Bad Effects of Marijuana

Its not good for you!

Bad effects of Marijuana     

 

 

Dude seriously im tired of all these stupid low lifes saying that marijuana is good for you!  its not,  it is just as bad as a pack of ciggerettes!  

"The effects on each person depend on the user's experience, as well as:
how strong the marijuana is (how much THC it has);
what the user expects to happen;
where (the place) the drug is used;
how it is taken; and
whether the user is drinking alcohol or using other drugs.

Some people feel nothing at all when they smoke marijuana. Others may feel relaxed or high. Sometimes it makes users feel thirsty and very hungry - an effect called "the munchies." Some users suffer bad effects from marijuana. They 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.

If someone is high on marijuana, he or she might
seem dizzy and have trouble walking;
seem silly and giggly for no reason;
have very red, bloodshot eyes; and
have a hard time remembering things that just happened.
When the early effects fade, over a few hours, the user can become very sleepy.

The short-term side effects of marijuana include:
problems with memory and learning;
distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch);
trouble with thinking and problem-solving;
loss of coordination; and
increased heart rate, anxiety.

These effects are even greater when other drugs are mixed with the marijuana; and users do not always know what drugs are given to them.

The long-term side effects from findings show that regular use of marijuana or THC may play a role in some kinds of cancer and in problems with the respiratory, and immune systems.

Cancer
It's hard to know for sure whether regular marijuana use causes cancer. But it is known that marijuana contains some of the same, and sometimes even more, of the cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke. Studies show that someone who smokes five joints per week may be taking in as many cancer-causing chemicals as someone who smokes a full pack of cigarettes every day.

Lungs and airways
People who smoke marijuana often develop the same kinds of breathing problems that cigarette smokers have: coughing and wheezing. They tend to have more chest colds than nonusers. They are also at greater risk of getting lung infections like pneumonia.

Immune system
Animal studies have found that THC can damage the cells and tissues in the body that help protect people from disease. When the immune cells are weakened, you are more likely to get sick. "   www.defenselink.mil   

 

Not only is the drug itself addicting but the drug dealing is too.  when you stop dealing and u get a real job life gets harder.  you cant afford your addiction and you make alot less money,just ask my brother he has to go through a 1-year long intensive rehab. fun huh.

Author's Note

i had to site work from a source to prove my point.

Reviews

[Jonah Hawthorne]

None of those 'ill effects' seem as bad as those of alcohol and tobacco, both of which have well-tested detrimental side-effects. (Marijuana is far less well-researched due to it's legal status, however more research is coming to light every day with it's increased semi-legal status as a medicinal painkiller/anxiety reliever.) I find it ironic that I argue this point since I'm a drinker, not a pothead, but there is little proof that marijuana is any worse for you than cigarettes (alcohol and nicotine destroy your immune system; smokers catch colds very easily). Cancer? Anything you burn and inhale is going to bad for your lungs, and most likely will contain carcinogens.

The short term effects are no worse than those of alcohol, and possibly less dangerous in the long run. The only difference is the legality. The worst that can happen is you lay on your bed, freaking out a little bit. A few hours later you'll just understand that you'll never want to try it again. No harm, no foul.

No vice is good for you. That's why it's a vice: it comes with it's own punishment.

I'm going to be polite about this, but it sounds like you took some suburban fantasy about marijuana-is-the-devil hook, line and sinker.

(you might want to also consider doing some real research, from medical journals, etc. rather than propaganda for or against marijuana: no government shlock or stoner ranting)

[SweetJane]

Actually clinical trials have shown that marijuana may cure some cancers. There are also studies that prove that smoking marijuana does not cause cancer. It is nice that you cited one reference, but the claims you make need substantiation. Unless this is your opinion. Marijuana is much less damaging on people with autoimmune disorder, than prescription drugs, and does not tamper with your immune system. Marijuana is loaded with antioxidants and is an excellent addition to ones diet. There are ways to consume marijuana without getting high, but still get its healing effects.

