Senior Paper Preview
My paper is going to talk about the effects of marijuana on the general health and give information on how it affects your mind.Within a few minutes after inhaling marijuana smoke, an individual's heart rate speeds up, the bronchial passages relax and become enlarged, and blood vessels in the eyes expand, making the eyes look red. The heart rate—normally 70 to 80 beats per minute—may increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute, or may even double in some cases. Taking other drugs with marijuana can amplify this effect. Limited evidence suggests that a person's risk of heart attack during the first hour after smoking marijuana is four times his or her usual risk. This observation could be partly explained by marijuana raising blood pressure (in some cases) and heart rate and reducing the blood's capacity to carry oxygen. Such possibilities need to be examined more closely, particularly since current marijuana users include adults from the baby boomer generation, who may have other cardiovascular risks that may increase their vulnerability. The smoke of marijuana, like that of tobacco, consists of a toxic mixture of gases and particulates, many of which are known to be harmful to the lungs. Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, and a greater risk of lung infections. Even infrequent marijuana use can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough. One study found that extra sick days used by frequent marijuana smokers were often because of respiratory illnesses.
Marijuana
The Positive and The Negative
Senior Thesis Paper
Marcus Shaw
Sonja Linman
May 2014
Body and Mind
Marijuana use impairs a person's ability to form new memories and to shift focus. THC also disrupts coordination and balance by binding the receptors in the cerebellum and basal ganglia—parts of the brain that regulate balance, posture, coordination, and reaction time. Therefore, learning, doing complicated tasks, participating in athletics, and driving are also affected.
Marijuana users who have taken large doses of the drug may experience an acute psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and a loss of the sense of personal identity. Short-term psychotic reactions to high concentrations of THC are distinct from longer-lasting, schizophrenia-like disorders that have been associated with the use of cannabis in vulnerable individuals. Although some people see marijuana as a bad thing, because it makes someone seem lazy or depressed, others claim that it helps focus and accomplish tasks. Research indicated that marijuana is a drug that should not be used unless one has medical condition.
“Our understanding of marijuana's long-term brain effects is limited. Research findings on how chronic cannabis use affects brain structure have been inconsistent. It may be that the effects are too subtle for reliable detection by current techniques. A similar challenge arises in studies of the effects of chronic marijuana use on brain function. Although imaging studies in chronic users do show some consistent alterations, the relation of these changes to cognitive functioning is less clear. This uncertainty may stem from confounding factors such as other drug use, residual drug effects
(which can occur for at least 24 hours in chronic users), or withdrawal symptoms in long-term chronic users.” (http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/how-does-marijuana-use-affect-your-brain-body)
Effects on General Health
Within a few minutes after inhaling marijuana smoke, an individual's heart rate speeds up, the bronchial passages relax and become enlarged, and blood vessels in the eyes expand, making the eyes look red. The heart rate—normally 70 to 80 beats per minute—may increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute, or may even double in some cases. Taking other drugs with marijuana can amplify this effect.
(http://science.howstuffworks.com/marijuana3.htm)
Limited evidence suggests that a person's risk of heart attack during the first hour after smoking marijuana is four times his or her usual risk. This observation could be partly explained by marijuana raising blood pressure (in some cases) and heart rate and reducing the blood's capacity to carry oxygen. Such possibilities need to be examined more closely, particularly since current marijuana users include adults from the baby boomer generation, who may have other cardiovascular risks that may increase their vulnerability.
The smoke of marijuana, like that of tobacco, consists of a toxic mixture of gases and particulates, many of which are known to be harmful to the lungs. Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, and a greater risk of lung infections. Even infrequent marijuana use can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough. One study found that extra sick days used by frequent marijuana smokers were often because of respiratory illnesses.
In addition, marijuana has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens—up to 70 percent more than tobacco smoke. It also induces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their cancer-causing form, which could accelerate the changes that ultimately produce malignant cells. And since marijuana smokers generally inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers, the lungs are exposed longer to carcinogenic smoke. However, while several lines of evidence have suggested that marijuana use may lead to lung cancer, the supporting evidence is inconclusive.
