Why do people smoke weed
Over the last few years, the popularity of Marijuana has soared all over the world, with its legalization for recreational and medicinal use, making it one of the most consumed and abused drugs in the world. While it can relieve some ailments, it can also impose harmful consequences to the user. So what is marijuana? Marijuana is the portion of the cannabis plant that contains the oldest psychoactive substance known to man. The plant, also known as pot, weed, Mary Jane, cannabis, ganja, bud and dope refers to the desiccated leaves, flowers, trunks and seeds from a sativa or indica plant. The plant holds over one hundred compounds with Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) being the most common and vital compounds. Cheap ice bongs for sale are available online. Also, one can find and buy weed or weed concentrates (try weed concentrates Niagara falls) online from reliable sources.
Cannabis traces its origin thousands of years back, with its earliest documentation being in 2727 BC by Chinese Emperor Shen Nung. The Chinese considered the plant a source of medicine in the treatment of swelling, malaria, gout, depression, nausea and as a suppressant of sexual desire. Over 500 B.C, it spread across Asia where its psychoactive compound THC was of use in rituals and religious events before crossing to North Africa and Europe. In the 1500s, the plant spread across North America through the efforts of Spanish explorers and in 1611, it reached the United States. Since then, the plant has faced opposition in many countries, but from the 1990s, it has been allowed in numerous countries such as Canada, Argentina, Belgium, and Italy among others for recreational purposes and medicinal use owing to the many benefits of weed. However, with time, many countries have legalized its usage. For instance, one can even buy weed online in the US from Purple Penthouse DC and many other similar websites.
As of now, one can get access to marijuana and cannabis through certified stores. In addition, there are also numerous cannabis tours, for instance, 420 tours in Seattle with which you can experience the cannabis tourism scene which is thriving.
One of the most remarkable facts about marijuana is that it comes in different types. One is cannabis sativa, which is the commonly smoked weed. The sativa plant grows to a length of about fifteen feet and has the highest levels of THC (also called as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, or delta-9 THC), making it a favorite for recreational users. At present, there are also products such as delta-8 THC available that produce similar effects as delta-9 THC. Although, generally, delta-8 is less potent than regular THC. In order to meet demand, manufacturers are ramping up their productions of Delta-8 products. Accordingly, if you would like to learn more about the top delta 8 manufacturers there are plenty of useful reviews online. Cannabis indica is another strain of cannabis considered more robust than sativa. It matures faster and provides the much needed medical benefits through its high CBD content. Marijuana hybrid strain is the third type of weed. It comes from modern day crossing of different breeds of both sativa and indica strains to produce a highly potent product.
After you buy marijuana it may be consumed in different ways. It can be smoked in the form of a joint, cigarette or through glass waterpipes and bongs. It can be through inhaling as vapor through vaping or dabbing or ingested in the form of edibles such as cookies, brownies, concentrates, capsules and candies or drank as tea and beverages. Moreover, it can be by applying on the skin in the form of CBD oil, lotions and balm . Out of all the population groups in the world, teenagers and youths across diverse geographical regions use weed the most, but people of all other ages also consume it. Marijuana affects almost all parts of the body. It alters the functioning of the brain, causing the release of the feel-good hormone, which gives one a euphoria . Also, it leads to loss of coordination, lack of concentration, memory loss, change in mood and difficulties in movement. Its continued use for a long time also causes dependence and addiction.
Side effects of cannabis
The question as to whether you can be addicted to marijuana is one that attracts a lot of debate. Researcher, weed users and healthcare providers alike engage in this debate most of whom consider it as not addictive. Weed has become a commonly utilized drug all over the world, as more and more countries authorize its use. Although it does not impose physical problems as compared to substances such as cocaine, tobacco and alcohol, and only poses significant challenges to a small number of its users, marijuana is not as harmless as most weed users would like to believe. Marijuana can lead to addiction. The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that nearly nine percent of all persons that consume this substance develop a dependence on it and in the end, 30 percent of them end up in addiction. Teenagers who use this weed are worse off as seventeen percent of them end up developing this habit. The problem is, nonetheless more significant as most weed users do not consider excessive and uncontrollable weed smoking a problem; hence, tend not to seek treatment.
