Marijuana is a dangerous drug, not an alternative to tobacco

One popular alternative seems to have a reputation for being harmless and simply pleasurable for young people - marijuana. However, marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug. Marijuana smoke, like tobacco smoke, contains a number of chemicals. Even laymen can pronounce the name tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the main active ingredient in marijuana. Few people know that this ingredient is only one of over 60 cannabinoids (a class of drugs) found in marijuana. Just as tobacco smoke contains a large number of chemicals, so does marijuana smoke. There are a number of harmful compounds in this prohibited substance. Just as nicotine has harmful effects on the fetus, so does marijuana. Marijuana, as well as its relatives alcohol and nicotine, have been found to harm the developing fetus's brain. A mother who uses marijuana gives her child lifelong brain damage. 1 Animal tests show that reduced oxygen flow occurs when mothers are exposed to marijuana, similar to that seen with nicotine exposure. 2 By the way, with marijuana use, the reduction in oxygen supply to the fetus is prolonged, lasting longer than any effects on the mother. Moreover, after birth, marijuana can affect behavior by reducing the mother's desire to care for her baby. 3 It also tends to reduce the production and release of breast milk. 4 Some of the biggest fears about marijuana come not from the effects on others but from the effects on the long-term user. Tetrahydrocannabinol has a surprising chemical similarity to corticosterone, one of the body's cortisone-type hormones. 5 Research indicates that because of this similarity in structure to the cortisone-type substance family, THC exhibits toxic changes in the central part of the brain known as the hippocampus. In fact, both the body's natural stress hormones and THC have been shown to accelerate brain aging. For example, in one animal study, rats exposed to marijuana showed twice the rate of brain aging. At the end of the study, rats exposed to marijuana had brains that appeared to be twice as old as their true age. All this is very significant. The hippocampus is one of the most vulnerable structures in the aging process of the brain. It is a particularly affected target in brain-damaging conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. 6 New research indicates that the large number of Americans who use marijuana as a habit may be putting themselves at significantly increased risk of brain decline as they age. Recent statistics indicate that 4.81% of the entire American population smokes marijuana at least once a month. More than three million people use it daily or "almost every day". 7 Marijuana also affects everyday mental abilities. For example, one study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that college students who regularly used marijuana had impaired attention, memory, and learning even 24 hours after their last use of the drug. 8 Marijuana use affects the brain's abilities long after the user thinks the effects have worn off. Marijuana also appears to pose a threat to the heart and blood vessels. When combined with exposure to daily stress, marijuana significantly increases heart rate and blood pressure responses to that stress. 9 Blood pressure is a significant risk factor for both heart disease and stroke, switching from cigarettes to marijuana does not protect your heart. Marijuana also appears to increase the risk of cancer. It has been established that cannabis (marijuana) is a source of carcinogenic substances and that it reduces the activity of the immune system. 10 Research on this issue has come from the University of California, San Francisco, and other centers. These reports show that smoking marijuana and tobacco cause similar changes in the lungs with one difference - marijuana has a much stronger effect. In terms of lung damage, one joint (marijuana cigarette) is equivalent to an entire pack of 20 tobacco cigarettes. Compared to tobacco, the US national experience with marijuana is relatively short, but current results indicate that it adversely affects unborn children. This drug leads to short-term and long-term mental disorders. It is also a potent respiratory poison, a cancer-causing agent, an immune-suppressing agent, and a drug that likely increases the risk of heart disease. It is clear that marijuana is not a harmless alternative to tobacco.

Source: Positive by Neil Nedley MD

Literature:

1 Fried PA, Watkinson B, Gray R. A follow-up study of attentional behavior in 6-year-old children exposed prenatally to marijuana, cigarettes, and alcohol. Neurotoxicol Teratol 1992 Sep -Oct;14(5):299-311.

2 Szeto HH. Discussion: Methodological Issues in controlled studies on the effects of prenatal drugs. In: Kilbey MM, Asghar K, editors. Methodological issues in controlled studies on effects of prenatal exposure to drug abuse. NIDA Research Monograph 114. US Dept. of health and human services publication No. (ADM) 91-1837, 1991 p. 39.

3 Hutchings DE, Brake S, et al. Developmental Toxicity of Prenatal Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol: effects of maternal nutrition, offspring growth, and behavior In: Harris LS, editor. Problems of Drug Dependence, 1986. NIDA Research Monograph 76. US Dept. Of Health And Human Services Publication No. (ADM) 87-1508, 1987 pp. 363-369.

4 Hutchings DE, Brake S, et al. Developmental Toxicity of Prenatal Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol: effects of maternal nutrition, offspring growth, and behavior In: Harris LS, editor. Problems of Drug Dependence, 1986. NIDA Research Monograph 76. US Dept. Of Health And Human Services Publication No. (ADM) 87-1508, 1987 pp. 363-369.

5 Landfield PW, Eldridge JC. Neurotoxicity and drugs of abuse: cannabinoid interaction with brain glucocorticoid receptors. In: Erinoff L, editor. Assessing Neurotoxicity of Drugs of Abuse. NIDA Research Monograph 136. National Institutes of Health Publication Number 93-3644, 1993 pp. 242-257.

6 Landfield PW, Eldridge JC. Neurotoxicity and drugs of abuse: cannabinoid interaction with brain glucocorticoid receptors. In: Erinoff L, editor. Assessing Neurotoxicity of Drugs of Abuse. NIDA Research Monograph 136. National Institutes of Health Publication Number 93-3644, 1993 p. 244.

7 Landfield PW, Eldridge JC. Neurotoxicity and drugs of abuse: cannabinoid interaction with brain glucocorticoid receptors. In: Erinoff L, editor. Assessing Neurotoxicity of Drugs of Abuse. NIDA Research Monograph 136. National Institutes of Health Publication Number 93-3644, 1993 p. 242.

8 Mathias R. Studies show cognitive impairments linger in heavy marijuana users. NIDA notes (National Institute on Drug Abuse) 1996 May/June;11(3):1, 4, 9.

9 Foltin RW, Capriotti RM, et al. Effects of Marijuana, cocaine, and task performance on cardiovascular responsivity In: Harris LS, editor. Problems of Drug Dependence, 1986. NIDA Research Monograph 76. US Dept. Of Health And Human Services Publication No. (ADM) 87-1508, 1987 pp. 259-265.

10 Starr K, Renneker M. A cytologic evaluation of sputum in marijuana smokers. J Fam Pract 1994 Oct;39(4):359-363.

 

The latest study: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/new-study-explores-why-marijuana-makes-some-people-high-and-some-people-paranoid-230559880.html