “worked out”. The reality, in actual fact, is that the substance has a very long “half-life”. This means that it takes quite a while for the substance to have its effect and be eliminated from the body – up to 30 days.
To be able to study the long-term effects of marijuana, users have to be without the substance for at least 30 days before their brain functioning can be assessed. By doing such studies, it can be determined whether marijuana has any lasting, long-term effects, even after it’s use has been stopped. Until now, few research studies have addressed this question.
The few studies which have been done found that there are remaining long-term effects, even 30 days after the use of marijuana is stopped. These include memory problems (the recall of information), attention and concentration problems, and mathematical ability.
Taking all of the above-mentioned information into account, is it still so easy to think of marijuana use as something that is innocent and not harmful?
Further research on this topic is definitely necessary, but in the meantime there are clear signs of danger that cannot be ignored. - (Information supplied by the Mental Health Information Centre)
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