Impact of Marijuana Abuse on Health

Marijuana is the most commonly abused illicit drug in America. Marijuana is made up of dried flowers, leaves or stalks of the Cannabis sativa plant.

A report from National Survey on Drug Abuse and Health (NSDUH) 2008, states that there were about 26 million people marijuana abusers in America in 2008.

Marijuana contains a psychoactive ingredient called Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It slows down the nervous system’s functions. It affects the brain areas that influence pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory and time perception, appetite, pain, and coordination of the body parts. Marijuana abuse has a lot of affects such as:

  • Impairs short-term memory making it difficult to learn and remember information
  • Slows down the reaction time and impairs physical coordination of body parts which reduces athletic performance, driving skills, and increases the risk of getting injured
  • Problems in decision-making and results in poor judgment, which may lead to many problems.
  • Increases the heart beat rate by 20 to 100 percent which may trigger heart attack
  • Increases mood fluctuations which result in euphoria, calmness, sometimes anxiety

Marijuana abuse for longer periods of time will increase the risk of addiction, poor performance at school or at work, decreases the confidence in a person, increases respiratory problem and impairment of the sensory organs.


Suggested reading:
Affects of drug abuse on children
Role Of Physician In Prevention Of Drug Abuse
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Know About Different Types of Drug Testing