Risks of Marijuana Use - Drug Abuse and Addiction

Risks of Marijuana Use

Increased Potency.     Marijuana products have become increasingly stronger. In 1975 the average sample of confiscated marijuana contained 0.4% of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). By 1990, cultivated forms contained 7% THC.

Brain Impairment. Marijuana interferes with memory, learning, speech, reading, comprehension, problem solving, and the ability to think. Driving skills are impaired, along with general intellectual performance. The long-term intellectual affects are still not fully understood.

Affected Social Behavior. Some researchers have observed amotivational syndromes among marijuana smokers, who, with frequent use, tend to lose interest in school friends and sexual intercourse.

Affected Psychomotor Functions. Like alcohol, marijuana interferes with psychomotor functions such as reaction time, coordination, visual perception, and other skills important for driving and operating machinery safety. Tests of marijuana-intoxicated drivers show that their driving is impaired, yet they think they are driving better than usual.

Psychological Dependence. While marijuana is not considered physically addicting, it is known to aggravate existing emotional problems. The most common adverse emotional effect is acute panic reactions, in which users became terrified and paranoid and require hospitalization.

Lung Damage. Marijuana cigarettes are normally unfiltered, and smokers tend to inhale deeply, exposing sensitive lung tissue to potent, irritating chemicals. One study among marijuana smokers showed that five marijuana cigarettes a week were more damaging to the lungs than six packs of cigarettes smoked over the same period.

Toxins. Marijuana smoke contains 150 chemicals in addition to THC, and the effects of most are not yet known. One ingredient, benzopyrene, is a known carcinogen that is 70% more abundant in marijuana smoke than in tobacco smoke. Marijuana cigarettes also contain more tar than tobacco cigarettes.

Impaired Heart Function. Marijuana has a greater effect on heart function than tobacco. It can raise the heart rate by as much as 50%.

Hormone and Reproductive Effects. Several studies suggest that marijuana smoking can lower the level of the male sex hormone testosterone in the blood. Sperm abnormalities, including reduced numbers of sperm and abnormal sperm movement and shapes, have also been observed in male marijuana smokers. Preliminary studies suggest an adverse effect on the menstrual cycle in 40% of women who smoke marijuana at least four times a week. The result may be infertility–as the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone are reduced in female marijuana smokers.

Pregnancy Risks. Marijuana can cross me placenta and reach the developing fetus, and miscarriages are more common among pregnant female marijuana smokers.

Immune System Impairment. Human studies have shown that marijuana damages basic body defense against disease by weakening the immune system.