Negative Effects on the Brain
Memory impairment from marijuana use occurs because THC alters how information that is processed in the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation. Most of the evidence supporting this assertion comes from animal studies. For example, rats exposed to THC in utero, soon after birth, or during adolescence, show notable problems with specific learning/memory tasks later in life. As people age, they lose neurons in the hippocampus, which decreases their ability to learn new information. Chronic THC exposure may hasten age-related loss of hippocampal neurons. In one study, rats exposed to THC every day for 8 months (approximately 30 percent of their life-span) showed a level of nerve cell loss (at 11 to 12 months of age) that equaled that of unexposed animals twice their age http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-abuse/how-does-marijuana-use-affect-your-brain-body
An enduring question in the field is whether individuals who quit marijuana, even after long-term, heavy use, can recover some of their cognitive abilities. One study reports that the ability of long-term heavy marijuana users to recall words from a list was still impaired one week after they quit using, but returned to normal by four weeks. However, another study found that marijuana's effects on the brain can build up and deteriorate critical life skills over time. Such effects may be worse in those with other mental disorders, or simply by virtue of the normal aging process.
The Positive
The positive effects associated with marijuana are often related to the emotional experiences, some of which being: feeling relaxed, feeling happy, increased enjoyment of music and art, more appreciation of surroundings, forgetting cares and worries, better imagination and visualization, increased creativity, as well as more enjoyment of sexual activity and increased feelings of excitement (Hamersley, R, & amp; Leon, V. 2006). Also in this study the health risks of marijuana were examined. It was discovered that the risks of smoking cannabis were different, and perhaps even lesser, than those of smoking tobacco; furthermore it was found that due to the large amount of individuals smoking marijuana combined with tobacco, statistics describing marijuana dependency may have been inflated, by the fact that it was the nicotine in tobacco that people were becoming dependent on rather than actual cannabis itself. The study also stated that near-daily use was more likely to cause problems and was discouraged (Hammersley, R. ;Leon, V. 2006).
In one Harvard study, patients with various medical problems were treated with THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active ingredient in marijuana, and it was found to treat a wide range of various ailments such as: Tourette-Syndrome, appetite loss, weight loss, nausea, depression, HIV-infection, migraines, asthma, back pain, hepatitis C, sleeping disorders, epilepsy, spasticity, headaches, alcoholism, glaucoma, disk prolapse, spinal cord injury, as well as improving the well being of cancer patients. (Grotenhermen, 2002) . Another study found that despite the many rumors and false reports, cannabis does not, in fact, cause cancer. The study goes on to say that the smoking of the plant, not any chemical of the plant itself, causes a majority of the bodily damage done to the individual smoking the drug. If the individual ingests the plant orally or through a vaporizer it would seem that the risk of any kind of cancer can be greatly reduced, if not eliminated altogether. Cannabis also has not been seen to be the cause of any other life threatening problems (Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A. Benson, Jr. 1999). “The negative effects were also congruent with the previous studies consisting of: anxiety, paranoia, panic, depression, dysphoria, depersonalization, delusions, illusions, and hallucinations. The study then goes on to mention that the negative and adverse reactions to the cannabis were experienced mostly in “inexperienced users after large doses of smoked or oral marijuana” (Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A. Benson, Jr. 1999). Another popular threat used by anti-drug activists is that marijuana causes brain damage. They base this threat on a previous study that was done by the Nixon administration when it began its war on drugs. However, this new study states that “Early studies purporting to show structural changes in the brains of heavy marijuana users have not been replicated with more sophisticated techniques” (Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A. Benson, Jr. 1999). The “gateway” theory is also a popular claim made against marijuana. The “gateway” theory claims that if a person begins using marijuana than they are almost guaranteed to move on to other, harsher drugs. Again this study disagrees, saying that “It does not appear to be a gateway drug to the extent that it is the cause or even that it is the most significant predictor of serious drug abuse; that is, care must be taken not to attribute cause to association” (Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A. Benson, Jr. 1999). Therefore from all of these studies it can be concluded that the positive effects of medical marijuana significantly out number and out weigh the negative.
