What is the effect of taking marijuana?
361511
Anti-emetic properties \nModulation of working and short-term memory \nImpairment of short-term memory in some users \nEnhancement of many other drug effects (including those of alcohol, ecstasy, tobacco, heroin, cocaine) \nAuditory or visual hallucinations at high doses in some users \nParamnesia, repetitiveness and ambiguation \nIncreased appetite (often referred to as "the munchies"), an effect of stimulation of the endocannabinoid system, which affects body weight, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia. \nInduced sense of novelty \nIncreased or decreased sexual pleasure \nIncreased awareness of sensation \nIncreased awareness of patterns and colors \nIncreased appreciation of music and other arts \nIncreased mental activity, like metacognition \nInitial wakefulness followed by drowsiness and lassitude ('burnt out') \nIntrospective or meditative states of mind \nGain or loss of some inhibitions \nMild euphoria, feelings of general well-being \nRelaxation or stress reduction \nMild tachycardia (Increased heart rate) \nMild, temporary dry mouth (sometimes referred to as cottonmouth, pasties, or the drys (NZ)) \nMild, temporary keratoconjunctivitis sicca (sometimes referred to as blood-shot eyes, dry eyes or red eye(UK)) \nVarying amounts of paranoia and anxiety in some users
713715
Because smoked marijuana contains a variety of combustion compounds, it can damage the lungs and possibly the immune system. Several health committees recommended the development of an inhalation device that delivers pure THC -- the active ingredient in marijuana -- to the lungs. Such a device has not yet been created.\n\nThere is some evidence -- but no scientifically valid studies -- that marijuana is useful in treating some forms of epilepsy and spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis.\n\nSome studies show that smoked marijuana is effective for some patients in relieving nausea caused by cancer and chemotherapy. \n\nThere is evidence that marijuana may improve the appetite and help patients gain weight. This could be lifesaving for AIDS patients who develop wasting , a severe weight-loss condition. \n\nSmoking marijuana is effective in lowering pressure inside the eyeballs of some patients with glaucoma. A word of caution, however: the drug also drops blood pressure, and this could compromise blood flow to the optic nerve and damage vision.
618451
The worst side effect is that from the point you smoke it everyone knows just how stupid you are!!!\n\nTerry
648067
Relaxes, dulls pain, gives you either a stoney feeling or a buzzing high-depending on the strain. It is harmless if used safely. If you are going to smoke it, use a water pipe so that some of the tar gets filtered out.\n\nWhen put under the scope, it is way better to smoke pot than to drink or smoke cigarettes. Just do it in moderation and you are all good.
441493
I am bipolar. I quit taking my effexor xr and other meds some time ago. Marijuana does have it's medicinal value, but with long term use, you will have other side effects. As for me, I haven't smoked for a while now, but if i didn't have a job like the one I do now, i would smoke. There hasn't been any prescribed medicine out there that didn't calm me and let me focus. But, That was with taking 1-2 drags of pot. Not smoking a quarter ounce in a day. Smoking that much is what the dr's are talking about when they tell you the serious side effect. Smoke too much, end up dumb. As with any drug, use responsibly. But...Pot is illegal. (boooo)
990459
Possession of marijuana
113198
Marijuana is not bad even for your memory and health. Contrary to popular belief, the short term memory loss only happens when you are high. Once youre grounded again, your memory goes back to normal. Anyone who uses marijuana as an excuse for bad memory is either uninformed or pretending to not remember something.\n\nAs for health, aside from the smoking aspect, there is nothing unhealthy about it. It doesnt kill brain cells or anything like that. If you eat it, (in brownies or something) nothing bad at all will happen to your body. And if you use a bong (a water pipe) 50% of the carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals) in the smoke stay in the water and dont go into your body. Marijuana is probably the safest "drug" out there today.\n\nPeace
508631