An individual gets addicted to weed when one cannot stop using the drug despite it causing havoc in one’s life. In addition, some people like mixing weed and alcohol which is a dangerous combination and can cause further complications. The situation develops once marijuana affects the brain. When you smoke or ingest marijuana edibles, the most psychoactive compound in cannabis plant-THC enters your lungs; it dissolves into the bloodstream and moves straight to the brain cells. It is here that THC interacts with the brain by activating cannabinoid receptors that play a crucial role in brain activities such as learning, recollection and reward processing.
So, what does weed do for you? It induces the production of dopamine hormone, which gives euphoria . The stimulation of the brain and the production of this feel-good hormone provide weed users intense and fantastic feelings that make them love the substance and keep craving it. The positive rewards you get every time one takes it creates a need for your mind and body to enjoy the stimuli, and this makes you continue the habit of smoking pot over and over again to have this euphoria.
At some point, the brain fails to respond once you smoke weed. The situation comes about after the brain develops a tolerance to the amount of marijuana burned, and it becomes insensitive to the effects of inhaling the substance. Consequently, one is forced to increase the amount of cannabis they smoke or ingest, to stimulate the brain and cause it to produce dopamine to enjoy euphoria. Over time, the brain’s chemistry undergoes restructuring as the drug continues to control it, making it begin considering the high as the optimum and healthy level of functioning. Thus you have to take more and more cannabis each day to feel normal and keep away withdrawal symptoms that occasion with failure to take the substance. The leisure activity becomes all a person thinks of causing addiction. If you ever wondered how bad is weed for you, well, it leads you to a life of addiction.
Cannabis and mental health
As a commonly used drug all over the world, weed affects people differently. Several pieces of research have associated its use with the advancement and increase of mental health disorders such as psychosis, depression, addiction and suicide tendencies, making it one of the most severe side effects of cannabis. Making this link is not always easy, however, the age at which you begin taking cannabis mainly if it is during your teenage years, the amount and frequency of taking the substance, as well as, your genetic makeup influences this connection between the two. The most explicit link yet on how marijuana causes psychiatric disorders is among people who have a genetic predisposition to these ailments.
Research by the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol-Related Conditions found out that there is an association between the use of this substance and addiction. The investigation established that the THC compound in weed influences the functioning of the brain by provoking the feel-good hormone. The hormone makes one happy, relaxed and high, causing one to feel obliged to experience over and over again . In an attempt to recreate these effects, a person develops a dependence on weed and eventually becomes unable to function without it, which is an addiction.
Various studies establish the relationship between cannabis and the development of schizophrenia. One of the studies discovered that early onset of using marijuana, especially in adolescence and using it frequently when one has the AKT1 gene were factors in the development of psychosis. The AKT1 gene is a consortium of codes in an enzyme, which influences signaling of dopamine hormone in the striatum part of the brain by flooding it with dopamine when a stimulus such as a drug occurs. Continuous use of weed triggers increased the production of the dopamine hormone over and over again until it floods in the brain. As a result, one’s chances of developing psychosis increases by seven times.
Another study established that increased usage of the drug plus being a carrier of the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene increased your chances of developing psychosis. The gene degrades dopamine and norepinephrine hormones in the brain leading to the ailment. Also, taking a high dosage of cannabis results in poor memory, lack of understanding and inability to process external occurrences. These effects speed up the destructive actions of this gene, causing schizophrenia.
Small associations have come up between the use of pot and the development of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts in teenagers. The endocannabinoid system in the brain works by regulating a person’s mood and rewarding it when a stimulus occurs. Observations discovered that the utilization of cannabis at an early age when the brain has not completely formed leads to the alteration of the functioning of this system. Consequently, instead of enjoying euphoric effects with every smoke or edible you take, one becomes depressed and anxious . Also, hallucination, delusion and panic effects magnify one’s shortcomings, causing depressive tendencies, which induce suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide. Thus, if the question, is smoking weed bad for you, brought on any reservation on if marijuana can cause harm to its users, these mental health conditions it induces are conclusive indicators.