The Negative
Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more cancer-causing substances than tobacco smoke. One major research study reported that a single cannabis joint could cause as much damage to the lungs as up to five regular cigarettes smoked one after another. Long-time joint smokers often suffer from bronchitis, an inflammation of the respiratory tract. Cannabis is one of the few drugs which causes abnormal cell division which leads to severe hereditary defects. A pregnant woman who regularly smokes marijuana or hashish, may give birth prematurely to an undersized, underweight baby. Over the last ten years, many children of marijuana users have been born with reduced initiative and lessened abilities to concentrate and pursue life goals. Studies also suggest that prenatal (before birth) use of the drug may result in birth defects, mental abnormalities and increased risk of leukemia in children. The drug can affect more than your physical health. Studies in Australia in 2008 linked years of heavy marijuana use to brain abnormalities. This is backed up by earlier research on the long-term effects of marijuana, which indicate changes in the brain similar to those caused by long-term abuse of other major drugs. And a number of studies have shown a connection between continued marijuana use and psychosis. Marijuana changes the structure of sperm cells, deforming them. Thus even small amounts of marijuana can cause temporary sterility in men.
Medical v. Recreational
With so many influences that have been presented to the youth today, it will be one hard task to get the young adolescents minds off of the subject of Marijuana. Having been around young adults that would smoke a bowl as soon as they woke up and then go through the day smoking one every now and then and then having one right before they went to bed. For anyone to experience that feeling day in and day out, something like that would fry anyone's brain no matter what their tolerance would be. It uses up their intelligence, all of their brain cells and leaves them dumb founded and lazy as long as they're smoking Marijuana. People need to get together and form groups that protest the influences on our son/daughters, that the legalization of recreational Marijuana is not a path that we should take. If people protested against the legalization of Marijuana, celebrities, famous athletes, and song artists wouldn't be showing kids these days that it is appropriate to smoke Marijuana. Some people can not handle the smell of Marijuana and they get sick from it, others do not like the euphoric sensation that it brings them. You have no idea how you are going to respond to a particular drug until after you have tried it. Some of the factors that affect response to drugs are genetics, setting, mood and stress, but ultimately your brain is unique and will determine how you respond. What is OK for a friend or sibling could create a very different reaction for you. Even the same drug could be very different a month later in a different situation. There is also research showing that a small percentage of teens with a predisposition to schizophrenia put themselves at risk of having a psychotic episode at a younger age if they become chronic users of marijuana. More research is being done on this topic, as well as the connection between chronic marijuana use and other psychiatric disorders. It’s critical to be honest with your teen about any family history of depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, substance abuse or other mental health disorder. This family history puts them at risk, especially if they become a chronic user of marijuana.
There is a greater range of THC levels in marijuana, especially marijuana grown in Northern California. The average THC concentration 25 years ago was somewhere in the range of three percent. Marijuana now has a THC concentration in a wide range from three to fifteen percent. In general, the marijuana available today is more potent that what was around in the past. This means that chronic users of marijuana become dependent on this drug to help the user cope with stress, failure, anxiety, boredom and any other uncomfortable emotion. Chronic marijuana use can also lead to Anti-Motivational Syndrome, which is very familiar to all of us who have laughed at the “stoner” character on TV or in the movies.
The latest research on teen brains shows that a teen’s brain is still in an intensive developmental phase, with lots of growth and pruning of connections in the frontal cortex. THC is a potent chemical and affects the parts of the brain that control short term memory, learning, coordination, and problem solving. The latest brain imaging tools have given us a new vantage point into the developing brain – stay tuned for more information on this in the years to come. There could be repercussions at school, at home and with the police. These repercussions can be harsh if a teen is caught with a large amount of marijuana, is driving while under the influence, or in a vehicle where pot is being smoked. Legally, your teen may face anything from a fine to jail time, and any school disciplinary actions related to drug use may affect their chances for college admissions. If you suspect your teen is already smoking pot, or if you find a pipe or marijuana, talk to them about it immediately. Many teens will say “it isn’t mine.” Question that. Even in the unlikely event that the pot is not theirs, a willingness to hide it for a friend means that they are either also using or close enough to someone who does that they can be convinced. If you or a teacher suspects your child is smoking marijuana at school, address it right away. This is a significant warning sign for a concerning level of marijuana use. This is an opportunity to have a real conversation with your teen about an important health topic. You want your child to share what they know, what their thoughts and opinions are, and what their friends are doing. The ultimate goal is to keep our kids safe, and teach them how to have fun and relax without turning to a substance that may have a real impact on their health and learning. (http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/marijuana/the-harmful-effects.html)
Works Cited
http://www.businessinsider.com/physical-and-mental-effects-of-marijuana-2013-4
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-abuse/how-does-marijuana-use-affect-your-brain-body
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/marijuana/the-harmful-effects.html
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/11/talk-teen-marijuana.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/marijuana3.htm
The Positive and The Negative
Senior Thesis Paper
Marcus Shaw
Sonja Linman
May 2014
Body and Mind
Marijuana use impairs a person's ability to form new memories and to shift focus. THC also disrupts coordination and balance by binding the receptors in the cerebellum and basal ganglia—parts of the brain that regulate balance, posture, coordination, and reaction time. Therefore, learning, doing complicated tasks, participating in athletics, and driving are also affected.
