The
True Truth
It is hard to find information about marijuana that is actually true.
Here
I have compiled information on the subject that is neither con nor
pro,
and are prooven facts. This comes from a variety of reference
books,
from encyclopedias, and from scientific reference. This is
nothing
but the true truth about marijuana.The following information
explains
many different often asked questions about marijuana, like
is
it more or less dangerous than tobacco, what are it's effects on the
reproductive
system, and does it really kill brain cells.Please read all of
the
information.It may be long, but believe it or not, this is only a
fraction
of information that I should have posted, also these are only
the
basics and most important facts. If you would like to find out more
there
is a link at the bottom of the page that will bring you to a
site
SPECIFICALLY made for information on marijuana. It is pathetic, but
it
is so far the only site that I have found that is truthfull and nor con
nor
pro. There should be more sites with facts that do not try to tell
people
that it's bad. People should be able to decide for themselves and
I
believe that strongly. Read on and please read all.
Reports describe
the influence of
THC(tetrahydrocannabinol
is the major psychoactive chemical in
marijuana)
on the most important neurotransmitters, especially
dopamine
and acetylcholine. Alterations in the levels of these
neurotransmitters
in the brain have been implicated in the
development
of schizophrenia and may thus explain the cause of some
psychological
effects of marijuana. A 15-year study of 55,000
Swedish military
conscripts showed that the risk of developing
schizophrenia
among those who were heavy consumers of marijuana was
six times
greater than among non-users.
Many studies
indicate that marijuana users are more likely
than the
average person to develop panic reactions and
psychosis.It
has been suggested that marijuana intoxication may bring
out hidden
psychiatric disorders that are not apparent when the person
is sober.
This does not mean that marijuana abuse causes mental
illness.
It might be better to say that the use of marijuana could
make it more
likely for a person to show the symptoms of mental
illness if
s/he were already predisposed to that condition. It
could also
be that people who feel mentally ill tend to seek out
and use different
substances in the hope that the substance will
make them
feel better.
Do not
mix marijuana and prozac, there have been reports of mania with
the interaction
of these drugs.
Brain cells
are sensitive to chemicals, substances in the
blood and
other brain fluids. Persons that use or abuse drugs get
the feeling
from drugs by exposing their brain cells to chemicals
that are
not usually found in the brain. The brain knows that it
is not working
correctly when these chemicals affect it. If a
person continues
to use a drug, including marijuana, the brain
cells try
to adapt to the new chemicals around them so that they
can continue
to function. This is known as "tolerance". The brain
cells of
frequent users of marijuana adapt to the presence of THC
and other
cannabinoids.
CONTRARY
TO POPULAR BELIEF,MARIJUANA DOES NOT KILL BRAIN CELLS.There is
no proof
of this,yet there is much that science still does not know
about the
effects of the chemicals in marijuana.
THE EXACT
WAY THAT MARIJUANA WORKS HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED.
There is
no evidence at this time that
marijuana
or THC produces effects that lead to impaired liver
function.
Many people
think that marijuana is a sexual enhancer, but
with long-term
use marijuana may actually decrease sexual function.
There is
no clear evidence that marijuana use in women has a
bad effect
on sexual function or fertility.
However,
there is evidence that some women increase their drug use
as a response
to premenstrual tension. Marijuana use
may decrease
the levels of the hormones LH and FSH in the
user. In
women, LH and FSH are important for the
production
of ova("eggs") so it is possible that frequent heavy use
of marijuana
could affect female fertility. There have
been no documented
cases of this in the medical literature.
Since
the typical marijuana smoker in the United States smokes
far fewer
joints than the typical cigarette smoker, the total
amount of
harmful ingredients absorbed by a marijuana smoker is
less than
that of a tobacco smoker. However, a recent study has
shown that
young marijuana smokers show the same kinds of lung
tissue damage
as older tobacco smokers who had smoked tobacco for
a longer
period of time.
Long term marijuana smokers show the same types of lung damage
as found
in cigarette smokers and others exposed to large amounts
of smoke
(firemen for example). Smoke exposure causes the
loss of cilia
that move mucus, dirt, and microbial agents out of
the lungs.
Marijuana smoking decreases the lung's defenses
against bacterial
or fungal infection .This in short,it is better to
smoke marijuana
less than a regular cigarette smoker would cigarretes,
which is
most likely to be so anyway.And you are in deep shit if you
smoke marijuana
and cigarrettes and you are a firefighter.
THE BIG
PICTURE:Is marijuana more or less dangerous than tobacco?
Inhalation
of any kind of smoke is unhealthy.The marijuana plant has about 400 known
chemicals which break
down into
2,000 chemicals when smoked. Only a few of them have
been shown
to produce the "high", but the rest can have detrimental
effects on
the body. Marijuana smoke contains polynuclear aromatic
hydrocarbons,
which have been shown to cause cancer. There is
more tar
in a joint than in a high-tar cigarette of the same
weight.
One group of researchers has found that four times as much
carbon monoxide
goes into the blood from one joint than from one
tobacco cigarette
of equal weight. So, for each joint smoked,
more of the
harmful ingredients found in both marijuana and tobacco
are absorbed
into the body of the user.
Many other compounds have been identified in marijuana that
are not found
in tobacco smoke. While some of these may eventually
be used as
medicines the effects of most on the human body are
unknown.
I think you can make your own decision on which is more
dangerous.
Persistent,
heavy marijuana use induces significant and
surprisingly
long-lasting defects of short-term memory.
There have
been 12 reported cases of advanced neck and head
cancer in
young patients(ages 19-38) who had all been daily
marijuana
and hashish smokers since high school. Their cancers
were of the
type generally seen in subjects 60 years of age or
older who
had been heavy drinkers and tobacco smokers for decades.
Two other
researchers reported similar observations in 20 young
marijuana
smokers who developed tumors of the mouth, larynx, and
upper jaw.
Persistent,
heavy marijuana use induces significant and
surprisingly
long-lasting defects of short-term memory. It
has long-term
toxic effects on the lung and immune defenses, brain
and reproductive
function. You decide if it's for you.
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