Smoking Marijuana is something that many people assume to be a safe and risk-free recreational activity. The drug, which has countless street names (such as Pot, Herb, Green, Ganja, Chronic, etc.), has gained a reputation for helping to facilitate good times and relaxation. However, many users aren’t even aware of how the drug affects the body or why they feel the “high” that they do when they smoke it.
At its most basic form, Marijuana is a shredded plant, and the typical form found on the streets is leaves, stems, and seeds that are all shredded up into flakes (think Oregano). This compound can then be put into a pipe (or bong), or rolled into a cigarette-like tube (joint). More potent varieties of Marijuana, such as Hashish and Hashish Oil, are found in similar forms (except for Hashish Oil) and are consumed in similar ways.
The active ingredient in Marijuana, THC, affects the brain on several levels. Though many users experience different reactions to Marijuana, it has a relatively universal effect on the brain. THC binds with cannabinoid receptors in the brain, causing reactions across the body depending on where in the brain these receptors are located. The distribution of these receptors is relatively uneven, explaining why some people experience a massive loss of function while others are less affected.
When you consume THC (typically by smoking Marijuana), the compound travels quickly through your body. It is absorbed into the bloodstream and is carried into the brain where, depending on the dispersion of the cannabinoid receptors, it will begin to have various effects. Once the user has ceased consuming THC or if the THC has reached its highest saturation point, maximum effects will be noticed by the user. This “high”, or feeling of euphoria, can typically last from 15 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the quantity of THC consumed and the tolerance of the particular individual.
The typical results of THC consumption:
- Loss of coordination. Cannabinoid receptors located in parts of the brain associated with coordination and movement can drastically inhibit motor skills and coordination. This is why many users become quite clumsy and unable to efficiently conduct themselves when they are “high”. This type of result is usually moderately pronounced, though it tends to taper off as the individual begins to sober up.
Users typically report experiencing this type of effect during the peak of their “high”, when the THC is at maximum saturation within the brain, and that it is not as evident immediately after consumption or when the effects are slowly beginning to wear off.
- Audio or visual distortion. This is a result of cannabinoid receptors that are located in the parts of the brain associated with hearing or vision. These receptors set off a chemical reaction within the brain that can cause many different effects, from slurred speech to the inability to piece together a coherent sentence. It can also result in “looping” audio, where one particular sound (that is usually one syllable in duration) will repeat over and over again, as perceived by the user, until it is either replaced by a different sound or the effects of THC begin to wear off.
Users report that these symptoms begin to manifest within minutes of consuming THC, and can last throughout the entire duration of their “high”.
- Lack of time perception. Once again, this is the result of the cannabinoid receptors location in relation to the time perception areas of the brain. This can create feelings of longevity, or “time passing by slowly; this can also create the sense that time is passing quite quickly. Given the nature of the symptom, there is no way to quantitatively state when it begins to manifest.
- Feelings of euphoria, insecurity, joy, or paranoia. As THC triggers various reactions within the brain, different people will experience different results. These results are dependent on the environment and surroundings that they are in when they consume THC, the people that are around them, as well as their state of mind or mood before consumption.
Intense feelings of happiness and joy are quite common, with uncontrollable bursts of laughter being quite common. Feelings of paranoia and worry are also quite common, though they are not as intense as the feelings created by other, more dramatic drugs.
The reality is that the effects of Marijuana are not identical within each individual, and though we certainly don’t encourage experimentation or consumption, it is impossible for us to state with any level of certainty the effects of Marijuana on each unique individual.
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
this was very intresting because now that i’ve read this i will be quitting smoking weed after today because i’ve a blunt at home waiting for me when i get there so after i ruin my brain today for a couple of hours thanks to you i will be quitting, that blunt is not going to waste…sorry.
i live on newell….
in waterloo iowa
THATS TRUE BUT ARE THERE ANY EFFECTS ON AN INDIVIDUALS HEALTH.
