Are you looking for the latest information on cannabis effects on humans? We’ve come a long way since smoking marijuana was a taboo pastime.
From the growing acceptance and legality of marijuana-infused recreational products to the usage of medicinal marijuana to treat symptoms, more and more people are speaking out about the role marijuana plays in their lives.
Find out how cannabis effects on humans and how it affects different people differently through its various forms. The following are the long-term effects of cannabis on humans:
Consequences of cannabis use over time
Marijuana use can negatively influence memory and learning in the long run. Those who use marijuana frequently as children may develop cognitive impairment as adults, even if they no longer use the drug. Marijuana’s long-term effects can be unpredictable.
Long-term usage can potentially cause respiratory problems and learning and problem-solving difficulties in children born to moms who smoked marijuana during pregnancy.
Furthermore, marijuana usage has been linked to disorders such as psychosis and paranoia, and it may even worsen symptoms in those who have schizophrenia.
Brain damage from cannabis?
Cannabis’s effects on humans can impair learning and the ability to execute difficult tasks and fulfill specific duties. THC affects cerebellar function and balance, posture, coordination, and reaction time.
Cannabis Effects on the brain
The psychological consequences of cannabis are not always terrifying, although there are times when people suffer from fear or psychosis.
THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, alters how people interpret information. In specific brain regions, the hippocampus, cerebellum, and basal ganglia have roles in movement and balance.
Because THC changes these brain regions, its effects on coordination and reflex response are possible. Marijuana users who consume large amounts of the drug develop hallucinations and delusions.
Psychotic disorders risk
Paranoia, delusional thinking, and strange behaviors are examples of cannabis’s effects on humans. Furthermore, marijuana-induced symptoms are more common in heavy marijuana users. It is unclear whether the effects are lasting or only transitory.
Marijuana causes cognitive issues
THC affects cannabinoid receptors in brain areas that control learning, memory, hunger, coordination, and pleasure.
Long-term, chronic marijuana use may have the greatest brain impacts on young adults who are still forming neuronal connections, according to research.
One research on teens found decreased neural connections in brain areas linked to memory, learning, and impulse control compared to non-users.
Teens who smoked pot daily for three years had hippocampal alterations, affecting long-term memory. The more marijuana research participants consumed, the more aberrant their hippocampus became, resulting in poor long-term memory.
Cannabis’s effects on health
In a study, marijuana usage was linked to an increased risk of heart attacks, asthma, COPD, arthritis, and kidney illness.
Within minutes of smoking marijuana, your heart rate accelerates, and your blood pressure may alter, which can be risky for persons with heart disease. Researchers discovered that marijuana users have a higher risk of heart attack after smoking than non-users.
Marijuana usage has also been linked to arrhythmias and an increased risk of stroke, according to research.
Cannabinoids may also interfere with the action of numerous heart-disease medications, including antiarrhythmics, statins, calcium-channel blockers, beta-blockers, and warfarin.
Cannabidiol promotes fragile bones
The impact of marijuana on bone health is currently being studied. People who consistently smoked marijuana had an increased risk of decreasing bone density, which can raise the risk of bone fractures, according to a 2017 study published in the American Journal of Medicine.
In the same year, another study published in the Archives of Osteoporosis revealed no link between marijuana usage and decreasing bone density.
Consuming marijuana while pregnant
According to one study published by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 20% of pregnant women aged 24 and under tested positive for marijuana. According to critics of the same study, these figures are likely underreported, implying that marijuana use during pregnancy is more widespread than previously thought.
Marijuana usage during pregnancy has been associated with decreased birth weight and an increased risk of abnormal neurological development in neonates.
According to research, the compounds in marijuana, especially tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component in cannabis, can pass through a pregnant woman’s system and impair fetal development.
Marijuana exposure during pregnancy, in particular, has been linked to problems with attention, memory, problem-solving skills, and behavioral issues in children.
It is still too early to tell whether long-term cannabis effects on humans.
However, research suggests that people who begin using cannabis in their teens and continue to use it heavily into adulthood are more likely to develop cognitive impairments, addiction, and some psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia. The high THC content of today’s cannabis may exacerbate these concerns.
Cannabis has numerous potential short- and long-term physical and physiological effects on the human body. While many supporters believe that cannabis is a modern-day panacea, others believe that its negative effects outweigh its potential medicinal benefits.
Cannabis has been used recreationally for many years. As of 2023, 19 states in the United States have legalized cannabis in some form. A few states have also made its recreational use legal.
People in states where recreational use is still illegal should seek other options and consult their healthcare professionals about what is best for them.