[SweetJane]

seems like speculation, do your homework

[spence]

This is interesting. On the one hand this reads like a regurgitated government campaign, liberally filled with their usual rumour mongering scare tactics, while on the other hand much of it has some modicum of truth.
I would contend that taken in moderation cannabis/marijuana is the least dangerous and least addictive intoxicant of all- including ALL the legal ones, (caffiene, nicotine, alcohol, ritalin, prozac, junk food additives, etc, etc- even media and celebrity in terms of coercing apathy among the masses).
The negative affects you speak of are in extremis, at the very most, but, in myopinion, the worst potential consequences of smoking weed is
a: Havin to mix with scumbag dealers to buy a relatively harmless substance
b: said dealers mixing stupid things like ground glass to look like THC crystal and add weight to the stash/also mixing turpentine and ketamine into soap bar hash to bulk it out- these practices are far more dangerous than any amount of THC and
c: getting a criminal record for what must be close to a victimless crime, (do you know anyone that goes out and hits people in bars when they're high? Or breaks into a house for their fix of weed? There may be the odd example around, but it will be the exception to the rule.)

All of the above would be avoided if it were legalised, (besides which: who has the right to tell us what is right and wrong- what we can and can't do? God? Satan? The State? I actively ignore/defy all such assertions of power and influence)

Also, to add some facts to my contentions- Marijuana use has been recorded for at least 5000 years and in all that time there have been no recorded fatalities attributed to the substance. Mental health concerns/suicide attributed to marijuana use is another matter that, suspiciously, seems to have come to light in the last decade, (though the side effects of state endorsed antidepressants and mood suppressants make these concerns fade in comparison)- but in terms of the physical; the death toll is absolute zero.

I won't bore you with statistics, but let me assure you that deaths related to alcoholism alone outstrips those of every illegal drug combined, (in my country, I'm english, by the way, and in europe as a whole- I can't speak for the usa though)- nicotine causes even more suffering, (this is largely due to the chemical carcinogens that are placed into the tobacco by the companies to get users more quickly addicted too), but the biggest worry of all, for me personally, at least, is the increase in heart disease, diabetes and cancer due to the widespread use of McDonalds, Burger King and other fast food outlets- the s**t they put in their machine regurgitated corpses is ridiculous and I would smoke weed all day every day before I put any of that cancer inducing filth in my mouth!

As I've not heard it before I can't particularly comment on the claim that THC adversly affects the immune system, but to the best of my knowledge it has been used medically to achieve much the opposite- it is still widely used in asia and africa as a pain killer during child birth and it is a fact that work related stress is more likely to cause ill health than anything else in western culture. Finally, marijuana is psychologically addictive, not physically addictive. People can become reliant on it's placating feelings, but I find that preferable to a society that gets tanked up and fights everytime they're stressed- then ultimately die of cirrhosis! As for memory loss- I can't recall much about that aspect! ; )

Anyhow- rant over. I appreciate your strong point of view, but it is something I have heard many times from government officials and fearful citizens that react to what they read in the papers. As a long time weed smoker and as a former facilitator of drug information sessions for young people I can assure you that much of this, though well intentioned, is wide of the mark. Crystal meth may be a may be a more worthy substance to raise awareness around- though no intoxicant should be taken without first having an informed opinion!

Take care- and I hope your brother recovered from his negative experience okay, spence
p.s- look up Bill Hick's opinions on drugs if you're interested in hearing the polar opposite view of the state's anti-drugs rhetoric. He basically asserts that he has taken drugs all of his adult life and has never lost a job, nor gone to rpison, nor killed anyone, etc, etc, and my own experience is similar to his.

[Succubi]

Marjuana is not as bad as alcohol and tobacco. If you look at it, tobacco and alcohol cause far more destruction in nation than weed. You don't here reports of people getting cancer because of marjuana, you hear them getting cancer because of cigarettes. Yet, the government propagandizes that pot is worse for you than cigarettes. WTF! Where is the physical proof. A cigarette contains over 2,000 cancer causing chemicals that affect just about any organ in your body causing an long range of cancer including: colon cancer, lung cancer, throat cancer, mouth cancner, liver cancer, anal cancer, salvatory cancer, and the list goes on ! Weed itself is a plant, and since it really cannot be manufactured legally, if you smoke just the plant nonthenless, you are not recieving as many bad chemicals. But, unfortunatly, dealers do put extra chemicals in it to make it more potent and addicting, but that's the dealers.



But I am not trying to deter your point, if you burn anything and inhale it, you are putting carcinogens into your lungs, which will harm them along with your immune system. So lung cancer is definatly still in the question and is up for debate when it comes to marjuana. But as far as other cancer causing chemicals that are found in cigarettes and not usually weed such as rat poisioning, methane gas, ammonia, battery acid, and so on prove cigarettes to be more harmful. Yes, if you smoke weed you are inhalating probably 1/4 of packs worth, but that is just carcinogens themselves, not the other harmful chemicals that are spewed into people's bodies.

