Marijuana
Overview
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. The survey shows that 76.3 million people--about one in four--have tried marijuana at least once.
Marijuana is a preparation of various parts (leaves, stems, flowers and seeds) of the hemp plant named Cannabis sativa. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana (psychoactive means that it works on the nervous system).
Commonly known as pot, weed, reefer, herb or grass, the plant also contains more than 400 other chemicals like tar, carbon monoxide and cyanide. The drug is usually smoked or ingested orally. The potency of the marijuana's effects are determined by the amount of THC found in that particular dosage.
Effects
Marijuana does not have immediate or dramatic effects on health, such as increased risk of oral cancer, but it does have long-lasting effects on the brain that can dramatically alter quality of life.
Short-term effects of marijuana:
• Dry mouth and throat
• Increased heart rate
• Bloodshot eyes
• Impaired learning, memory, judgment and complex motor skills
• Difficulty speaking, listening, thinking, and problem solving
• Anxiety or panic attacks
• Paranoia
• Distorted perception (sight, sound, time, touch)
Long-term effects of marijuana:
• Psychological dependence
• Asthma
• Cancer of the lungs
• Lowered sperm production
Member Comments
by williams123 on September 16, 2008 at 4:48 PM
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by A12345 on October 7, 2008 at 5:12 AM
I
by A12345 on October 7, 2008 at 5:12 AM
I LOVE WEED HMMMMM MMMM WEEEEDD *PUFF*
by marijlana123 on March 24, 2009 at 7:59 AM
o m g!!!
didnt you learn anything from the article?
by rationalitate on January 2, 2009 at 9:50 AM
Not only does marijuana not raise your risk of developing lung cancer, but it actually destroys cancerous tumor cells in the lungs under some conditions. For the sake of intellectual honesty, you really ought to remove that from the list of long-term effects of marijuana use.
by marijlana123 on March 24, 2009 at 7:55 AM
i think that this article is VERY
by marijlana123 on March 24, 2009 at 7:57 AM
i think that this article is VERY educational..
and that it teaches you A LOT!!..
like me i learned so much so i wanna
thank who ever wrote it..
so THANKS**
-marijulana123
by cheapviagra69 on April 22, 2009 at 10:47 AM
mARIHUANA rULES!!!!!
by Zbest09 on September 10, 2009 at 6:42 PM
this entire article is bullshit
marijuana has no link to cancer of any kind
in its natural state it has no chemicals other than THC. IDK where you got 400 chemicals and tar from, but that is a false statement.
marijuana dose not cause asthma. In fact the cause of asthma is completely unknown!
you need to educate youself before you try to write articles that are meant to educate!
by strongcock on November 19, 2009 at 9:41 PM
Oh boy, this is damn nearly government propoganda... everybody knows weed is not bad...Everyone also knows it's unfair to arrest non violent weed users. I asked a state police narcotics agent (cousin) what makes weed so bad... and the response was a very unclear "Well...it's illegal" you know , against the law, so thats what makes it so bad.... that my people, is the pathetic truth. What if we found out smoking green beans make people relax, and get a little buzz, would our government / law makers make green beans illegal too?
by teamsint on December 2, 2009 at 4:25 PM
marijuana has many benefits as a medicine- i'm very surprised to see this sort of closed minded article on the LiveStrong website. Shame on you
by NoneYaBiz on December 3, 2009 at 11:41 PM
I was pleased to see the LIVESTRONG organization would have something to say about the subject. I was disappointed to see that it's another copy/paste NIDA fact sheet with the wording altered to appeal to a different/younger audience. If Marijuana doesn't agree with you, don't use it or any other drug of choice. While some of views are true under certain circumstances, proliferation of half truths and other propaganda like material is so aggravating I won't even bother typing out any of the obligatory cliché counter statements about alcohol or cigarettes. Educated people already know.
by samhess19912 on December 7, 2009 at 12:15 AM
Take two minutes and educate yourselves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLUmpGOLdgo
by 1234aryjane on December 8, 2009 at 7:07 AM
you guys are right weeds not bad at all i love so should you
by Marijuanalover1 on December 22, 2009 at 6:34 AM
Im tired of all these false accusations. Marijuana does not cause any Lung cancer that I know of, Everyone in my family smokes pot and they all go to work and do their job great. I love pot and I smoke it all the time just like my family and I feel better, I feel in less pain emotionally and physcally. So screw all the people that make false statements just so it can stay Illegal. " Legalize it" there are so many pros from it being legal, Like all the different non toxic materials that can be produced from it. Paper, Plastic, clothes, paint.
by kjdoaoneollnh on December 27, 2009 at 8:07 AM
Alright people if you want the real facts about marijuana then y are you going to a chat room for answers, experiments have been conducted since the 1930's about the subject and it has been proven that marijuana has no lasting effects or harmful short term effects on humans or your pets. A group of scientist were conducting an experiment on lab rats, when asked how many pounds of marijuana does it take to kill a rat the scientist replied 20, if you drop it directly on him. If you want to know the real facts go to your local library, or ask your doctor (who's he/she going to tell? And you don't have to tell him/her that your smoking just that you would like to know.) But until you have done your own research don't speak on the subject and then put your trash on the internet to confuse others and if you agree with the article above your an idiot because who ever wrote this doesn't know what they are talking about! There is a movie, you can find online or at a movie gallery or Hollywood video called 'super high me', this guy that made this movie and he is high with medical supervision for 30 days, they go through the whole experiment and do things like motor skill testing and what not, he starts off the experiment with not smoking for 30 days and taking a series of test sober administered by a medical professional and then he HAS to smoke for 30 days straight! If he is awake he has to smoke and he goes through the same test while high during and after the 30 days. The results may surprise you! Look you don't have to like it or do it, but it least understand and know what it is your talking about before you open your mouth!!
by HenryHealer on January 9, 2010 at 5:55 PM
Marijuana CURES cancer. Yes smoking marijuana is not good for you and yes it is vaugly possible it could cause it from inhalation. But THC ingested, injected, or applied topicaly DESTROYS TUMORS and CURES PEOPLE FROM CANCER all types!!!! Please do your research lots of medical studies can be found here - marijuanacurescancer.net
by HenryHealer on January 9, 2010 at 5:58 PM
MarijuanaCuresCancer.net
by mrhappie on February 10, 2010 at 8:54 PM
check out MrHappie and Obama Video on YouTube it answers some great questions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z11rgZsqBZE
by hippechick on February 11, 2010 at 10:23 AM
I say be happy do what you want beleive what you want to beleive who cares.