Does my age affect my risks?
Weed is an illicit drug commonly consumed by people of different ages all over the world. Even though some reputable research journals suggest that people who use cannabis for an extended period throughout their lives experience minimal physical effects, buyers should watch out as your risk of harm increases if you are in your teenage years or early adulthood. Many teenagers take their first smoke or ingest their first edible as early as thirteen years old, and from there on, they begin using it regularly, making their use to hit the highest level in over thirty years .
From numerous research studies, it is clear that taking this substance from an early age poses detrimental risks. One of the reasons which point to this is that its use impairs the proper functioning on the brain in maintaining attention, learning making decisions and memory. From the age of thirteen to twenty-five years old, a person’s brain is still under construction. It has not yet developed the capabilities of making connections; hence, it is immature. Thus, when you begin consuming it at this stage, it influences the hippocampus region of the brain that regulates memory, making it impossible for you to remember things you have learned or learn new things. Such findings explain why teenagers are more likely to have poor verbal memory, poor performance and increased chances of dropping out of school .
Other researches observe that during these years, the brain is sensitive as the frontal cortex, which enables the brain to plan, pass judgment, make decisions and develop your personality is yet to develop fully. Consequently, use of the substance damages the brain, causing you to engage in risky and illegal behavior such as driving under the influence, engaging in risky sexual behavior and taking other drugs when you are high.
Experts’ studies also document that marijuana use from the age of 16 to 25 years results in difficulties handling its effects, as well as suffer adverse consequences with continued usage when compared to those who started smoking past the age of twenty-five. Just like other brain parts that are underdeveloped in adolescence, so is the endocannabinoid system. The system consists of the psychological mechanism that handles THC and its effects. It is crucial in the optimal functioning of a human brain for cognition, promoting the development of neurotransmitters, facilitating response to stress and controlling emotions. Persistent expose to cannabis, slows down the cellular functioning of the system, making you more vulnerable to side effects of weed such as anxiety, hallucinations, delusion, depression, suicidal thought and addictive tendencies.
Multidisciplinary studies have also discovered changes in the brain of teens and young adults under twenty-five years old who smoke cannabis. In a review of chronic cannabis users in the formative years, the experts found conclusive evidence that such marijuana users had abnormalities in their brain structures and modified neural activity. Their regular use of weed destroyed the white matter in the brain, which facilitates the communication among neurons making the teens highly impulsive in experimenting with this and other drugs, making poor decisions, poor planning and lack of abstract thinking.
Does cannabis have medical benefits?
Marijuana, according to research, has been under use for medical purposes for the last three thousand years, since its discovery in China. There has been widespread tension over whether the plant, which makes people high, lazy and paranoid among other effects brought on by THC compound can also be deemed safe for medicinal purposes. However, scientists and medical professionals concur that numerous scientific studies establish that the discovery of the compound cannabidiol or CBD found in weed contains several therapeutic benefits .
Fighting cancer is one of the prominent benefits of smoking weed. Scientific evidence demonstrates that taking the CBD compound orally in the form of CBD oil or capsules is effective in alleviating the side effects one develops due to chemotherapy treatment. Its pain relieving properties influences the reactions of cannabinoid receptors, making them relive one’s pain and discomfort. CBD is also known to slow or completely stop the growth of cancer cells. When one consumes marijuana, its cannabinoid chemicals travel to the brain where it binds to the cannabinoid receptors. The CBD properties influence the expression of these receptors toward injury or stress on the body, making them react towards the cancer cells. The receptors transmit chemical signals to the cancer cells causing them to become dormant or destroy themselves .
Relieving chronic pain is another valuable benefit of weed. Chronic pain is a common condition all over the world, affecting and causing disability to millions of people and created by conditions such as migraine, back pain, arthritis and multiple sclerosis. The CBD compound present in cannabis binds with receptors within the different parts of the body, relaxing the muscles and derailing neurotransmitters from communicating pain to the brain, leaving one feeling better .