Marijuana users who have taken large doses of the drug may experience an acute psychosis, which includes hallucinations, delusions, and a loss of the sense of personal identity. Short-term psychotic reactions to high concentrations of THC are distinct from longer-lasting, schizophrenia-like disorders that have been associated with the use of cannabis in vulnerable individuals. Although some people see marijuana as a bad thing, because it makes someone seem lazy or depressed, others claim that it helps focus and accomplish tasks. Research indicated that marijuana is a drug that should not be used unless one has medical condition.
“Our understanding of marijuana's long-term brain effects is limited. Research findings on how chronic cannabis use affects brain structure have been inconsistent. It may be that the effects are too subtle for reliable detection by current techniques. A similar challenge arises in studies of the effects of chronic marijuana use on brain function. Although imaging studies in chronic users do show some consistent alterations, the relation of these changes to cognitive functioning is less clear. This uncertainty may stem from confounding factors such as other drug use, residual drug effects
(which can occur for at least 24 hours in chronic users), or withdrawal symptoms in long-term chronic users.” (http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/how-does-marijuana-use-affect-your-brain-body)
Effects on General Health
Within a few minutes after inhaling marijuana smoke, an individual's heart rate speeds up, the bronchial passages relax and become enlarged, and blood vessels in the eyes expand, making the eyes look red. The heart rate—normally 70 to 80 beats per minute—may increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute, or may even double in some cases. Taking other drugs with marijuana can amplify this effect.
(http://science.howstuffworks.com/marijuana3.htm)
Limited evidence suggests that a person's risk of heart attack during the first hour after smoking marijuana is four times his or her usual risk. This observation could be partly explained by marijuana raising blood pressure (in some cases) and heart rate and reducing the blood's capacity to carry oxygen. Such possibilities need to be examined more closely, particularly since current marijuana users include adults from the baby boomer generation, who may have other cardiovascular risks that may increase their vulnerability.
The smoke of marijuana, like that of tobacco, consists of a toxic mixture of gases and particulates, many of which are known to be harmful to the lungs. Someone who smokes marijuana regularly may have many of the same respiratory problems that tobacco smokers do, such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, and a greater risk of lung infections. Even infrequent marijuana use can cause burning and stinging of the mouth and throat, often accompanied by a heavy cough. One study found that extra sick days used by frequent marijuana smokers were often because of respiratory illnesses.
In addition, marijuana has the potential to promote cancer of the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract because it contains irritants and carcinogens—up to 70 percent more than tobacco smoke. It also induces high levels of an enzyme that converts certain hydrocarbons into their cancer-causing form, which could accelerate the changes that ultimately produce malignant cells. And since marijuana smokers generally inhale more deeply and hold their breath longer than tobacco smokers, the lungs are exposed longer to carcinogenic smoke. However, while several lines of evidence have suggested that marijuana use may lead to lung cancer, the supporting evidence is inconclusive.
Negative Effects on the Brain
Memory impairment from marijuana use occurs because THC alters how information that is processed in the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory formation. Most of the evidence supporting this assertion comes from animal studies. For example, rats exposed to THC in utero, soon after birth, or during adolescence, show notable problems with specific learning/memory tasks later in life. As people age, they lose neurons in the hippocampus, which decreases their ability to learn new information. Chronic THC exposure may hasten age-related loss of hippocampal neurons. In one study, rats exposed to THC every day for 8 months (approximately 30 percent of their life-span) showed a level of nerve cell loss (at 11 to 12 months of age) that equaled that of unexposed animals twice their age http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-abuse/how-does-marijuana-use-affect-your-brain-body
An enduring question in the field is whether individuals who quit marijuana, even after long-term, heavy use, can recover some of their cognitive abilities. One study reports that the ability of long-term heavy marijuana users to recall words from a list was still impaired one week after they quit using, but returned to normal by four weeks. However, another study found that marijuana's effects on the brain can build up and deteriorate critical life skills over time. Such effects may be worse in those with other mental disorders, or simply by virtue of the normal aging process.
