Drug abuse - Weed

Marijuana, also known as pot, grass, cannabis or weed, is a crude drug made from the plant Cannabis sativa. This is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the world. According to the United Nation’s annual report from 2004, about 4% of total world’s adult population was cannabis users. This means that 162 million people used weed in 2004, and about 22.6 of them were daily users. In most parts of the world, t the cultivation, law prohibits possession or transfers of weed. However, more recently, political parties and non-profit organizations are fighting to legalize medical cannabis, which is found to be beneficial as an herbal remedy in treatment of various diseases.

How it works?

Weed is a green, brown, or gray mixture of dried, shredded flowers and leaves of Cannabis sativa plant. This drug has psychoactive and physiological effects when consumed, due to the combination of THC and other chemical compounds found in the plant. THC is a major psychoactive chemical compound in cannabis it affects human perception, mood and physiological functions. Most of the people will experience changes in perception, following the consumption of weed. Their heart rate will also be increased, blood pressure will become low, and they will probably feel problems with short-term and working memory, concentration and coordination of movements.

Psychological dependence on weed

People who use weed on the regular basis for many years may become psychologically dependent. This is most obvious when these individuals try to limit their use of marijuana. In most cases, they will have a hard time limiting their use. On the other hand, people may express typical signs of psychological dependence if they start using more drugs to get the same effect. Occasionally, this drug can become the central part of their lives and lead to numerous problems with jobs, responsibilities, families, relationships and health.

Effects on the body

Weed is often associated with many severe long-term effects. Cannabis possibly affects one’s intelligence and memory, it is also linked with severe mental disorders such as paranoia, schizophrenia and depression. Upon the chronic exposure to THC, many learned behaviors could start to deteriorate. Weed also causes impairments in attention and memory, destroys nerve cells and causes pathological changes in the hippocampus.

Smoking marijuana also affects the respiratory system the same way as tobacco does. People who enjoy weed every day may suffer from chronic bronchitis and are at increased risk of abnormal functioning of the lungs and airways.