Its use leads to losing weight and preventing obesity. One of the widely known euphoric effects of THC is giving one a case of munchies where one indulges in any and every type of food and snacks, even the unhealthy ones . Nevertheless, research in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that weed smokers are less prone to becoming obese. The study revealed that its use boosts the body’s breakdown of food substances, it elevates the process of fat loss and lowers cholesterol from a person’s body, making one lose weight drastically, or remain petite.
Cannabis is an effective anti-depressant. Depression is a complex mental disorder that affects most people and whose treatment relies on dealing with the underlying issue. If you are suffering from it, various treatment options may be slow or ineffective but not marijuana. Its consumption produces the THC compound, which triggers the production of the dopamine- the feel-good hormone that boosts your mood, slows down your breathing and reduces your blood pressure. It leads to mental clarity, which in turn makes you look at your situation, which triggered your depression in a different light. Also, it ensures the endocannabinoid system functions optimally paving the way for its mood stabling abilities.
Another medicinal benefit of Cannabis is slowing down the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. As people age, brain degeneration and loss of memory are inevitable. However, studies have shown that the use of marijuana can derail the onset of Alzheimer’s by THC lowering the levels of the Amyloid-β protein that induces the symptoms of this condition, preventing its attack .
Is smoking weed bad for you?
Marijuana has been a plant found around humans for over three thousand years. Over the last ten years, it has become widely established all over the world as more and more countries make it legal for medicinal and recreational purposes. The green, eight feet plant derived from seeds, leaves, flowers and stems of a cannabis plant has become a day to day indulgence among teenagers and young adults, inciting debates on its risks, benefits and effects on mental health, Also, whether it is addictive and the risk associated to one’s age.
The probability of becoming addicted after you consume weed is real, and its consumers have to accept it. Despite people having positive experiences with the drug, which leaves then unscathed, it is essential to take this problem seriously. The need to enjoy the euphoric effect of weed pushes more users into consuming more of the drug, and in the end, they become habitual users who cannot function without it. While this may be the case, it is not as dangerous as alcohol or cocaine addiction; nonetheless, it is worth keeping this in mind as you continue using it. Addiction to this drug is prevalent among thirty percent of its users, and this problem is rapidly rising.
Weed imposes potential harm to the mental health of its users. Those who begin smoking it as teenagers and those who use regularly have a higher likelihood of developing mental health ailments as they continue using it, as well as those already suffering from these illnesses. Established relationships between cannabis and conditions such as depression, suicidal tendencies and psychosis indicate this type of harm. Such discoveries ensure marijuana fails to meet the qualifications of a strictly beneficial drug, and users should take to avoid such problems.
So, why do people smoke weed? Researchers have provided a wide array of research that validates the usefulness of cannabis. In addition to its euphoric effects that make people happy, relaxed and in a good mood, the drug is good for relieving pain. Chronic pain from backaches, arthritis and multiples sclerosis disappears once patients take up this treatment regimen. It is useful in reducing the side effects of cancer treatment and making sure the cancer cells do not regenerate. It can help in losing weight, easing depression and derails the start of Alzheimer’s diseases, making it an essential drug for the medical industry.
Being a teenager and a young adult under the age of twenty-five is the riskiest age to be when smoking weed. The positive and negative effects that weed consumers experience from this drug launch in the brain. For these groups of people, their brains are still under construction, meaning that most of its functioning is immature. The introduction of a drug such as this guarantees the derailment of brain development; it damages some parts of the brain and alters its growth and causing long-lives consequences. If you want to have memory loss, impaired cognitive function, lack of control of your impulses, inability to control stress and emotions, begin smoking weed before the age of twenty-five.
Overall, cannabis is an essential drug in today’s society due to its properties. It also has moderate to extreme side effects that put the user’s life in danger. Whichever way you choose to look at it, employ care and restraint when utilizing it, and you will enjoy its valuable benefits without any worry.