The Positive
The positive effects associated with marijuana are often related to the emotional experiences, some of which being: feeling relaxed, feeling happy, increased enjoyment of music and art, more appreciation of surroundings, forgetting cares and worries, better imagination and visualization, increased creativity, as well as more enjoyment of sexual activity and increased feelings of excitement (Hamersley, R, & amp; Leon, V. 2006). Also in this study the health risks of marijuana were examined. It was discovered that the risks of smoking cannabis were different, and perhaps even lesser, than those of smoking tobacco; furthermore it was found that due to the large amount of individuals smoking marijuana combined with tobacco, statistics describing marijuana dependency may have been inflated, by the fact that it was the nicotine in tobacco that people were becoming dependent on rather than actual cannabis itself. The study also stated that near-daily use was more likely to cause problems and was discouraged (Hammersley, R. ;Leon, V. 2006).
In one Harvard study, patients with various medical problems were treated with THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active ingredient in marijuana, and it was found to treat a wide range of various ailments such as: Tourette-Syndrome, appetite loss, weight loss, nausea, depression, HIV-infection, migraines, asthma, back pain, hepatitis C, sleeping disorders, epilepsy, spasticity, headaches, alcoholism, glaucoma, disk prolapse, spinal cord injury, as well as improving the well being of cancer patients. (Grotenhermen, 2002) . Another study found that despite the many rumors and false reports, cannabis does not, in fact, cause cancer. The study goes on to say that the smoking of the plant, not any chemical of the plant itself, causes a majority of the bodily damage done to the individual smoking the drug. If the individual ingests the plant orally or through a vaporizer it would seem that the risk of any kind of cancer can be greatly reduced, if not eliminated altogether. Cannabis also has not been seen to be the cause of any other life threatening problems (Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A. Benson, Jr. 1999). “The negative effects were also congruent with the previous studies consisting of: anxiety, paranoia, panic, depression, dysphoria, depersonalization, delusions, illusions, and hallucinations. The study then goes on to mention that the negative and adverse reactions to the cannabis were experienced mostly in “inexperienced users after large doses of smoked or oral marijuana” (Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A. Benson, Jr. 1999). Another popular threat used by anti-drug activists is that marijuana causes brain damage. They base this threat on a previous study that was done by the Nixon administration when it began its war on drugs. However, this new study states that “Early studies purporting to show structural changes in the brains of heavy marijuana users have not been replicated with more sophisticated techniques” (Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A. Benson, Jr. 1999). The “gateway” theory is also a popular claim made against marijuana. The “gateway” theory claims that if a person begins using marijuana than they are almost guaranteed to move on to other, harsher drugs. Again this study disagrees, saying that “It does not appear to be a gateway drug to the extent that it is the cause or even that it is the most significant predictor of serious drug abuse; that is, care must be taken not to attribute cause to association” (Janet E. Joy, Stanley J. Watson, Jr., and John A. Benson, Jr. 1999). Therefore from all of these studies it can be concluded that the positive effects of medical marijuana significantly out number and out weigh the negative.
The Negative
Marijuana smoke contains 50% to 70% more cancer-causing substances than tobacco smoke. One major research study reported that a single cannabis joint could cause as much damage to the lungs as up to five regular cigarettes smoked one after another. Long-time joint smokers often suffer from bronchitis, an inflammation of the respiratory tract. Cannabis is one of the few drugs which causes abnormal cell division which leads to severe hereditary defects. A pregnant woman who regularly smokes marijuana or hashish, may give birth prematurely to an undersized, underweight baby. Over the last ten years, many children of marijuana users have been born with reduced initiative and lessened abilities to concentrate and pursue life goals. Studies also suggest that prenatal (before birth) use of the drug may result in birth defects, mental abnormalities and increased risk of leukemia in children. The drug can affect more than your physical health. Studies in Australia in 2008 linked years of heavy marijuana use to brain abnormalities. This is backed up by earlier research on the long-term effects of marijuana, which indicate changes in the brain similar to those caused by long-term abuse of other major drugs. And a number of studies have shown a connection between continued marijuana use and psychosis. Marijuana changes the structure of sperm cells, deforming them. Thus even small amounts of marijuana can cause temporary sterility in men.