And because marjuana is illegal, there has not been as much research on it because the drug is illegal and banned, and is not allowed to be used, but there has been more research on it lately. Because of this research marjuana in certain states such as California is allowed to be smoke for medicinal purposes such a being a painkiller or an anxiety reliever.

Achroma brought up an interesting point, but that research has been fully proven though, so we cannot dwell on that idea...personally, i think it is the decision that one makes. I think weed is illegal personally not because it is "bad for you" but because it is a f*****g goldmine for the government. Think about it, the government incarerates practically over a million people each year for non-violent drug offenses, and they turn around and say that it takes $30,000-$40,000 a year incarerate a criminal. They get fed 3 lousy meals a day that are only worth like 63 cents, they reuse their clothes, most of the time the prisoners HAVE TO buy them...many of them don't recieve education, and when they work in the jail they get maybe $1-5 a day at the most, and if they are making more its usually an outside buisness that pays for it! So where the f**k is the money going? Someone is getting rich off of losing "the war on drugs" and the criminal justice system itself. Do you think the government made laws for us to obey. F**K NO! They want us to break it, so they figure if they make weed illegal it will give them more people to lock up. Cigarettes and alchohol can harm society far worse than weed can. I say we need to legalize it. But, unfortunatly, crime and health problems are a gold mine in America, so cigarettes and alchocol will still be legal, and weed will be legal...maximizing the profits for everyone on capitol hill !!!

[Mercury Mirrors]

arg ily for this :D...ya pot got me raped & changed my now ex-bf [bc of that little...incident] into an a*s & he was always talking about how 'oooh it helps my stresss...its not as bad as ciggarrettes!' o stfu don & go read this >o turned a whole bunch of my other friends too its quite scary...ye i had the giggly part the one time & then i fell asleep still laughing...yo is it true that the brain cells killed grow back or the people just stay that way?...ive heard both.

[Akroma]

Interesting essay!

Keep in mind that smoking anything is bad for you, because smoke is bad for you. The negative effects of smoking can include:
respiratory infections
asthma
lung and throat cancer

So far in all preliminary reports, smoking marijuana has not been shown to cause lung cancer. In fact, the findings have been the exact opposite; that the ingredient in marijuana, THC, may reduce cancerous tumors and keep cancer from spreading. Go ahead, research online, you will easily find what I'm talking about. Here's one link to get you started- http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070417193338.htm

Another point you might consider is that there are other, healthier methods than smoking. A vaporizer for example offers pure THC without any harmful chemicals.

If you abuse anything you will probably face negative consequences. In fact, almost any drug offers up some bad effects. If you take too many Asprin, you can die. Even if you take the right amount you could experience hives, stomach pain, liver damage.
One reason marijuana has struck so much debate is that it is entirely natural- it's a weed! Also, most drugs, particularly man-made ones, run the risk of killing you. Marijuana on the other hand has absolutely no level of toxicity, posing no threat of an overdose, and thus no threat of death.

I find that the most negative aspect of marijuana use is that it is illegal. The worst thing that can happen to a stoner isn't having the munchies or paranoia, it's getting caught. I find it outrageous that a police officer could get shitfaced drunk every night, get loud and obnoxious, suffer permanent brain and liver damage, get abusive, and the next night arrest a man for possessing marijuana. In other words, arrest a man who was sitting at home, watching comedies and eating chips, maybe even writing ;). Anyone who is experienced will tell you alcohol is a much more dangerous drug. But of course, I think alcohol should remain legal. And I think cigarettes should remain legal. And I think marijuana should become legal. Because regardless of whatever bad effects people may suffer, in the end we should all have the personal right to decide if we want to suffer or not.

[satanic666]

its not just the drug thats addictive people!

[DevilsNeedLove2]

I don't think it really much matters whether weed is worse or better for you than cigs or alcohol. When people are miserable and trying anything they can to make themselves feel better, they will defend whatever that drug of choice may be whole-heartedly, no matter what the consequences are, or how strong the proof of those consequences may be. ANY drug is unhealthy in excess, (not only physically, but also psychologically) and some are deadly in even small amounts. Anyone saying otherwise is either poorly misinformed, or trying to blow smoke up everyone's butt, including their own.

[Mariana Silva]

Interesting to see the facts presented with a personal note added. The formatting for it made it easier to stay interested in reading it through. Maybe you should look into technical writing.