Do You Know About The Effect Of Marijuana On The Brain?

A few minutes after you have smoked marijuana , your heart rate will increase, your blood vessels will dilate, your eyes will turn red and your blood pressure will rise… That the body is affected is quite obvious, but what is the effect of marijuana on the brain?

There are probably few people today who do not know what marijuana is and what it does. However, it is important to stop and reflect on what this substance actually is for something.

Marijuana, or cannabis, is a green or grayish mixture of flowers and dried leaves of the hemp plant. There are more than 200 names for this substance. Some call it mary jane, grass or braj, for example.

Marijuana is the name given by Mexicans to the Indian hemp plant. This is a species from the family moraceae and looks like a shiny nettle. It measures about 1.8 meters and can be grown in warm climates. Cannabis is a plant with a long history and tradition, and has many uses.

People use it for entertainment purposes as a drug, medically and industrially as a raw material.

Cannabis originally comes from Central and South Asia. The Assyrians used it for religious ceremonies and called it “qunubu”. Cannabis has a long history of use during religious ceremonies around the world.

The main active chemical in marijuana is THC (chemical name:

When you use marijuana – whether you smoke or eat it – the cannabinoids interact with different receptors in the brain and body. These receptors form part of the endocannabinoid system. Through this interaction, cannabis has different effects on users.

The membranes of some nerve cells have protein receptors that retain THC. When THC reacts with these receptors, a number of different effects are produced in the body. It can cause euphoria, relaxation, joy, etc.

There are also types of cannabis that companies use to produce industrial hemp. These types contain less than 1% THC and are not suitable for recreational use.

Humans have been using cannabis for thousands of years because of its effect on body and mind. The effects of marijuana on the brain are a general shift in perception, euphoria and better mood.

Cannabis can also increase appetite and give the consumer a feeling called “stoned”. The immediate side effects are short-term memory loss, dry mouth, bloodshot eyes, impaired motor skills and anxiety.

In the long run, marijuana can impair mental capacity and cause addiction. The immediate effects of marijuana last for 2-8 hours. If you smoke marijuana, it takes a few minutes before it takes effect. If you consume it, it can take 30-60 minutes.

People often claim that marijuana is a harmless drug. However, we should not dismiss the many possible negative effects. One of these effects is that we tend to downplay the so-called amotivation syndrome.

The word “amotivation” suggests anything that makes us think of marijuana addicts as “social outbursts.”

According to the psychologist Vallejo-Najera, a person can go through the following four phases of amotivation syndrome:

• Euphoria: a feeling of relaxation and happiness. A tendency towards dialogue. Stimulates the imagination.
• Impulsive hallucination: fantasies turn into hallucinations, which coincide with a loss of perception of time and space. This stage is very emotional. Mood swings are intense. If marijuana use is combined with alcohol, this phase will be even stronger.
• Bliss: a feeling of pleasure, serenity and peace. “Neither desire nor fear.” The person slowly gets tired.
• Sleepiness and toughness: this is the phase immediately after the above. The person is completely knocked out for a few hours.

The subjective effects begin one minute after inhalation. The maximum effects of marijuana occur 30 minutes after smoking. The effects can last for around four hours if the marijuana is smoked. The effect of eating marijuana can be for eight hours.

What users mainly talk about is their changed perception of time. When people use marijuana, everything seems to be longer than normal.

Users also talk about increased sound sensitivity and an increased appreciation for music. Some people mention a subjective feeling of heightened feeling, taste and smell. In general , the effect of marijuana on the brain depends on the method and how much THC it contains.

Tetrahydrocannabinol is not soluble in water. That is why eating and inhaling are the consumption options.

In cases of severe poisoning, cannabis can cause paranoid thoughts, delusions, hallucinations, personality changes, delirium, confusion, agitation and anxiety. It can also give rise to crazy thoughts and confusion, as well as outrage and violent excitement. These effects disappear after a few hours.

The personality of the consumer also plays an important role in the effect that marijuana has on the brain. People who are overwhelmed by anxiety, fear and panic can have a severe psycho-toxic reaction. They tend to get upset, depressed and withdrawn.

The truth is that we should not take any form of drug use lightly. This also applies to drugs such as marijuana, which have been used for hundreds of years. Drug use has increased the mental problems among young people.

This is especially worrying if we consider that marijuana use increases the risk of psychotic incidents. Furthermore, increases in anxiety and panic attacks are linked to habitual drug use.

Bibliography

Cáñamo, “official magazine of the culture of cannabis”, several issues, published in Barcelona, ​​Spain.

Valbuena, A., Toxicomaniacs, Medical and Psychiatric Problems, 1986.