This is good advice especially for the people who do it because as it said in the story they dont know how it will affect the body. Some people dont know how it hurts especially when your parents find out. They dont want you doing it because they know what it has done to people who smoke it and they dont want you to have to go through this either. So my advice is to stay in school and dont do drugs or drink.
this is the biggest load of shit. first of all, everyone who uses weed recreationally is pretty much aware of what it does to them. secondly, thc has no adverse health effects, and its psychological effects are no worse than that of being drunk. it is not physically addictive (it is psychologically addictive, like nicotine) and the only adverse health effect is through the smoke. there are ways to ingest the cannibinoids aside from smoking marijuana that are more healthy, such as baking or vaporization. legalization of this drug would not only produce income for the government through taxation but would also eliminate tax money that goes towards sending marijuana offenders to jail, arresting them or trying to seek them out.
oh, and we WOULD know more about this drug if it was rescheduled. in fact some studies (like whatever study inspired this) show heightened tolerance to breast cancer, help with stomach problems, as well as the reduction in size of some tumors. i wish people would realize that this drug is so much less devastating than the effects of alcohol and alcoholism, and that someone would speak the truth about this among all this crap.
fuck whoever left the last comment ill smoke a blunt and then go to school high like a kite
While all this is good and true I am all for smoking marijuana. I have never smoked a single joint blunt or cig in my life and I don’t intend to start but there are also no conclusive scientific studies showing that smoking marijuana is harmful to humans. I did read that when a marijuana tar was applied to animal skin tumors formed but animal skin is not a human lung. Also there is no evidence that it is addictive nor is it fatal. No one has ever died from marijuana. So to the person who asked if it is harmful. No the worst thing you will get is a bad cough when you smoke. But getting high outweighs that.
it is true that weed does not kill but dont get me wrong its not good for you either. and dont listen to the people who say stay in school dont do drugs and dont drink yes stay in school but eventually you will try alchol and drugs its part of life everyone goes through it just dont get attatched to drugs or alcohol thats when a problem ocurrs.
i have experienced all of these feelings ..im not one of the greatest kids in the world but i smoked once and felt these weird feelings in my head. all over i was stuck, i literally couldnt move any part of my body!
dont smoke weed its really not a good feeling to accomidate.
What hapens mentaly 2 frequant users of merijuana
WEED IS THE BEST THING IN MY LIFE.
Hahaha, tha fucc??? Drink, do drugs all you want yo!!
no, i dont believe pot really does anything bad to you health wise or even mentaly (except things become a little fuzzy sometimes), it just typicaly leads to stronger drugs. so if you think you can control your self and stick to weed, pack a bowl and light up!! B)
peace, love, and pot!
i will hit a blunt every now and then but as far as smoking everyday 24/7, i do not like the way it makes me feel afterward…i cant stand it…it changes my voice and all…but dont get me wrong i will hit it every once in a while…..
pahahahh thisis reallly funney tho?
well this has alot of info nd im glad 2 see it tells the truth nd doesnt try 2 scare ppl away from pot oh nd here for one reason [2 use]
Well i learned a lot from this crap but i smoke practically everyday & I’ve been smoke for a long time & i just don’t see anything wrong with it & plus i did extreme research before i started to smoke but i didn’t find anything that would keep me from doing it i enjoy the feeling & don’t really plan to stop since its not harming my school work my job my realationship or anything else in my life so i don’t see why its so bad i still don’t understand why its ilegal i thinkits stupid that its ilegal because company’s can make so much money off of it since SO MANY people do it anyway
P.S-”SMOKE WEED EVERYDAY”
one hit wouldnt hurt a bit
weed dose not kill but when u smoke it it makes you do stupid things that can kill you
i know a couple of ppl that hav tryed and i wnt 2 try it but i cnt get my hands on it yet since im only 14
yes there is sum upsides 2 it but ther r bad sids 2 so dnt be a dumfuk and do it evry day do lik 3 joints er so
i smoked a blunt 2 times a day and 2 years after i started me and 3 of my friends got into a car super high after i got out 2 of my friends are dead and me and my other friend has been in wheel chairs ever seince
all you people who have read this essay and don’t want to quit or think its all a lie are stupid. Weed is not good for you and it IS HARMFUL TO YOUR BODY MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY. If you claimed to have done some research you need to do a bit more because obviously you didn’t understand nothing you read. You will see when you start to experience some of the horrible things that are coming. You know as well as I do that its not good for you yall are just the EFFIN DUMB to stop. I bet most of you are young too. I am only 20 years old but I don’t want to throw my life away like so many other failures out there and I know yall are thinking that you can smoke weed all day and still be something great but thats impossible. Yall need a serious REALITY CHECK. I hope yall get one before its too late. BUT I highly doubt it.