Medical v. Recreational
With so many influences that have been presented to the youth today, it will be one hard task to get the young adolescents minds off of the subject of Marijuana. Having been around young adults that would smoke a bowl as soon as they woke up and then go through the day smoking one every now and then and then having one right before they went to bed. For anyone to experience that feeling day in and day out, something like that would fry anyone's brain no matter what their tolerance would be. It uses up their intelligence, all of their brain cells and leaves them dumb founded and lazy as long as they're smoking Marijuana. People need to get together and form groups that protest the influences on our son/daughters, that the legalization of recreational Marijuana is not a path that we should take. If people protested against the legalization of Marijuana, celebrities, famous athletes, and song artists wouldn't be showing kids these days that it is appropriate to smoke Marijuana. Some people can not handle the smell of Marijuana and they get sick from it, others do not like the euphoric sensation that it brings them. You have no idea how you are going to respond to a particular drug until after you have tried it. Some of the factors that affect response to drugs are genetics, setting, mood and stress, but ultimately your brain is unique and will determine how you respond. What is OK for a friend or sibling could create a very different reaction for you. Even the same drug could be very different a month later in a different situation. There is also research showing that a small percentage of teens with a predisposition to schizophrenia put themselves at risk of having a psychotic episode at a younger age if they become chronic users of marijuana. More research is being done on this topic, as well as the connection between chronic marijuana use and other psychiatric disorders. It’s critical to be honest with your teen about any family history of depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, substance abuse or other mental health disorder. This family history puts them at risk, especially if they become a chronic user of marijuana.
There is a greater range of THC levels in marijuana, especially marijuana grown in Northern California. The average THC concentration 25 years ago was somewhere in the range of three percent. Marijuana now has a THC concentration in a wide range from three to fifteen percent. In general, the marijuana available today is more potent that what was around in the past. This means that chronic users of marijuana become dependent on this drug to help the user cope with stress, failure, anxiety, boredom and any other uncomfortable emotion. Chronic marijuana use can also lead to Anti-Motivational Syndrome, which is very familiar to all of us who have laughed at the “stoner” character on TV or in the movies.
The latest research on teen brains shows that a teen’s brain is still in an intensive developmental phase, with lots of growth and pruning of connections in the frontal cortex. THC is a potent chemical and affects the parts of the brain that control short term memory, learning, coordination, and problem solving. The latest brain imaging tools have given us a new vantage point into the developing brain – stay tuned for more information on this in the years to come. There could be repercussions at school, at home and with the police. These repercussions can be harsh if a teen is caught with a large amount of marijuana, is driving while under the influence, or in a vehicle where pot is being smoked. Legally, your teen may face anything from a fine to jail time, and any school disciplinary actions related to drug use may affect their chances for college admissions. If you suspect your teen is already smoking pot, or if you find a pipe or marijuana, talk to them about it immediately. Many teens will say “it isn’t mine.” Question that. Even in the unlikely event that the pot is not theirs, a willingness to hide it for a friend means that they are either also using or close enough to someone who does that they can be convinced. If you or a teacher suspects your child is smoking marijuana at school, address it right away. This is a significant warning sign for a concerning level of marijuana use. This is an opportunity to have a real conversation with your teen about an important health topic. You want your child to share what they know, what their thoughts and opinions are, and what their friends are doing. The ultimate goal is to keep our kids safe, and teach them how to have fun and relax without turning to a substance that may have a real impact on their health and learning. (http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/marijuana/the-harmful-effects.html)
Works Cited
http://www.businessinsider.com/physical-and-mental-effects-of-marijuana-2013-4
http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/marijuana-abuse/how-does-marijuana-use-affect-your-brain-body
http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/marijuana/the-harmful-effects.html
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/11/talk-teen-marijuana.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/marijuana3.htm