• Problems
• How We Help
• Treatment
• Fast Help
• Family Intervention
• Secondary Care
• Accommodation
• Rehab Costs

Effects of Marijuana

Marijuana is one of the most frequently used drugs in the world. Considered illegal in Great Britain and many other countries, it is an accepted social drug in some nations with a more liberal approach to its effects on people.

Originating from the hemp plant cannabis sativa, marijuana can be a mixture of the plants flowers, seeds, leaves and stem which are dried and crushed. This blend of ingredients can then be smoked as a cigarette, also known as a joint, or through a pipe or bong. A distinctively strong, sweet and sour smelling smoke emanates from this practice. Marijuana can also be smoked in blunts; these are cigars that have been emptied of their original tobacco and filled with the marijuana mixture and in some cases with another drug too.

It can also take the form of a black resin called hashish which can be mixed in with food or brewed as tea, or as a thick black liquid called hash oil.

Marijuana affects a number of different areas of the body through its chief active chemical ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. As marijuana is smoked, THC quickly passes into the bloodstream via the lungs and then on to the other organs throughout the body.

The organs that are affected by THC include the brain which contains a number of protein receptors called cannabinoid receptors. THC attaches itself to the receptors which cause a sequence of cellular responses that eventually lead to the sense of exhilaration or ‘feeling high’ that users experience. Short term problems can affect pleasure, concentration, memory, thought, co-ordination and sensory and time perception, as the majority of the cannabinoid receptors that THC bonds too are found in the areas of the brain that control these senses.

The long term effects of using this drug can see changes in the brain comparable to those of using other major drugs for a sustained period. Cannabinoid or THC withdrawal can lead to a rise in the activity of the stress response system and changes in the actions of nerve cells containing dopamine which are involved in controlling feelings of motivation.

Over the years a number of slang terms have been used for marijuana including pot, weed, cannabis, grass, hash and ganja to name just a few examples.