no my dear,marijuana,makes no one manic nor aggressive,bipolar disordered thinking is a debilitating disorder that may interfere with activities of daily lioving due to sever alteration in thought processes and perceptions of reality, gettiung stoned makes you euphoric,can cause paranoia, and makes u hungry,and is a depressant, when bipolar patients are in the depressed phase ,it is much more severe than being stoned and it lasts longer than a high, marijuana is actually a neuroprotectant it does not kill brain cells , it is the only drug that kills gliomas ,a serious fatal form of brain cancer ,that traditional medication and surgery do not help,it protects the brain from suffering the damaging effects of a stroke ,and causes nuerogenensis,nerve cells to reproduce, only stem cells can do that ,besides canniboids, and it is not in one of the largest lobbying powers the pharmaceutical companies ,(which have an obscene amount of influence ,which they exert at the expense at consumers), to have marijuana become a legal drug and make a few money makers obsolete, and they are in bed with our government, \ndo not believe anything I say my dear, you can trust me further than you can throw me, but you cannot argue with the facts or change reality, go to calpirg.org,I am a member of this consumer group ,which seeks to limit the damage pharmaceutical companies wage on consumers, via dirty tactics and legislation ,also check out heads magazine  it cites all valid ,credible research ,by valid credible researchers ,and go look at the q and a of mmexykat, one of her answers cites a study, from heads magazine with all details, it is a medical marijuana magazine,unlike hi times which is a stoner magazine
39523
Alcohol has GREAT medicinal effects, as does marijuana ... no ... alcohol is absolutely horrible and if it were put to a vote today ( by the AMA, NIH and WHO ) would absolutely be ILLEGAL.  Too many detrimental effects whereas, marijuana has calming effects ( on most people ) and also has tremendous medicinal effects.  No one has ever died from an overdose of marijuana ... the same can NOT be said about alcohol ... \n\nAlcohol is much more addictive.
436256
*Shaking my shaggy skull* Noperz, smoking pot makes you no smarter or dumber than you started out to be in the first place.\n\nBut that said I must add a few things...\n\nContrary to the popular myth that smoking marijuana kills brain cells there is mounting evidence that is not only false, but the effects of THC could have the opposite effect.\n\nCannabinoids promote embryonic and adult hippocampus neurogenesis and produce anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects. http://66.218.69.11/search/cache?p=neurogenesis+and+marijuana&ei=UTF-8&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&fr=moz3&u=www.jci.org/cgi/reprint/115/11/3104.pdf&w=neurogenesis+marijuana&d=GGiVrm1aMbo9&icp=1&.intl=us\n\nPrevious research had suggested that neurogenesis happens only in select locations in the brain, such as the hippocampus, a region involved in learning and memory. Some studies have shown that this process is inhibited by most illicit drugs, such as cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. However, says Xia Zhang of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, marijuana's effect on neurogenesis has not been clear.\n\nHe and his colleagues started investigating this mystery by searching cell surfaces in live, cultured slices of rat hippocampus for receptors that respond to marijuana and a few other similar drugs, called cannabinoids. They reasoned that if marijuana affected neurogenesis in the hippocampus, then cells in that area must have a way to recognize the drug. Sure enough, 95 percent of hippocampus cells responsible for neurogenesis showed evidence of cannabinoid 1 ( CB1 ) receptors, one of two receptors that respond to cannabinoid drugs. http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1624/a06.html\n\nThe current study focused on a particular formulation of synthetic cannabinoid known as HU210 -- a compound which Zhang described as the most powerful cannabinoid in the world.\n\nThe authors explored both the short-term and long-term effects of exposure to HU210 in rats.\n\nTo measure the drug's short-term response, they gave adult rats a single injection of HU210. To study the same drug's effect over the longer term, the researchers gave a separate group of adult rats twice-daily injections of the cannabinoid over a two-week period.\n\nAutopsies revealed that by the end of the 10-day HU210 treatment regimen, new neurons had been generated and integrated into the circuitry of the hippocampus region of the rat's brains. This process, known as neurogenesis, was still in evidence a full month after treatment had been initiated.\n\nNeurogenesis was not triggered in response to brain cells being killed through cannabinoid exposure, the researchers add. In fact, HU210 injections did not appear to prompt any loss of neurons in the hippocampus. http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=54893\n\nMind you, the study is using a super-concentrated drug form and the verdict is still out on smoking it, but they do suggest THC is the only known drug that actually can reverse the loss of brain cells.\n\nFinally though once again, pot does not change your intelligence and different people react to different drugs differently. But it is possible THC will be a cure in time for certain brain affictions...
