Marijuana and the Human Body
Marijuana and the Human Body
Marijuana can be used for the body in various ways or methods. This potential gateway drug causes or produces an impact on abilities used to perform various tasks. Marijuana affects the body by impairing judgment, changing mental functions, lowers inhibition, and by affecting reaction control of the user. The sensitivity of this drug asks only one question. “How does Marijuana it affect the body?”
Marijuana has serious effects on the skill required to drive safely, alertness, the ability to concentrate, coordination, and the ability to react quickly. The effects of the drug can last up to 24 hours after actually smoking the drug. The use of marijuana can make it very difficult to judge distances, impairs reaction control and reflexes.
Some studies show that when people have smoked large amounts of marijuana for years, the drug takes toll on mental functions. Heavy or daily use of marijuana affects the parts of the brain that control memory, attention, and learning. A working short-term memory is needed to learn and to perform tasks that call for more than one or two steps. (Arch. Of General psychiatry, 53: 1051-1057, 1996.)
There are various types of ways marijuana can affect a person depending on the user’s experience. Some people feel nothing at all when they smoke marijuana. Some people may feel relaxed or high. Another possibility is that marijuana could make the user feel thirsty and very hungry – an effect called “The Munchies.” Some users may suffer sudden feelings of anxiety and have paranoid thoughts. “This is more likely to happen when a more potent variety of marijuana is used.”
The effects of marijuana can be categorized into three types; the physiological effects, psychological effects, and the subjective effects. Some of the physiological effects are reddened eyes, increased pulse rate, and a dry mouth (cotton-mouth). The active ingredient in marijuana tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is believed to change a psychoactive compound in the liver, which may be the cause of the psychological and subjective effects. The psychological effects of marijuana are most often seen in altered perceptions of distance and time, impaired memory and physical coordination, and a heightened sensitivity of the visual and auditory senses. The subjective effects refer to those effects that are going to change from person to person.
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