Effects of Marijuana
The way the drug affects each person depends on many factors, including:
- user's previous experience with the drug;
- 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 marijuana makes users feel thirsty and very hungry, an effect called "the munchies."
Some users can get 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.
The short-term effects of marijuana include:
- problems with memory and learning.
- distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch).
- trouble with thinking and problem solving.
- loss of motor coordination.
- increased heart rate.
These effects are even greater when other drugs are mixed with the marijuana; users do not always know what drugs are given to them.
Does marijuana affect school, sports, or other activities?
It can. Marijuana affects memory, judgment and perception. The drug can make you mess up in school, in sports or clubs, or with your friends. If you're high on marijuana, you are more likely to make stupid mistakes that could embarrass or even hurt you. If you use marijuana a lot, you could start to lose interest in how you look and how you're getting along at school or work.
Athletes could find their performance is off; timing, movements and coordination are all affected by THC. Also, since marijuana can affect judgment and decision making, its use can lead to risky sexual behavior, resulting in exposure to sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
The long-term effects of marijuana use
Findings so far 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) cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke. Studies show that someone who smokes five joints per day 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 against disease. When the immune cells are weakened you are more likely to get sick.