Is Using Marijuana Dangerous To You?
Many states are going down the path of making not only medical marijuana legal but recreational marijuana legal as well. We often are told of the wonderful things marijuana can do for you and your body, we spoke about it the other day on my show.
Well I decided to look into what some medical experts have to say about it. I found an opinion piece published on foxnews.com by Dr. Samadi.
Dr. Samadi is a board-certified urologic oncologist trained in open and traditional and laparoscopic surgery and is an expert in robotic prostate surgery. He is chairman of urology, chief of robotic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital and professor of urology at Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine. He is a medical correspondent for the Fox News Channel's Medical A-Team and the chief medical correspondent for am970 in New York City.
Well he has quite a bit to say about the effects of marijuana on our bodies. He said that:
The “high” people experience is marijuana’s effect on over-activating parts of the brain containing specific brain cell receptors. This leads to feelings of an altered sense of time, other altered senses, changes in mood, impaired body movement, impaired memory and difficulty in thinking and problem-solving.
He went on to say:
Researchers are still studying the long-term effects of marijuana. But what is known is that the younger a person begins using pot, such as in the teen years, the greater the declines in general knowledge, impaired thinking, learning difficulties and lowered IQ.
So far it does not sound that good, maybe it gets better, let’s see. In his piece he wpok3 of Other ways our bodies are affected from the use of marijuana usage both physically and mentally, these include the following:
- Breathing problems – Marijuana smoke irritates the lungs, causing damage with an increased risk of both chronic bronchitis and lung infections.
- Increased heart rate – Pot can raise a person’s heart rate for up to three hours after smoking, increasing the risk for a heart attack, especially in anyone with a heart condition.
- Harm to unborn babies – Women using marijuana during pregnancy can have children with a lower birth weight and an increased risk of both brain and behavioral problems as infants. Children exposed to marijuana in the womb have problems of attention, memory, and problem-solving compared to unexposed children.
- Intense nausea and vomiting – Those who are long-term, regular users of marijuana may develop cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, where they experience cycles of severe nausea, vomiting and dehydration.
- Temporary hallucinations and paranoia.
- Other mental health and behavioral problems – People with schizophrenia can develop worsening symptoms. Marijuana users – particularly heavy users – can have lower satisfaction with life, relationship problems, and less academic and career success. For young adults it can lead to a greater likelihood of dropping out of school, along with more job absences, accidents, and injuries.
Does not sound that great does it? Well now you know a bit more about the effects of marijuana on our bodies and can make a more informed decision on your thoughts of legalizing it or using it.
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