GO WEED
i smoke ti middle scholl everyday ^^
does this affect your memory in any way ??
And Yall Wonder Why Yall Have Dead End Jobs Including Lousy Pay,Pot Heads!!!
smoke weed everyday… dont give a fuck….
2012 “dummy”
ha motha fucka what?
who cares if we live or die from weed..
it keeps me alive..
as a matter ah fact…
its keeping you alive you stupid ass hick..
if weed wasnt there people like us would kill you.
its a weed war.
we come to earth to grow.
you come to earth to fuck guys.
its actually really simple. the real answer is that…
if you some one hit you’ll die.
10 you die.
im pretty sure i’ve hit the jack pot with pot..
and im still going to die.
look at it this way…..
hitler didnt smoke..
satan is banned from smoking..
im pretty sure santa did since he gives me plants for christmas.
oh yeah… and your parents smoke.
hahahahahahahahaha
take it from a person than seen alot of cases. this will kill your brain slowly and you will start to notice the poison in your body sooner or later.
fuck u bi
smoking weed is the badest
my friends and I all smoke not everyday but a good amount and most of them are all very successful people. most all go to very prestegious universities and get mostly all a’s and some of my friends are very lazy and don’t do much bt there’s much less of them. another thing is I know many adults who smoked or still smoke and have normal to great lives with children wife a great job so the whole stereotype is not as common as you think. of course there are the harmful things like an increased chance if getting lung cancer but it’s a very low chance
I used to smoke marijuana every day. I quit smoking cigarettes and marijuana every day on November 30th. I have noticed that my memory and concentration have increased since then. I enjoy life more than I ever did while smoking marijuana. I believe the government wants you to smoke cigarettes and marijuana, and consume junk food and fast food, so that you will commit crimes and end up having to pay them money. Stop smoking marijuana now. Marijuana makes you THINK you want it, this is what so many people do not understand. It’s also the same way with cigarettes. Drugs are a combination of something that makes you feel good, something that addicts you, and something that harms you. Think about it. Stop smoking marijuana. Stop smoking cigarettes. Learning and advancing your mind is more enjoyable than any drug out there.
yeee makc knows what hes sayin, bun trees n go to school and youll see what you were really meant to learn LOL
okay well im a 14 year old girl and i recently started smoking,
anyways, i have found a new love in this world,
weed wow all i can say is that i would get along with a couple of people up there
since ive started smoking(everday)
im able to remember more things afterward than i normally do sober,
also it helps me think
the feelings are just a plus;)
my grades HAVE NOT been affected im still an a honor roll student.
also if you havent already read this users comment i sugest you do i highly agree with this person(>>>)
nunya
I smoked weed every fucking day for a long time. Did it benefit me at all. NO! Sure I would laugh for hours with my friends and every food I put into my mouth tasted great, but really it made me into a real McAsshole. ( I just had to say that lol) I really found myself to be enslaved by the weed. Not physically, but psychologicaly. I lost relationships with people whom I really did enjoy spending time with, I had much fear and anxiety and began to isolate myself from people including my family so that I can “enjoy my high”(before smoking weed I was a more outgoing person.) I got arrested, did jail time, got into very bad mental and physical shape (I could run miles with no trouble before.) If I could go back I would. I mean really, when actually has there been a time where you got that really “good” high? I mean sure maybe a couple times out of the hundreds of times you have smoked, but usually the “session” turns out to be moderately disapointing. I will not judge you and tell you not to smoke pot nor consume it .I was also in your shoes, but from what I have seen from all of my “homies” , friends and some loved ones, I have only seen a path filled with a blinding cloud of smoke leading to nowhere. To a path where the only thing that is keeping you content is marijuana smoke burning your lungs. It really did make me hit rock bottom, and thats what pulled my head out of my ass. It really did. So for all you little mocos out there, your time will come, maybe not tommorow, nor today, nor maybe not even in 20 years, but someday it will come.