384116
The active ingredient of marijuana (terahydrocannabinol-THC) is a fat-soluble molecule whose metabolites may remain in the body for s long as a month after a single exposure. THC metabolites are stored in the brain, testes, ovaries, and other fatty tissues. With even so-called "mild use" of marijuana smoking once or twice a week, THC will be continually present in the body and slowly released, affecting overall functioning to some degree. This is true whether or not the individual experiences being "high." Despite statements to the contrary, marijuana users, especially with more frequent use, do develop physiological tolerance to the drug which necessitates higher "doses" to achieve the same subjective experience of intoxication. So over time, without necessarily a concurrent increase in intensity or frequency of the sensation of intoxication, increasing levels of active substance will be stored in the body and trying to get a quicker release of the stored substance in your body is of no avail except don't smoke it (especially if your job or schooling prohibits it). Any statements that refer to 'passing the test' got lucky, as all test have a % chance of a false reading...    You will just be taking a chance Good Luck
816529
Hi Tawnee S,\nSounds good to me (hamster & fish get high too) shouldn't have any effect except to be stoned-2 tokes for the road!! \nIgnore all the ones that say this is bad! Unless you smoke marijuana & know the difference.  If you are one of those few that believes everything the damn government says then you really don't have the clue.  And should read for your yourselves & get some knowledge while at it!  The effects of pot- on MS patients, glaucoma, Cancer patients, AIDS patients, radiation patients.  People that have other mind blowing sicknesses & medical problems will know the difference. Yes my doctor knows so for all those others GO READ & GET SOME KNOWLEGEMENT DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING THE GOVERNMENT SAYS!    Have a good day :0)
404303
Marijuana is not addicting but if you are useto smoking everyday and quit cold turkey there can be withdrawal symptoms (cold sweats, mood swings, headaches etc.). Your friend can live without it, he just enjoys it. Let him be, eventually it will stop.
230999
As somebody who has used cannabis regularly for too many years I can say yes, it is possible to see trails and auras when very stoned but I have never experienced anything that lasts past the next morning.  I have never head of any long term damage being done but cannabis does have an effect on the intra-ocular pressure (the pressure of fluid in the eye) hence it being used, illegally, in the treatment of the eye condition glaucoma. \n\nI wouldn’t imagine a mother’s ingestion of LSD would effect her eggs as a woman’s eggs are already made at the time of her birth, unlike sperm which are made daily.  If she took it while pregnant there could be an effect though I suppose, depending on how readily the drug crosses the placenta.\n\nDifferent peoples reactions to cannabis vary quite greatly and people who are highly sensitive can experience a trippier experience.  It obviously also depends on the type and quality of the weed.\n\nI have heard  people experiencing ‘ego loss’ from LSD but not from cannabis.\n\nCheck out www.erowid.com for lots of unbiased drug information and other peoples experiences, you may find some similar souls!
669796
cant help on the effects part..but here is a link about marijuana and cancer (may pad your report a lil ;-)\n\nhttp://www.sierratimes.com/03/11/07/article_kubby.htm
106728
Yes, it can.  I have panic disorder and pot causes panic attacks for me.  It increases my heart rate and decreases my blood pressure - yikes.  Really - drugs do affect different people differently.  \n\nBut, I must say that this wasn't the case when I was a young teenager (I started smoking pot at 12).  It wasn't until I was around 19 or so that it started changing the way it affected me.  At first, it just started putting me to sleep instead of being a high.  Then, by my mid or so 20's it started causing that major anxiety.  \n\nYour body chemistry changes through time and all drugs are chemicals that react within your body, so not only do drugs behave differently in different people, but they may behave differently in you throughout your life.  \n\nI am utterly unable to smoke pot anymore.  The plus side is that I never have to worry about passing a UA (pee test) or getting into legal trouble.\n\nBut, I know several people who still smoke pot and have for years.  For them, it's fine.  I also know some people like me who can't anymore because it's changed for them.  That's just the way it is.  It's probably better for us, anyway.
1153135
There was a very recent study that showed that marijuana use did not cause lung cancer as cigarette smoking did.\n\nThere are also studies showing that it reduces the pain of glaucoma and cancer, and because it increases appetite, it helps when cancer patients are going through chemo.