Why Shouldn’t I Try Marijuana?
Marijuana is the most commonly used drug in the world. A lot of people don’t think it is any more dangerous than alcohol. Here are some facts and often unknown data on their effects.
- Alcohol is made only from ethanol. Marijuana is made from the Indian Hemp plant, but on analysis, it contains thousands of organic and inorganic chemical compounds including known carcinogens [1].
- Alcohol does not directly affect the immune system. Marijuana does affect the immune system [2].
There are other effects that people often don’t think about when considering trying this ‘light’ drug.
- Cigarettes damage the lungs and contain cancer-causing chemicals. Marijuana is inhaled deeply and then held in the lungs, with the purpose of increasing the effect of the drug, but it also increases the effect these damaging chemicals have on your lungs [3].
- Marijuana changes the structure of sperm cells and can cause infertility in men. It also messes with a woman’s menstrual cycle [4].
- Marijuana disrupts nerve cells in the brain, affecting memory [5].
- Marijuana causes severe birth defects, premature babies, underweight babies, reduced initiative, lessened concentration abilities and even leukaemia in babies born to marijuana-smoking mothers [6].
It is often said that weed leads to harder drugs, and people wonder if that is really true. Now of course not everyone who takes weed does go onto further drugs, but it is a high percentage! On one survey done (NIDA review) 1 out of every 6 adolescents that had been taking weed ended up with a dependency on it [4].
REFERENCE LINKS
[1] "Does smoking cannabis cause cancer?". Cancer Research UK. 2010-09-20 & Newton, David E. (2013). Marijuana : a reference handbook. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO.
[2] The study is published in the December issue of the European Journal of Immunology.
[3] W. Hall; N. Solowij (1998-11-14). "Adverse effects of cannabis". Lancet. 352 (9140): 1611–16.
[4] Lani J. Burkman, PhD, University of Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences ‘marijuana and fertility’
[5] Volkow ND, Baler RD, Compton WM, Weiss SR (2014). "Adverse health effects of marijuana use". N. Engl. J. Med. 370 (23): 2219–27.
[6] Gunn, J K L; Rosales, C B; Center, K E; Nuñez, A; Gibson, S J; Christ, C; Ehiri, J E (5 April 2016). "Prenatal exposure to cannabis and maternal and child health outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis". BMJ Open. 6 (4): e009986.