*Think of marijuana as a food. For instance Pizza. Many people would agree eating a whole pizza is bad for your health, correct? It contains much fat that can clog your arteries which can lead to serious health problems. To much of it is bad for your health. I believe the same applies to marijuana, but really to much of ANYTHING you put into your body is bad, even to much water. If you would start eating a whole box of pizza everyday after work or school or whatever it would become habit, and eventually start having harmful effects on your health. Same applies to Mary Jane. To much will start making you slow, less witty, and make you into a social retard.( I have seen this first hand.) So for you potheads out there who can’t live without the intoxicating smoke of marijuana, just smoke less. Take 2 slices of pizza instead of taking the whole box, and once in a while. And please do not start with that “My tolerance is to high to smoke so little.” IF YOU STOP SMOKING SO MUCH THE TOLERANCE GOES DOWN. Therefore you can still get high, but with less weed having less harm on your health. So instead of smoking a fat blunt, having a bowl or two from the vaporizer, bong, or better yet, don’t even smoke at all
So after going through and reading most of these comments I feel as if I must voice my input. I to some extent agree with Sanchez but only on the part where moderation is spoken aboout, the key to everythhing in life is moderation. I began smoking weed going into my Junior Year of High School and have been smoking since ( now about to graduate) I have found that it doesn’t have a profound effect on you as long as you keep it in moderation.
The only 2 downsides to weed is the paranoia and the tar, while paranoia differs from person to person it is all psychological and can be controlled. The health effects of marijuana are few to none, with one of the worst being the tar you inhale with the marijuana smoke that is nothing compared to cigarettes that some people smoke multiple times a day.
The argument that marijuana is a gateway drug is completely unjustifiable, ofcourse there is that group of people out there always looking to get “fucked up” but for the majority of users of marijuana in this country the only reason to turn to “harder” drugs in because of how pot has been shown in a criminal light making it look evil and so when you are going in for a drug test you are not going to want to test positive for thc so one will take other drugs that will not show up on your average piss test.
I will admit I am not even close to being the healthiest person but I can also say that I enjoy Lifting weights almost every other day and doing strenuous cardio on the days I don’t lift, I try to maintain a balanced diet and eat real food not processed shit that this coountry is trying to feed us ( a big-mac left out in the wild will not get eaten by bacteria, what does that tell you?) and of course I work extra hard at the gym when I’m going to be munching out lol.
Also a part that gets to me is that people assume all “stoners” and all “potheads” are going to be dropping out of school and going to their dead end jobs, I for one strongly disagree with this, I am a Senior in High School, enrolled in various AP classes, have a 3.45 gp ( funny thing is my gpa sucks/isn’t what I want it to be from the first 2 years of high school prior to smoking weed), smoked the day before my ACT test and scored a 29 on it (1st try) went back during the summer and scored a 30 on it, and I will be attending a big 10 school this year with a $16,000 scholarship a year for 6 years to become a pharmacist at the 16th best school in the country for pharmacy.
So please while everyone is entitled to their own opinion don’t try to force yours onto people, I just ask you this, if the government needed an amendment(19th i think) to prohibit alcohol, why do they have any right to prohibit drugs without one? Also if they can tell you what you CANNOT put into you’re body doesn’t that basically give them the right to tell you later down the road what you MUST put into your body? So sorry for my huge speech but I had to let it out after all this mis information was given out by people. I guess I’m just proud to be a stoner, have a nice day.
“Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere.”
- George Washington, U.S. President
“Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth & protection of the country.”
- Thomas Jefferson, U.S. President
Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marihuana in private for personal use… Therefore, I support legislation amending Federal law to eliminate all Federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce of marihuana.”
- Jimmy Carter, U.S. President
“That is not a drug. It’s a leaf,”
- Arnold Schwarzenegger