Marijuana Use in Youth

Marijuana Use in Youth

Introduction

This assignment focuses on defining what marijuana is. The use and the impact of marijuana on people have also been discussed along with its medical use. The controversy related to the use of marijuana as medicine has been highlighted in this assignment. In the end, the issue of legalization of marijuana has been addressed.

Discussion

Marijuana

Marijuana is also known as Cannabis and Indian hemp. It is the member of the hemp family and is considered to be from the mountains of India (medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com). It is a drug that is made from crushed and dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant. The main ingredient in Marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). It has been used as a sedative and a pain reliever for a long time. China started using it in the third millennium, whereas its usage in Europe reached in about 500 (www.answers.com). Marijuana is commonly used as a drug and medicine. It is normally consumed in the form of smoking, vaporizer, oral use in the form of ingredient in recipes and cannabis tea (www.drugabuse.gov). Effect on People

Marijuana has both physiological and psychological effect on people if it is consumed in large amounts.

Physiological impact on people

The physiological impacts that marijuana has on people who smoke it are short term. These short term effects are explained separately (www.webmd.com).

Increased Heart Beat

The usage of marijuana increases the heart beat to about twenty to hundred percent.

Increase in blood pressure

The use of marijuana increases the blood pressure of the user.

Increase in Breathing

The rate of breathing increases in the person who consumes marijuana.

Red Eyes

The eyes of the individual using marijuana become red.

Dry Mouth

The sudden result of using marijuana is also dryness in the mouth.

Increased Appetite

The usage of cannabis increases the appetite of the person using it.

Slow Reaction

The time that these individuals take to react to different things or to respond is longer as compared to the individuals who do not take marijuana. It also reduces the performance of the individual in various tasks (Payne & Healy, 2012).

These short term effects of the usage of marijuana on people are reduced after three hours.

Psychological Impact on People

The psychological impact of marijuana varies from person to person. The short term psychological impacts of smoking marijuana are discussed below.

Distorted Sense of Time

The individuals that take marijuana face problems in managing time. They face trouble in sensing the time.

Paranoia

The usage of marijuana as pot affects the individuals in terms of high anxiety and fear.

Short Term Memory Loss

Marijuana users face the problem of learning, understanding and retaining information (Szalavitz, 2013).

Anxiety and Depression

The individuals taking marijuana have a high level of anxiety and depression. These psychological effects of Marijuana also reduce after sometime. The long term use of marijuana will lead the individual towards addiction, poor performance in the job and a feeling of dissatisfaction. It will also result in respiratory ...