How marijuana changes your brain

By Emily Crouse
May 2, 2017

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlmhmd/4647883256/in/photolist-85HBLd-MXS3DQ-eJkSAs-eJkSBw-eJkSF1-ynkskZ-a1uFaG-7Vtaxz-LHw9Z8-ee29gF-FBLiRs-zBNMcq-T7pxiU-7R2qrr-p1u8gX-eJkSDL-zadp5a-p1ubqx-RG8He9-SCgY8f-N7TnfJ-tb1NW3-oFKjMd-NuJUFN-p26Vti-DNsbWr-vNGvrq-TyzFXb-TyzBqq-TdrR8j-TdrR6f-TyzBnj-pV83m3-DUd55Y-QFWcq9-pXmhVS-dpZDn2-RB2izs-osJG1w-Qy34ZC-BSZvmN-TNvESc-TJQXbS-SvZcFG-TJR87U-SvZ7km-SvZio3-SvZiyy-TdrQAY-TJQXU5/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nlmhmd/4647883256/in/photolist-85HBLd-MXS3DQ-eJkSAs-eJkSBw-eJkSF1-ynkskZ-a1uFaG-7Vtaxz-LHw9Z8-ee29gF-FBLiRs-zBNMcq-T7pxiU-7R2qrr-p1u8gX-eJkSDL-zadp5a-p1ubqx-RG8He9-SCgY8f-N7TnfJ-tb1NW3-oFKjMd-NuJUFN-p26Vti-DNsbWr-vNGvrq-TyzFXb-TyzBqq-TdrR8j-TdrR6f-TyzBnj-pV83m3-DUd55Y-QFWcq9-pXmhVS-dpZDn2-RB2izs-osJG1w-Qy34ZC-BSZvmN-TNvESc-TJQXbS-SvZcFG-TJR87U-SvZ7km-SvZio3-SvZiyy-TdrQAY-TJQXU5/
Flickr: Just say no via National Library of Medicine

The use of marijuana has been debated for years whether it has health benefits or increases health risks. There are students from different areas that have their thoughts about the effects marijuana has on a person and their opinions on the usage of marijuana.

“I don’t have a problem with other people using marijuana recreationally as long as they aren’t putting anyone else in danger driving under the influence etc,” Cameryn Hartong, exercise science major, senior at High Point University said.

“Several studies, including two large longitudinal studies, suggest that marijuana use can cause functional impairment in cognitive abilities but that the degree and/or duration of the impairment depends on the age when a person began using and how much and how long he or she used,” according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

“I think recreational use is okay if used occasionally if marijuana is made legal,” Callie Krajcir, nutrition and dietetics major, senior at West Chester University said. “I fully support the use of medical marijuana. It can be beneficial to many people with conditions such as cancer, chronic pain, MS and epilepsy.”

“In my opinion, the use of medical marijuana helps to ease the pain of those with cancer and other medical issues,” Lisa Saraceni, marketing major and human resource minor, senior at Cabrini University said. “An example of this is that some are prescribed marijuana for the use of migraines. The use of recreational marijuana helps people to relieve real world problems and to be less stressful and also helps to enjoy the little things about life and avoid mental breakdowns.”

Regardless of marijuana being used for recreational or medical purposes, it still has the same health risks on the person using it. One 2017 review notes that while about 1 in 11 people who use marijuana will develop a dependence, that number almost doubles among people who started as adolescents.

“Medical use, while there are research and proven cases of its positive effects I think more research and testing needs to be done before it is legal across the board,” Hartong said. “I definitely think there are chemicals that cause issues. It’s been proven that if you smoke it heavily it can cause things like hallucinations and psychosis.”

Marijuana has been argued to have effects on the brain and can cause long term issues due to the chemicals found in it. “I do think that THC may have an effect on the brain,” Krajcir said. “I think adolescents are much more vulnerable to brain damage since their brains aren’t fully developed yet.”

Marijuana has been known as a gateway drug. This means that the use of marijuana causes someone to use harder drugs that can lead to a more intense addiction. “I think that whether or not marijuana is a gateway drug depends on the individual,” Krajcir said. “One person might be genetically predisposed to addiction and therefore would be more susceptible to using marijuana as a gateway drug. On the other hand, some individuals may be satisfied with marijuana and will not take the next step and try a harder drug.”

The overall health and well-being of marijuana users, recreational or medical can be affected. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, “Substantial evidence from animal research and a growing number of studies in humans indicate that marijuana exposure during development can cause long-term or possibly permanent adverse changes in the brain.”

“I think the effects of marijuana vary with the individual,” Krajcir said. Some people may experience paranoia, dry mouth and an increase in heart rate, which are uncomfortable symptoms but the person may see the benefits of using marijuana to outweigh the consequences. It can also have long-term effects on the lungs, like bronchitis, asthma or cystic fibrosis. These conditions are all debilitating and severely decrease a person’s quality of life. While there aren’t a lot of definite links between marijuana and these conditions, researchers still think there is a link, which is enough for me to advise against long-term recreational use.”

“Overall health depends on the way they are effective as some people smoke and are productive and could be a healthy lifestyle with exercising and hiking while some people get glued to the couch and eat unhealthily,” Saraceni said. “It helps people effectively sleep more which has beneficial effects on health.”

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Emily Crouse

Thrill chaser, communication queen, inspired futuristic, go getter. Majoring in Digital Communications and Social Media at Cabrini College. Member of the Cabrini Women's Lacrosse team and lover of life.

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